Bonner: Why I'm excited at the potential of this squad

It goes without saying it was a fantastic win for us against Birmingham City. It was important for us to regroup in order to get the three points in our opening WSL game of the season. After the disappointment of going out of the Women’s FA Cup to Manchester City, having the game so soon afterwards allowed us an opportunity to put things right straight away. We knew Birmingham would pose a tough threat and we certainly got that, so to come through it how we did and in the manner of everything that happened on the night, we were delighted to get the three points and it was fully deserved. We had to dig deep and show a different side to our game, especially when we went down to 10 players, but we really showed our character and this team has grit and determination in abundance. I was proud of the girls and it was a great way for us to start our league season.

It was fantastic for Shanice Van De Sanden to get the winner for us on her WSL debut and the goal came a couple of minutes after Siobhan Chamberlain had made a great save from their first penalty. It was a brilliant pass from Kate Longhurst to pick her out and we used Shanice’s speed to good effect. I think her pace is going to be a real asset for us this season and for her to finish the move off we were all delighted for her. You can see Shanice getting better with each game and hopefully we can use her pace and direct style more in the games. She has a lot of ability and can cause havoc to any defence, especially with the speed and quality she has got in the final third, so we are very glad to have her with us.

This season I consider it an honour to be playing alongside Dutch captain Mandy Van Den Berg at the heart of our defence. Mandy very harshly received a red card against Birmingham but thankfully the decision has since been rescinded. That is great news for us because it means Mandy will now be available for us in the next game. I am really excited to be playing alongside Mandy because I know just what a quality player she is. She is also a great person to have around the team, not only on the pitch but off it as well. For me, I’m learning all of the time from her because she brings a lot of experience and a lot of quality. I’m looking forward to continuing our partnership and hopefully we can learn a lot off each other.

We also have a new goalkeeper this season and Sio [Siobhan Chamberlain] is a great addition to our squad. She has a lot of experience and it has showed in the first couple of games she has played for us so far. The penalty save against Birmingham was a crucial moment for us and we have some good some big characters and leaders in this team, and Sio is definitely one of them.

Next up for us is a trip to the reigning WSL Champions when we take on Chelsea at Staines Town on Monday afternoon (kick-off 2pm). Although we are taking each game as it comes, every game we play in we aim to win. We know Chelsea are a great side and we respect that, they are the champions and they also won the FA Cup, so it will be a tough game. For us, we always concentrate on ourselves and you could see the improvements and progression from our first game against Manchester City, so as always we will give it everything we have got and we will go there looking for the win.

I am really excited at the future that lies ahead under Scott Rogers. It’s a new era, there are a lot of new players and it’s a brand new squad so we are all still learning. The average age of the squad is down to around 23/24 but we know there is a lot more to come from us and the potential we have got collectively is exciting. If we can keep growing together and keep working hard then I'm confident there is a successful future ahead at Liverpool Ladies Football Club.