West London was the place to be as the SSE Women’s FA Cup continued its tour of the country with Chelsea on the agenda this week.

Beginning at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, the SSE Women’s FA Cup was on display in the Chelsea Megastore as part of a signing session with Blues and England stars Fran Kirby and Karen Carney.

The players posed for pictures and signed autographs during a question-and-answer session with the fans ahead of their match with Doncaster on Sunday.

England internationals Carney and Kirby are no strangers to silverware – and both felt the trophy was a tremendous chance for the fans to connect with a competition the players are itching to win once again.

Carney said: “The SSE Women’s FA Cup is obviously very special – it’s an iconic competition, everyone wants to play at Wembley.

“It’s a fantastic trophy with a lot of history and everyone wants to be there on that final day. Chelsea are no different.”

Kirby added: “I think it makes it more real for the fans – they know it’s FA Cup weekend, the trophy is going around – everyone loves an FA Cup game, whether you’re a fan, a player or watching it on TV, it’s got that ring to it which everyone knows and it’s one of the most historic trophies in this country.

“It’s definitely one that everyone just knows and it makes it more real for the fans when they get to see the trophy.”

Bathed in blinding wintry sunlight on Friday, the silvery glint of the cup attracted the attentions of youngsters training as part of Chelsea FC Foundation’s Soccer Schools programme.

Leading the session at La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School in Clapham Park, Chelsea FC Foundation senior development officer Matt Wilder observed the impact seeing the real thing could be for budding young footballers who hope to have a future in the game.

He said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to have the cup down and give the youngsters the chance to have photos with it.

“Most of the young players we have support Chelsea so they will be used to silverware! Everyone’s excited and buzzing.”

Young Megan Wesley is hoping to follow in the footsteps for the likes of Carney and Kirby and loved seeing the trophy.

“It feels really good looking at the cup! I like it because the women have won the cup before,” the six-year-old said.

Eleven-year-old Jack Palmer added: “It’s really cool – it motivates me to play football more and hopefully be a professional player when I’m older.”

And the trophy was moved in from the cold on Friday night to Chelsea’s home ground ahead of the men’s Emirates FA Cup clash with Championship outfit Hull City.

The museum at Stamford Bridge is rich with the memorabilia of Chelsea’s history, and the cup was put on show next to a plethora of trophies won by both men and women in Chelsea colours, the greatest chapters in the club’s past adoring the walls around it.

Families and football lovers soaked up the cup in all its glory prior to Friday’s men’s clash, which Antonio Conte’s side cruised 4-0 against the Tigers, with supporters wishing for Hayes’ side to repeat their heroics of 2015 and win the women’s competition for a second time.

Fans went to Kingsmeadow on Sunday full of hope for a similarly convincing win – and they were not disappointed.

The final leg of the tour saw the cup presented outside the home of Chelsea Ladies ahead of their clash with Doncaster.

Hayes’ side ran out 6-0 winners on the day, roared on by more than 1,500 of the Chelsea faithful, many of whom sampled the cup outside the ground prior to kick-off.

Paul Green, Chelsea Ladies’ assistant manager, said: “It’s great for the fans, especially the younger ones, they can have their pictures taken with the trophy and get a feel for it.

“Each year the competition and the women’s game in general is evolving all the time very quickly. The growth in the game… is all geared towards more crowds at the games and youngsters having more female role models to look up to.”

Skipper Anita Asante added: “The fans get an interactive view of what we’re striving for and they’re part of the journey with us.

“Hopefully they will go on the road with us to Wembley!”

Tickets are now on sale for the SSE Women’s FA Cup Final on Saturday 5th May at Wembley Stadium connected by EE. For more information about tickets and SSE’s involvement in women’s football visit www.sponsorship.sse.com.