After a very hit and miss start to the season, we have finally started picking up big results and playing as a team, but it’s too late for anything this season. It does, however, make me believe that next season we have something to build on and it just may be our year.
We have a tendency to become good at the end of the season and then lose our best player or lose our manager. We need to make sure that this is not the case this year, or we are just accepting that we are going backwards again. The players we need to keep are our captain Katrina Gorry and striker Vivianne Asseyi. Both players have been spoken about by other teams, but they have also made it clear that they are very happy here and glad to see the progression in the team, so hopefully they will both stay for another year at least.
The Martinez Impact and Brighton Success
The lovely 3-1 win against Brighton and Hove Albion at home was the perfect response after losing to Chelsea in the League Cup semi final and twice to Liverpool in a matter of days. Brighton had sat fifth before the game and one standout moment in that game was Shekiera Martinez, scoring one and assisting one to make sure we got the three points.
Since Martinez joined in July, the striker has not had much game time but the 23-year-old is starting to make her mark now. The striker has scored three goals in her last four games, having scored against Arsenal, Everton and Brighton. With Martinez getting into some form, it has created less pressure for Asseyi and Ueki which for the team has been a massive plus and a big reason in my opinion why we are playing so much better in the attacking third.
Asseyi’s All-Round Game
Another player that I have spoken about for a long time now is Asseyi and she is one assist below Manchester City’s Mary Fowler for the most assists this season. This could be something we can keep an eye on going into our final few games and it would show how well we have come as a team, that a player we have put so much pressure on to be our top goal scorer, has now added many other aspects to her game.
The Final Push: March and Beyond
We started this month with a last minute equaliser against Man City at home when Manuela Pavi curled it past Ayaka Yamashita. This result has pushed us up to ninth in the league. Our next game is the big one, Spurs at home on March 23, where we will be looking to keep our good spell going.
After Spurs we have five games left and it will not be the easiest end of season. We’ll face Chelsea, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Leicester City. I would hope for at least nine points to end the season with all points coming in the last three, but hopefully we can maybe pick up a couple of points in the Chelsea and Manchester United games but it will not be easy. If we do end up gaining nine points, it will be a very good end to the season and I will be even more excited and confident that we can win silverware or place in the European places next year.
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