Head Coach Karen Hills shared her final thoughts heading into Sunday’s Continental Cup group round fixture against fellow Championship outfit Lewes.
Charlton will travel to the Dripping Pan off the back of a five-goal thriller against Sunderland last weekend. A stoppage-time header from Elisha N’Dow meant that the Addicks defeated the ten women Sunderland side at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground.
Reflecting on the 3-2 league win over Sunderland:
“I thought the players did really well, especially after a long trip, we played Sunderland last season and came off the back of it with two disappointing defeats, so, we had to go there and have a point to prove, it was always going to be a tough place to go but the character and the willingness to win and the belief and the togetherness in the group really showed right until the death and we got our rewards, in the end, and came back with three points.
Clarity on Ella Rutherford’s bookings against Sunderland:
“First of all, she came off after scoring the goal. She picked up a little knock so we had to cautionary take her off but she seems to be ok, we are monitoring her, yes she did pick up a second yellow it has been confirmed, so we are disappointed with that but obviously, players have to understand the rules of the game.”
Update on Hannah Godfrey’s ACL injury:
“Picking up two ACL injuries early in the season is unheard of, and obviously we are disappointed on behalf of both of those players (Lucy Watson and Hannah Godfrey), it is disappointing for us and for the team, and especially for her but she has great character and a strong personality strong will and belief that she will make a full recovery. But I truly believe she has the character and the support she needs to come back fitter and stronger.”
Looking ahead to Lewes in the Continental Cup:
“We have got a great group of players that are robust enough to deal with the demand of the game. There are a couple of younger players that we can give some opportunities to be in and around the squad Mary Bashford has just turned 18 today, so, that is a fantastic opportunity for her to have a run out on Sunday. We have a young player coming up from the U21 she will be in the squad as well. So, it just shows our development of our younger players and if they are playing well and training well then they will get their opportunities.”
“The main group are doing well, they have trained really well this week, we probably have to look at a few changes because of personnel that we have got available, but at the same time we need to go there as strong as we possibly can because Lewes are a good side they have got a fantastic fan base, a great surface to play on, but at the same time they have got some really experienced players that have played a lot of football in the Championship so we know it is going to be tough, yes it is a Continental Cup game, but we want to win every game that we play in, we want to make sure we give ourselves a good opportunity to do well in the Continental cup. It is going to be a tough game but at the same time we are fully prepared and we will go there to try and get the win.”
Reflecting on Charlton’s start to the season:
“We have played four and won three obviously a tough game at home to London City, we have won both of our away games which is always a bonus, it has been a great start obviously some disappointment in losing some key players, but it is a long season, and I always tell the players it is a marathon, not a sprint and about the team that is the most consistent week in week out and so far we have been in a good place.”
Charlton's next home game will take place against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, October 16th at The Oakwood, DA1 4DN KO 12PM.
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