Five years ago the Rovers women’s team was re-launched after the club had been without since 2005.
Their promotion last spring was their third in four seasons and was brought under the men’s team’s financial backing in April. They are playing their home games at Memorial Ground this season.
Douglas praised manager Nathan Hallett-Young, as well as the club’s wider staff, for helping them grow so quickly.
“I’m not surprised by the amount of work behind the scenes with the coaching staff and the players that we’ve come this far,” he said.
The tie against Villa – currently seventh in the WSL compared to Rovers, who are fifth in the fourth tier – will take place at Poundland Bescot Stadium on Sunday 12 January.
“It’s going to be a ridiculously difficult game but I think we’re all buzzing – we’re all up for it. The magic of the FA Cup – it’s a one-off game so we’ve got to see what we can do to get out of it,” Douglas said.
“We’ve got to treat it like any other game. It’s a massive occasion but at the end of the day we’re there to play and we’ve got to remember that going into it.”
