Howard: I’m Ready To Battle

- LCFC Women to take on Bristol City this Sunday at King Power Stadium
- The Barclays Women’s Super League fixture has a 3pm GMT kick-off
- Sophie Howard gave her take on the upcoming WSL clash
- Ticketing information for the match can be found HERE

Following a bright start to the New Year, which has seen the Foxes win four out of their six games, attention turns to a big double-header weekend at King Power Stadium as Willie Kirk's side take on the Robins.

The defender spoke to the media about last weekend’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup win against Birmingham City and the positive learnings the squad can take forward, while also on examining the test they will face, believing her understanding of their current situation can help.

“It was a dominant win against Birmingham which is very good for morale,” Scotland's centre-back stated. “We advanced to the quarter-finals which is important for us. We know we could’ve performed better but the main thing is getting through to the next round.

“Last season was mentally draining, and quite brutal up until Christmas, so we’re happy to not be in that position again. I think it’s a positive that we have been in that situation so that we can put ourselves into those shoes ahead of Bristol City this weekend. We know they’ll come out and fight, but like Willie keeps telling us, we’re looking at what is ahead of us, and not behind.

“We need to perform in our games to reach that goal (of being in the top six). First and foremost, we need to trust the process. We work hard every day so that when we come to Sunday, we can put the performance in to get the win.”

With 13 points collected already this season, the centre-back analysed Bristol City’s game plan and is confident in her team-mates’ ability to deal with the pressure and come out on top.

“We know how it feels to be a Bristol and be fighting like that,” Howard continued. “They’re going to come up and give us a massive fight, but we’ll focus on ourselves, make sure we implement our game plan and entertain to get the three points.

“I’m sure they’ll try to disrupt our game, because we’ve recently shown that when we get into that flow, we’re almost unstoppable. We’re aware of their characters that will want to disrupt the game, but we need to stay above that.

“We have to win the game – that’s the message. That’s the pressure that Willie has put onto us, and we’ve put that, as players, on ourselves as well because that’s the standard that we have.

“We go into every game wanting to win, but we know that this one is very important to come away with the victory.

“We’ve shown that we can thrive under pressure, and whether the Manager or coaches put that pressure on us or not, we do ourselves as a team, and that shows the personality that this team has. I love this pressure and I’m ready to battle.”