'Let's hold our nerve and win title'
Matt Beard insists his side are confident they can hold their nerve and win the Women's Super League title when they face rivals Bristol in a championship showdown at the Halton Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Kick-off is at 2pm BST and the Ladies require just a point to win the title, while visitors Bristol need all three to pip the Reds to the crown.
With 44 goals scored from just 13 games, Liverpool are the Super League's leading goalscorers this season and have won their last six games to give themselves a great chance of lifting the title.
Having inherited a side that was bottom of the league, the turnaround overseen by Beard has been nothing short of remarkable and the boss knows how high the stakes are on Sunday.
Matt, one game to go, this is it - how are you feeling?
We are in confident mood to be fair and we are looking forward to the game now. It's frustrating that it has taken two weeks with an international break in between but it's part and parcel of where we are, and we've just got to make sure we focus for the game on Sunday.
You only need one point to win the league so how difficult is it going into a game knowing you only need a draw to secure the title?
We won't be going for the draw, let's put it that way. We've played some good stuff this year and we've got plenty of goals in the team. We also have three players sitting in the top three goalscorers in the league this year and we just want to get this game won now.
When you joined Liverpool, you inherited a team that was bottom of the league. Now you are on the verge of glory - it's a fantastic story isn't it...
It has been a bit of a fairytale, to a certain extent, how things have gone this year for us. We've always said we were building a side that could compete at the top end of the table. If you had said to me at the start of the season we would be top of the league with a game to go I probably would have maybe doubted that, but the group has been fantastic. They are a great group to work with and we've just got one more game to focus on now and then we can reflect on the season once we get the Bristol game out of the way.
What about the support you have had from the football club - how much has that meant to you?
The club has been absolutely fantastic from behind the scenes to on the pitch, and the support from Brendan and his team, the Academy and Frank McParland has been great. We have a new general manager in Angela Roberts to make sure we can improve off the pitch as well. Everything has been fantastic and we have got to make sure we focus for Sunday now.
Bristol, like yourselves, have been up near the top all season, but in their last game they were 3-0 down at half-time against Doncaster before they made an amazing recovery to win 4-3 in the second half. What were you thinking at half-time?
I was there and I couldn't believe what I was watching in the first half. It just shows you they have plenty of character in the team. They were 3-0 down at half-time and to come back and win the game 4-3 you have to give them a lot of credit for that, especially coming off the back of beating a tough Birmingham side. It shows they have a never-say-die attitude and they are similar to us with regards to the mentality of the group, but I'm confident with the players we have at our disposal that we can score goals and cause them problems. Hopefully on Sunday we can get as many Liverpool fans to the Halton Stadium as we can and make it a great atmosphere for us and the players.
If the away game at Bristol back in August is anything to go by, when you won 4-3 in a thriller, then we are in for a treat on Sunday aren't we?
Well, there have been a couple of defining moments this season. That was one and the win at home to Chelsea as well, when we didn't play particularly well that night. We were quite comfortable in that game against Bristol before our goalkeeper made an individual error and goals change games, so we have got to make sure we don't make any individual errors on Sunday.
You have scored 44 goals this season in just 13 outings, 14 more than Bristol - does this team deserve the title?
I think with the way we have played then yes, I would say. It will be a fascinating occasion and I guess when the fixtures were drawn up, the league would have been looking at Arsenal or Everton for a title-deciding game. We are where we are on merit and let's hope we can cross that line on Sunday.
You had five players on international duty for England on Thursday night. That's not ideal is it, so close to Sunday's big game?
No, not really. Bristol had three away, two with Wales and one with England, but that's the way it is. We have just got to make sure we get our focus when the group come back in Saturday morning and prepare for Sunday.
Before the final game, you and Bristol have qualified for the Women's Champions League next year. How important is that for the club?
It means that we don't have to look over our shoulder depending on Arsenal's result. It's important for us to be playing in Europe next year because that was our target at the start of the season.
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