Molly Etchells will wrap up her latest night shift as a response police officer at 7am on Sunday. She plans to catch a couple of hours of sleep before her team’s Women’s FA Cup second-round match kicks off at 1.45pm. Their goal is to secure a spot in Monday’s third-round draw alongside Championship clubs. Football serves as Etchells’ escape from her day job, and on a freezing evening in Greater Manchester, neither she nor her teammates are deterred by the snow as they prepare for the game.

“I need it,” Etchells says as she and the other players from fifth-tier Mancunian Unity get ready to host sixth-tier Handsworth. “I don’t feel like a police officer when I’m here. It’s fantastic.” The center-back isn’t the only officer in the squad. “Initially, we weren’t going to be able to play on Sunday,” Etchells explains, “but we managed to swap shifts so we’re doing four night shifts instead of two, and we’ll be playing after finishing.”

Mancunian Unity was established five years ago as an independent, volunteer-run women’s club by manager Phil Burke and his cousin. They’ve earned four promotions, moving from county level to the North West Women’s Regional Premier League. This season, they’ve knocked out higher-division teams like Leeds and Stockport, as well as lower-league Wigan Athletic in the Cup.

“Being the underdogs and being underestimated is what we thrive on,” says Etchells, the vice-captain. “Proud doesn’t even begin to describe it. The girls have exceeded all our expectations in the FA Cup.” Their 3-1 victory over Leeds, a team with a storied history, is a Cup classic in the making, and Etchells says they were never nervous. Burke explains the origin of the team’s name.

“I’m a proud Manc, born and bred, but I didn’t want to use ‘Manchester’ because of Manchester City and Manchester United; I wanted something unique,” he says. “‘Unity’ represents the values and reasons for starting the club, and we want everyone involved to feel part of a football family.” The club was founded to provide girls and women with the best possible environment in football, offering them a pathway to chase their dreams.

Many people mistakenly call them ‘Manchester Unity’ or ‘Mancunian United,’ but Burke believes their performances in this competition will help correct that. “Every staff member is a volunteer. No one in the club gets paid. You can’t thank these people enough. The girls still pay fees, £30 a month. It’s a privilege to have these incredible women playing for us. It’s the people coming together that make us special.”

The team trains twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at Heywood Sports Village, and has won eight trophies in four seasons. This Cup run has earned them £13,000, with an additional £8,000 up for grabs if they win on Sunday. While this is significantly less than the men’s equivalent, it’s crucial for a standalone women’s club reliant on sponsorships and volunteers.

Volunteers include an analyst who scouts opponents. Several postponed matches gave Burke and his coaching staff unexpected opportunities to watch Leeds and Stockport, and now Handsworth. “Seeing them live made a big difference to our plan,” he says. “But it’s the girls on the pitch making it happen. We feel like we’re living a dream. We don’t want it to end.”

Sunday’s second round features 29 ties, including third-tier Burnley hosting fifth-tier Bradford and local derbies like Durham Cestria versus Chester-le-Street Town, Wolves against Sporting Khalsa, and an all-third-tier clash between Plymouth and Exeter.

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