‘Always A Special Occasion’ – Kirk Speaks Prior To Cup Encounter
A break from fixtures comes to close this weekend as the Foxes turn attention to the FA Cup Fourth Round and a Midlands match-up with the Ewe Rams at Don Amott Arena. Ahead of the trip to Mickleover, City’s Manager addressed the media in his pre-match press conference…
A historic competition
Having guided Everton to the final of the FA Cup back in November 2020, Kirk knows what it takes to progress deep into this competition but acknowledged that all focus must be on how to overcome their third tier opposition, referencing the threats they are likely to pose.
“Just getting the FA Cup started is really exciting,” the 45-year-old said. “It always adds that little bit of romance to the season. Everybody has dreams of walking out at Wembley. Having done that before, I know how special an occasion that is.
“I’d love to repeat that with Leicester, but before we start thinking that far ahead, we have a tough game in a local derby on Sunday which we have to get past first. They are a team in good form, only losing one out of 11.
“They have two players especially who we feel are goal threats in Eleanor Ashton and Amy Sims who has 13 goals this season already. They can’t be taken lightly. We’ve got to show them respect and make sure we put in a performance which gets us into the next round.”
Earn the right
Having not played competitively since mid-December, there has been plenty of time for rest and recuperation, with several of the injured contingent set to return to the squad. There’s no room for sentiment or complacency, Kirk warned, planning to field the strongest XI possible.
He continued: “Every week, you’ve got to be on it, be prepared, do your homework and have a really robust gameplan. The FA Cup will be treated exactly the same, respecting the competition and the opposition.
“There will be no rotation. It will be the strongest team we feel we can put out onto the pitch to go and win the game. That’s the way we will start the year. In the Conti Cup games this year we’ve had very minimal changes.
“We’ve probably had as many changes in WSL games from week to week. It sends out the right message to my own players that no game time has been given out for free, you’ve got to deserve it. That’ll be the case with the line-up on Sunday.”
January recruits
Japanese duo Yuka Momiki and Saori Takarada have bolstered the Foxes’ squad heading into the second half of the season. Joining a cohort of international players, they add technical quality and big-game experience.
The former Everton manager added: “We’ve had the two new signings on the pitch; they are looking good and training well. We’re really excited about them. The Swedish league is physical and they’ve both been there two years so I don’t think they’ll have any major problems adapting to the WSL.
“But this is a unique animal and even players who have played in some of the other top leagues in the world, in America, have come across here and struggled to adapt immediately, so there will always be an adaptation period but we’re hoping they settle in as quickly as possible.
“Yuka is a really talented player technically. Despite her small frame, she stands only 5ft tall, she makes up for it in determination and effort. She’s strong, not scared to go in for a tackle and a few of her team-mates have found that out quite quickly in the first couple of weeks.
“She’ll add tactical flexibility for us. She can play in the 10 or in a wide area and is very good on the ball. She finds passes that a lot of players can’t even see, never mind complete. I’m really excited to work with her and the different things she can bring us at different times and in different formations. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up on and became a really big signing for us.”