Karen Hills reflected on a tough afternoon in tough conditions after 1-0 win in the Vitality Women's FA Cup against Gillingham.
The Addicks' victory means they'll face Plymouth in the competition's fourth round in 2022.
Speaking after the match, Hills said: “I thought the girls were professional enough to get the job done, but credit to Gillingham, I thought they were exceptional today. They pushed us all the way and could’ve caused us a few problems at the end. We are just pleased to go through to the next round.”
The game saw 17-year-old Mary Bashford make her full debut, and Hills explained: “We obviously wanted to give Mary the opportunity. She’s been working really hard, she’s had a couple of appearances coming off the bench, so we thought today would be an ideal situation for her to have 90 minutes and she did really well.”
The Addicks won through a 40th-minute strike from Hollie Olding and Hills was quick to praise the 22-year-old.
“She had a couple of chances before the goal. Hollie’s an exceptional talent. She works really hard, and she deserved that goal today, so I’m truly pleased for her.”
The win means the Addicks end 2021 on a four-game winning streak. Looking forward to 2022, Hills said: “I just told the players now to go away, rest, regroup and reflect really on what’s been a really positive six months of the start of this journey. And then it's now, what do we need to do to build up and go again and get that momentum. It’s nice to have finished on a win, and we look forward to regrouping and coming back in the new year.”
Article by Josh Eden