Focus On Toffees Test & Developing Young Talent – Bedford's Preview
- LCFC Women meet Everton at Walton Hall Park on Saturday evening
- The Women's Super League clash against the Toffees is a 5:30pm kick-off
- Foxes manager Lydia Bedford looks ahead to a third meeting of the season
- City will continue to focus on themselves to pick up more crucial points
During her pre-match presser held at Belvoir Drive on Wednesday afternoon, the manager discussed the challenges faced in recent weeks and the impact they can have, but stressed the need to concentrate on what can be controlled.
She takes the Foxes to Everton on Saturday afternoon (5:30pm GMT kick-off), with the opportunity to get back on track in the Women’s Super League very much on the agenda when taking to the field at Walton Hall Park.
“It’s difficult in the sense that you can’t control certain things,” Bedford told the media. “Going back two weeks ago, we lose a player and go down to 10. Last week, we were missing some significant players again and I think all of those things play into the momentum that you can build going into games.
“What you can do is continue to keep a consistent stance over what we do and what we’re trying to do on the training pitch each week and keep an open mind on the areas that we can learn from. It’s important that we don’t get too high or too low with any result, but we look at what we can take from both of those.
“Any game can turn in any way at any moment. It’s important that we focus on ourselves, and we keep the confidence high for the players and we work together. We were the orchestrators of our own errors last Saturday and the team know that.
“What’s brilliant for us this week is that the biggest thing that we didn’t do well last week was individual details - and we can control that. That’s an individual player piece that we can make sure that we get right.
“So, first-touch, pass, detail, making sure we’re looking after the ball when we regain it rather than turning it over cheaply. If we get those things right, I think you’ll see the confidence that we’ve built from the previous games coming back out on the pitch against Everton this weekend.”
The Toffees have endured a somewhat turbulent time of late, having parted company with Willie Kirk and then Jean-Luc Vasseur during the current campaign. Interim manager Chris Roberts presided over a first win of the calendar year last week, lifting the Merseysiders above Leicester in the table.
Although not in the position many expected to find Everton at this stage of the campaign, the Foxes will still have to be wary of the qualities they possess in all areas of the pitch, having come out on top in the sides' previous two meetings this term.
The City manager explained: “If you look at the start of the season, the nature of the management changing across the season at Everton is because the expectation was much higher than what they’ve achieved so far, based on the players that they recruited.
“We absolutely won’t underestimate the strength that they can have this weekend and, over the past few games, they’ve picked up some critical results. Their momentum is in a good place, and I imagine their spirits are as a result of that too.
"We probably face them at the toughest point, but the players are ready for that and we’ll be prepared for Saturday.
“Another three points gives you another buffer and increases that distance between us and Birmingham, but as we’ve said, there won’t be one game that defines the season at the Club, and this weekend is as important as any fixture that comes up for us in the next run of six that we’ve got.
“As the WSL has shown all season, on any given day, a team can be beaten. We know the importance of this weekend.”
Naming Academy players in the squad and handing out debuts has been a key feature of LCFC Women’s makeup this term, sometimes due to injury, but mainly as a result of their progression as young players.
It is an area that Bedford is keen to continue developing, with the likes of Jess Camwell, Mackenzie Smith, Ava Baker, Monique Robinson and Alanta Brown all given game time in the first team.
“We have a great crop of young players in the Academy, some of which get exposure frequently on our bench and at times, when we feel we can give them opportunities, we have done.
“Looking back to the Spurs FA Cup game, Ava Baker played for the first team then and we’ve had others who have done that too. For me, it’s about working out now for the future how we help those young players transition to be ready to be senior footballers for LCFC Women.
“That’s not going to happen overnight for them, so I think the Club’s approach to how we support our players and how we give them key opportunities is going to be massive over the next few years.”