Page 14 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.9 2022-23

After a frustrating start to the season, Larkhall Athletic
recorded their first league victory on Sunday when they beat
AFC St Austell 4-1.
Larks defender and captain Mia Brain was one of the
goalscorers in the win and she told us that her overwhelming
emotion was ‘relief’ at getting the result, and that it should
provide a huge boost to the team’s confidence going into
future matches:
WSS: Congratulations on your first win of the
season, was it a feeling of relief when the final
whistle blew?
MB: 100%, it was a feeling of relief! We’ve all been working
so hard as a group and keeping the belief that the results
will come. We’ve put in strong performances in many
games this season and come up short, so it was a huge relief
to hear the final whistle go and know we were getting all
three points for another strong all round performance.
WSS: Did you feel that that result was coming,
seeing that a number of your previous matches
have been fairly close ones?
MB: Yes we definitely felt a win was coming as a group. We had lots of conversations about
staying positive and pushing on with consistent performances every week and we knew
eventually our hard work would pay off and the performances would be matched with a result.
WSS: How important was it to get that early goal on Sunday?
MB: I think it was crucial to get the early goal as it helped to settle the nerves. As a group, we
knew what a huge game it was in terms of league position so it definitely helped us settle into
the game. We had talked before the match about how crucial the first goal would be for either
side so when the early goal went in that was huge for us.
WSS: Later in the game, when St Austell had pulled a goal back, was it crucial
that you scored again within a couple of minutes of conceding?
MB: It was great to see such a positive reaction from the girls to answer back so quickly after
conceding. I definitely do think it was needed to regain control of the game and settle heads
to make sure that we didn’t let that goal change the shape of the game.
WSS: What a debut for Emily Arrell with two goals! Did she make a difference
to the team and help your forwards by giving you a bit of extra strength up front?
MB: Emily brings great strength and power for us up front, which also helps the other girls
up there to play their game and takes pressure off. She has been a great signing for us and
took her two goals really well. It definitely helped us to have someone so confident in front of
goal on our side and I think Emily’s confidence spread to the rest of the forwards and the
team of what a threat we can be in front of goal.
WSS: Unfortunately you have no game this coming Sunday but then it's two
home games against Keynsham and Maidenhead, presumably both will be as
important as the St Austell one?
MB: The next two games are crucial for our season. Getting the three points against St
Austell was great for us to build confidence that we can now push on with. We’re now fully
focused on the games ahead and are confident as a group that we are in good shape to put in
good performances and come away with the results we need. The team knows how important
the upcoming matches are and we’re all ready and excited for the challenge.
WSS: With your first league win out of the way, do you think the team will be
able to approach each match with greater confidence now?
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