Newcastle United Women Interim Manager Claire Ditchburn was left very pleased following the Magpies claiming a 3-1 victory over local rivals Sunderland Women in the WSL2 at St. James’ Park, which saw them move up to fourth in the table, whilst Sunderland Women Manager Mel Reay said that her side were competitive in the match but not defending set pieces cost them.
00:01Newcastle United woman interim manager Claire Ditchburn said that she and her side were very pleased following their 3-1 victory over local rival Sunderland in the Tynewear derby.
00:12Yeah, we're pleased. Obviously, we would have liked it to have been a perfect nine from nine, but we're also realistic. It's a challenging league, so I think the seven points from nine games, it gives us a good platform from which to continue to build and grow.
00:28How important was it to win together?
00:32Yeah, it was hugely important. We definitely didn't shy away from that in the build-up to the game. The girls faced the challenge, they embraced the challenge, and I think you saw that as well out on the pitch today.
00:43To be honest, the message at half-time was more that we knew it was going to be that type of game. Derbies are. They're frustrating games with minimal chances, so we had to be realistic that when we did get the chances, that we maximise them and we take them, which we did, which was pleasing.
00:58We knew that the game would start to open up a little bit more in the second half, so it wasn't really a message of changing too much. We tweaked one or two things, but it was about keeping our heads and continuing in much the same manner.
01:13Meanwhile, Sunderland woman manager Mel Ray said that her side were competitive, despite the 3-1 loss at St James' Park against Newcastle United Women, and that ultimately her side were undone by two set pieces, which gave Newcastle a two-goal lead.
01:30Newcastle are now fourth in the table, while Sunderland have dropped down to 10th place.
01:36I thought we were really competitive, in particular the first half. Our shape, when we didn't have the ball, was really good. I thought we eliminated their forward line and their threats. I don't think there was much between both teams, especially in the first half.
01:55I thought we started the second half really brightly. Obviously a game-changing moment, missing the penalty, which is disappointing. I do think that probably changes the game.
02:06Yeah, so, and obviously the set pieces, you know, the win or lose your games, and unfortunately for us today, for us with a game.
Be the first to comment