Bedford Hails ‘Professional’ Performance In West Ham Win

- LCFC Women defeat West Ham United 3-0 in the WSL on Sunday afternoon
- The Foxes continue to impress in 2022 with a third straight victory
- Manager Lydia Bedford discusses the complete performance with LCFC TV
- Natasha Flint, Ashleigh Plumptre and Freya Gregory were on the scoresheet

Three goals, three points and a clean sheet made it the perfect afternoon for the Foxes, who move into 10th position in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and eight points clear of the relegation zone.

It has been quite a turnaround for the newly promoted side, who sat bottom of the table and without a point to their name when the 34-year-old took over. But four wins from six and three wins in a row across all competitions has kickstarted City’s campaign in recent weeks.  

“I don’t think you could ask for much more than that,” Bedford exclaimed to LCFC TV. “I think from the first second of the game through to the end the girls were very professional in their performance and getting two early goals really helped.

“It was a great start from the girls, we asked them to go out there and put pressure on West Ham and not give them any respect based on their league position. We knew we wanted to start well, and I think we did that.

“It gives you a cushion, but we also wanted to finish well, and we’ve gone and done that too. It’s key for us, there’s a lot of belief within this squad. There’s a great work ethic, they really work for each other, and I think that showed in the first 10 minutes.

“For the first goal, we’ve pressed for the mistake and hit one on the break. That was really key, and we built from that and really matched them in that first half, making it hard for them to play, force their wing-backs back.

"They’ve continued to grow in confidence as that half went on and really dominated it. Second half, we knew West Ham would come out and come at us again and build. That third goal was a real critical one, because it just put the game to bed.”

The momentum under Bedford continued by putting the in-form Hammers to the sword, a result Leicester owed to a fast-paced opening in Burton, with Natasha Flint and Ashleigh Plumptre both finding the net inside the first 10 minutes.

Freya Gregory added the third shortly after the break to seal the points and ensure they did not give the away side any hope of a route back into the contest.

Speaking about the goals, Bedford continued: “I’m really pleased for Ash (Ashleigh Plumptre) because that’s a header as well and it’s one thing she works on every week and for Tash (Natasha Flint) to come in this week, start and obviously perform the way she did, fantastic. Freya [Gregory] too, her first goal for the Club, I’m really pleased with all of the goalscorers.

“It’s great that we’ve got those coming from different areas and I think that’s credit to the girls. Week in, week out, they are putting the work in, the belief is there. It’s just about getting those opportunities and taking them, and they did that today.”

After producing another impressive display, City take a break from league action, firstly for the international break, and then by turning attentions to the Vitality Women’s FA Cup and a challenging fifth round tie at Chelsea at the end of the month.

“It’s great for us and hopefully something we can build on,” the former England youth coach added. “Obviously, a big game coming up next against Chelsea in the FA Cup, but from a league perspective, there’s loads that we want to continue building on in March and April and we’re confident that the girls will keep putting the performances in.

“We spoke about the Spurs game as a free hit and the FA Cup is that for us. It’s not our target, but with the points that we’re picking up in the league and the performances and the momentum, it’s a game that we’ll go into with belief behind us and really try and give them a strong test.”