'Let's put pressure on Everton'
Liverpool Ladies return to action on Saturday evening when they host Doncaster Belles in the Continental Cup at Halton Stadium, and boss Matt Beard is hoping his side can put pressure on Everton and Chelsea by gaining their first win.
The two Merseyside rivals are in a group with Chelsea and Doncaster Belles and only two teams qualify for the knockout stage.
After the opening draw with Everton, Beard is hoping the ladies can get their first three points.
Kick-off at the Halton Stadium is at 7.15pm BST, and tickets are £5 for adults and £2.50 concessions. You can pay at the turnstiles.
Matt, looking back at the FA Cup semi-final, how do you reflect on your side's display at Anfield?
I was pleased with the performance over the course of the 90 minutes. It was disappointing to lose the game because it's such a fantastic competition. I was disappointed with the two goals we conceded, especially the second one because we had spoken about the first goal at half-time. I don't know of any team over the course of the last five to 10 years that has had more possession than Arsenal over the course of 90 minutes, so there's lots of positives for us to take. I think as a group we have learned more from that defeat than what we would have done from winning the game. I was pleasantly surprised by how far we have come in such a short space of time. If that is the best team in the country then there is no reason why we can't win this division now.
Another positive would be the fantastic goal by Natasha Dowie in front of the Kop - that was some diving header wasn't it?
We've been working on her heading in training and considering how low it was, it was a superb goal. It was a great cross from Louise Fors and it was a deserved goal at the time.
On a personal level, how much did you enjoy managing at Anfield?
It was a nice experience, especially when the players walked out and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was playing. It was a good experience for everyone and we were just disappointed we didn't win for the fans who came out to support us on the night.
Doncaster Belles next up at the Halton Stadium in the Continental Cup on Saturday - how tough a test awaits your side?
Doncaster are a young team this year and they've got no fear. I went to watch them play Chelsea last Sunday and to be fair they should have won the game considering the chances they had and Chelsea are a good side. It's going to be a difficult evening and when you play against such a young team who have no fear they are prepared to take risks and work hard, but I'm confident with the group we gave got that we should win the game. We have to make sure we match their work rate and make the right decisions in the right areas.
It's your second competitive game at your new home stadium - I guess you'll be hoping it will be a bit warmer than the last time you played there against Everton, and better conditions for your side to play their normal passing game...
Definitely, we played in minus two against Everton! We are looking forward to it. Our pre-season went well and all the games were played at our home ground. Believe it or not we haven't played there since February so we are looking forward to being back at home. It's important we win to stand any chance of progressing from the group and qualify for the knockout stage.
Have you sensed in training a real determination to get back to winning ways?
Without a doubt. We spoke in training about how mentally strong the group is. We watched the Arsenal game again and the players gave their opinions and I gave mine. To be fair we have been working hard in training on rectifying one or two things that we weren't happy with, especially with our shape and the width we needed to create. I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond to the defeat and how they respond to what we have been working on in training this week.
You drew 1-1 with Everton in your opening Continental Cup game - just tell us a little bit about the format of the competition...
It's a group of four so you play three games. The top two in the group progress to the knockout stages, which is in the second half of the season. Chelsea and Doncaster also drew their first game so go into this weekend's second game on a level playing field. It's important for us with it being a home game that we get the three points and put pressure on Everton and Chelsea, who play on Sunday.
Is it important to do well in these cup competitions, which gives the girls extra confidence to take into the Super League games?
Not only that but it's good to continue in the cup competitions to get games under your belt. We learn from every performance and it also gives us a bit of momentum to kick on in the Super League season.