Page 14 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.15 2021-22

An interview with…..

Paige Crossman (Huddersfield Town)

Huddersfield Town have a good record in cup competitions in
recent seasons and the signs are there that they can have
another good run, reaching the Third Round of the Vitality
Women’s FA Cup with a 3-0 victory away to Sheffield FC on
Sunday.
Paige Crossman scored the opening goal in the win
against Sheffield and she is looking forward to taking on
Loughborough Lightning in the next round this week, as well
as keeping up their interest in the FAWNL Northern Premier
Division title race:
WSS: Well done on reaching the next round of the FA
Cup, do you feel that the 3-0 scoreline reflected the
game overall?
PC: We had plenty of chances to have put the game to bed
much sooner, but Sheffield had a game plan and put bodies
on the line to keep the scoreline to three.
WSS: All of the goals came in the second half, was it
a case of remaining patient until the breakthrough
came?
PC: Yes, we knew and prepared for Sheffield to defend compact and deep, so we had to stay patient
to break the deadlock.
WSS: That makes it seven wins in eight games for yourselves, as well as three clean
sheets in a row. Do you feel the team is finding its best form now?
PC: We are looking in good shape and are continuing to improve weekly, but I think we all still
believe we have more to show and deliver.
WSS: Your reward for beating Sheffield is a home tie with Loughborough Lightning
this week, who are familiar opponents to yourselves. What sort of game are you
expecting?
PC: We are expecting a different game plan from Loughborough this week, a faster tempo I
imagine. So we will adjust ourselves accordingly.
WSS: The club has had good cup runs in recent seasons, is that an incentive for
possibly doing it again?
PC: I’m certain I can speak for the players and the club when I say we want to challenge ourselves
and going on a good FA Cup run opens the doors for us to test ourselves against higher league
opposition.
WSS: Currently you sit fourth in the league, just behind the leading teams. Do you feel
that your season is going as well as expected?
PC: We haven’t had the perfect start to the season, we would have hoped or expected to have picked
up a few more points overall from some of our fixtures. However, our recent midweek win over
Fylde was an important three points for us and a platform for us to build the remainder of our
season from.
WSS: Just six points cover the top five teams in the table at present, can you see the
title race being a close one for the remainder of the season?
PC: With everyone still having to play each other at least once, I think the league is still open
depending on how other results play out.
WSS: Huddersfield have been among the leading teams in the division for the
past few seasons. Do you feel the club is ready for the step up to Championship
football if you can get there?
PC: There is the ambition at the club, but we are currently focusing on one game at a time and what
we can do in the present moment.
Our thanks to Paige! Photo - Jess Hornby
Issue no. 15 - 9 December 2021 womenssoccerscene@mail.com