Paraguayan forward Maria Paz Vera led Camden Town WFC’s FA Cup goal charge with a hat-trick in the preliminary round win over Oxted WFC at the New Defence Stadium [Sophia Demetriades]

NOTHING signals a football club’s trophy ambitions quite like an emphatic win in a competition steeped in history and tradition.

Camden Town WFC made their intentions for the new season clear on Sunday when they ignited their Women’s FA Cup campaign with a resounding 7-0 win over Oxted WFC at the New Defence Stadium.

Town owner Richard Mahoney, who lives in Highbury, is hoping that the preliminary round victory in Surrey will lead the club to “a historic run” in the tournament.

He said: “The FA Cup is an incredibly special competition and it means a huge amount to us to be part of it. Days like today are exactly what the competition is about.

“I thought the team were outstanding. The quality of the football, the movement and the intensity was fantastic to watch, and the scoreline doesn’t reflect the number of opportunities that we created.

“We have huge ambitions for Camden Town, and I hope today represents the beginning of a historic FA Cup run for this football club.

“We want to keep writing our story, round by round, and see just how far we can go.”

There was excitement before a ball had even been kicked on Sunday after Town announced two new signings, with midfielder Emma Ciantar and versatile defender Madison Brome both named among the substitutes.

A 65-strong crowd saw striker Andrea Chan, who lives in Finsbury Park, open the scoring after just 13 minutes with a powerful header.

Maria Paz Vera, who lives in West Hampstead, doubled Camden’s advantage just after the half-hour mark, before Chan made it 3-0 at the break with her second of the afternoon.

The rout continued after the break with Maya Brueckner and debutant Ciantar both netting their first goals for the club.

But the day belonged to Paraguayan forward Paz Vera, who went on to complete a stunning hat-trick with two more clinical finishes.

Praising the approach of his players after the final whistle, Town manager Darren Smith said: “I’m delighted with the performance. The passing, the movement and the combination play was excellent, and we created an enormous number of chances.

“If anything, we probably should have scored more goals.

“FA Cup ties can sometimes present different challenges, and there were moments where we had to keep our composure, including with one or two decisions that perhaps didn’t go the way that we might have expected.

“But I thought the players dealt with that professionally, stayed focused on our football and maintained our standards throughout.

“Seven goals, a clean sheet and progression to the next round – we can be very pleased with that. But we know there is much more to come from this group.”