Bonner: Bristol game different but massive
In her latest column, Liverpool Ladies captain Gemma Bonner reflects on the Continental Cup win over Durham, previews Saturday's home clash with Bristol and reflects on the 'best supporters in the Women's Super League'.
It was good for us to get back to winning ways against Durham at the weekend. We could easily have won by a greater scoreline than 1-0, but their goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse had a fantastic game and the win has put us in a good position ahead of our final two group games in the Continental Cup. We are aiming to get as far as we can in the competition and winning our first three group games and keeping three clean sheets has allowed us to build a good platform going into the final group games against Sunderland and Manchester City, where we will be looking to progress into the next round.
Natasha Dowie came off the bench to get our winner against Durham. She is an important player for us and although she hasn’t scored as many as she would have liked this year, for her to come on and get the winning goal will give her that extra bit of confidence leading into the final few games of the season.
Although we have struggled with injuries this year, it has given an opportunity to some of the younger players to come into the side. Maz Pacheco has been starting for us at left-back with Ashley Hodson on the wing. Both Maz and Ashley have taken their chances well and you can see that they are learning and getting better game by game. They are still both very young with great potential and I’m sure they both have an exciting career ahead of them.
Tonight we return to the Women’s Super League when we host Bristol Academy at the Select Security Stadium in Widnes. We have always had good memories of our previous two home encounters with Bristol, with both played on the last day of the season when we won back-to-back titles. Tonight is a massive game for us but obviously different circumstances this time around and it is vital for us to get the three points. We need to build on our performances over the past couple of weeks and ensure we are clinical with the chances we create.
That is the difference between winning and losing games for us at the moment. I’m sure Bristol will come here with confidence, looking to build on their recent upturn in form. They are currently bottom of the league so every game is a big one for them and we know they won’t give up without a fight. We are expecting a tough game and we know that it is important that we do not underestimate them and put in a good performance to ensure that we win the game.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to our fantastic supporters. They are absolutely brilliant for us and up there with the best fans in the league. Home and away, they are always singing and supporting us. The players really do appreciate all your support and we hope that we can get a big crowd behind us tonight and get the win we need.
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