All Our Work Building To This, Says Bott
- LCFC Women face Tottenham Hotspur on Filbert Way this Sunday
- CJ Bott looks towards the WSL opener against the Lilywhites
- The defender is excited to start her first full season as a Fox
- The New Zealander was hit by injury after joining in March 2022
Back to fitness after an injury-hit start to her LCFC Women career, Bott hopes to hit the ground running in 2022/23 having had a solid pre-season ahead of her first full season at the Club.
Able to make just two substitute appearances last term, following a move to the Foxes in early March this year, her sole WSL appearance came against Tottenham on the final day of the campaign.
Spurs were victorious over Leicester that day, but the defender revealed there has been plenty of work put in at Belvoir Drive to facilitate getting off to a good start in front of the Blue Army on Filbert Way.
“It’s good to be back,” she commented to the media on Thursday. “It was tough coming in and being in the gym for the most part, rehabbing. It’s amazing to be a part of the group and it’s good to feel really cemented in the team now.
“It was definitely a shock to the system coming in for the first day of pre-season but it’s good. It’s always fun doing something new, so it’s great to be back involved.
“We’re really confident going into the first game against them. We’ve done a lot of work in pre-season, a lot of building. We, as a team, know where we want to be coming into the season and I think things have shaped up really well. We’re in good spirits at the moment and we know we can do it.
“We’ve done a lot of analysis on Tottenham. I did play against them in the last game of last season. I’ve seen a lot and had a little bit of WSL experience as well. Internationally, I’ve played against a few of these players. It will be a good match up, I think.”
The start of the 27-year-old’s senior career took her to Germany, Sweden and then Norway with FF USV Jena, Vittsjö GIK and Vålerenga, prior to arriving in the UK. The well-travelled New Zealander believes those experiences have helped to shape her as a player and a person, and also prepare her for the step up to play in England’s top flight.
The full-back explained: “It was always a dream of mine to come into the WSL and at the time it was what fit for me and the Club. I know what I can bring to the team and that’s what the team needed.
“This league has done incredible things, it is what people strive to be in, it’s one of the best leagues in the world. Each country I’ve played in, it’s been less and less of a culture shock.
“Moving to England, it’s the closest I’ve felt to home since leaving quite a few years ago. I’ve learnt so much as a person for sure. I’ve taken learnings from each country and developed so much as a player.
“Coming from New Zealand, we’re a small nation. It’s impacted me as a footballer in the best possible way. You’re thrown in at the deep end at such a young age, I think I was 20 when I left, but it was what I needed. It tested me mentally and as a footballer and I’ve learned so much.”
Bott: We're Ready For Spurs
CJ Bott speaks to the media ahead of LCFC Women's season opener against Tottenham Hotspur.
One of the older members of the squad, Bott believes she carries some responsibility to help younger players and new signings to settle in as City embark on their second successive WSL campaign.
“It’s a young team,” the Wellington-born defender added. “There’s a lot of development going on, which I think is great. You need that in a team to push and reach those goals in the future, long-term especially.
“What I can bring to the team is experience having played in a lot of different leagues and my international experience as well. It gives me a lot of strength in this team and hopefully I can share some of that, but we all test each other here.
“We’re really excited, we’re really prepared and personally I’m really excited as well to get underway.”