Hashtag United Women beat their reserve team in a cup final. It says a lot about local investment

“The worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche in the early 1880s, and fitting of the 2026 BBC Essex Women’s Cup final, in which third-tier Hashtag United Women beat sixth-tier Hashtag United Women reserves 7-2.Fans reading a copy of the match programme, featuring two Hashtag United club crests on its front page, might have felt a sense of deja vu owing to the 2024-25 quarter-final, when Hashtag’s first team beat the reserves 13-1. The team, founded by YouTuber Spencer Owen (real name Spencer Carmichael-Brown), whose YouTube channel Spencer FC boasts 1.93million subscribers, has a storied history in this competition.Advertisement