Page 12 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.6 2020-21
P. 12

It has not been the easiest of campaigns so far for Liverpool Feds,
       mainly a stop-start season to date, but on Sunday they returned to
       action with a 3-0 victory away to Fleetwood Town Wrens in the
       Third Round Qualifying of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.
           Feds  captain  Chantelle  Thompson  told  us  she  was  pleased
       overall with the way her team played on the day, having not been in
       action  for  a  long  time,  and  she  is  expecting  another  tough  tie
       against FC United of Manchester in the First Round this week:
       WSS:  Were  you  pleased  overall  with  the  result  and
       performance on Sunday, given you had an awkward cup
       tie after six weeks without a game?
       CT: The aim was to progress through to the next round and we
       achieved that. Performance wise we knew it wasn’t going to be
       perfect, It was always going to be difficult, we had one training
       session on Thursday and for some of our girls, their last game was
       on 30th September. So overall it was pleasing to progress and
       keep another clean sheet.
       WSS: You got off to a great start with two goals in the
       opening half hour, was it the plan to take the game to
       Fleetwood from the start?
       CT: We always try to start on the front foot and control possession. We wanted to try and get a goal
       early and kill any hope of an upset for Fleetwood, looking back we probably  should have scored
       more with the chances we had but most important thing was to progress.
       WSS: Regardless of the result, what was it like just to be back out on a pitch playing
       again?
       CT: It felt great to be back with the girls on the pitch, the Covid situation in Liverpool has been pretty
       bad and its been frustrating not being able to showcase how good this squad is due to the lack of
       games.
       WSS: You’ve come through two away ties against opponents from the level below so
       far  and  now  you  face  another  one  in  the  First  Round  this  week,  what  are  your
       thoughts ahead of the game with FC United of Manchester?
       CT: I’ve got no doubt in my mind that it will be a very tough game, they are a well structured club
       who will be looking to progress into the next round as are we. It’s always tough facing teams from
       the level below - there’s no pressure on them and they want to prove a point.
       WSS: Liverpool Feds have had some good runs in the FA Cup in recent seasons, would
       another good run be important to the club this time?
       CT: With no County Cup or FAWNL Cup/Plate we want to go as far as we possibly can, the further
       we get, the more games we get to play and it’s good to bring in money for the club.
       WSS: Have there been many changes at the club over the summer, and do you feel that
       you have a stronger squad this season?
       CT: I thought we did great business in the summer, not only did we keep everyone on from the
       season before, but we also added players who have really brought something to the team. Rachael
       Darbyshire, Chloe Fisher and Erin Slade have all fitted in really well and we also have the likes of
       Em Douglas, Demi Devereaux and Carla Lee coming back to full fitness in the New Year after long
       term injuries. I really believe this is the strongest squad I have been a part of at the Feds.
       WSS: It has undoubtedly been a frustrating start to the season for you, but do you
       think  that  you  can  get  up  amongst  the  leading  sides  when  you  start  playing
       regularly?
       CT: 100%. I don’t think you can look at the table and gauge who is going to end up where this early
       on. We’ve played two league games so far whereas some teams have played five or six, so hopefully
       we can get a good run of games in and start progressing up the table.
        Issue no. 6 - 10 December 2020         news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk
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