FAYE Dale grew up supporting Middlesbrough and remembers taking a penalty on the Riverside pitch when she was just 11.

Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined one day playing at the stadium. But that will be the case this weekend when Boro Women return to the Riverside for the second time this season, and for Dale and her family it promises to be an emotional day.

"I'm from Billingham and I've always been a big Boro fan so playing at the Riverside will be huge for me," says Dale, who rejoined her hometown club from Durham Cestria in January.

"I remember taking a penalty at the Riverside when I was 11 for Billingham Town boy's team so this is huge for me, an opportunity to walk out here and have my family in the stands, it's every girl's dream.

"It will be surreal for my family watching me walk out and play at the Riverside and very emotional, but it's so exciting for myself and for them."

Sunday and the visit of Doncaster Belles to the Riverside will be equally as special for Boro captain Sarah Burn, who takes great pride in being able to inspire the next generation of female players on Teesside.

"It's amazing when you see families coming along and the impact you can have on the young boys and girls," she says.

"Playing at the Riverside again is going to be amazing, to have the crowd, my family, my four year-old daughter. But it's also about the bigger picture and expanding women's football. It's about being able to inspire the younger generation and for them to have role models on and off the pitch.

"My little girl walked out with me in the first game. She was my mascot and was chanting Up The Boro. It's amazing to look up and see her little face and hear her voice. It's a special feeling.

"Hopefully she will play when she gets older. I look back even two years and the difference between two years ago and now is amazing. I can't imagine what the growth in the women's game will be like in another 20 years.

"The game is growing massive and one day hopefully we can fill this stadium."

The Boro fans in attendance at the Riverside this weekend will see a side very much in form.

Michael Mulhern's side are unbeaten in 14 games, with nine wins and five draws since September taking them to the top of Division One North.

After the merger with the club late last summer, this was expected to be a season of transition but Boro are very much ahead of schedule. Promotion is now a very real possibility but it will still be seen as a bonus rather than the expectation.

"We want to win the league, what team doesn't want to win the league," says Burn.

"But there isn't any pressure on us. Michael and Ben (Fisher, general manager) have been amazing for the club. In our first year we have achieved an awful lot and come on leaps and bounds. We are developing fast but that means we are going to get bigger and better.

"We have time on our hands. If we don't win the league then so be it, we'll take the positives and everything we've achieved. Fingers crossed, we're all pushing. I personally think we have it in us but every team is fighting for it."

Tickets for Sunday's game, 2pm kick-off, are available online HERE and can also be bought on the day at the turnstiles.