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This weekend sees the Lionesses return to the beauty of the A1 motorway, as, yet again, they travel to the northeast, this time to face Sunderland Ladies.
Yet whilst the Lasses picked up a win last weekend against Charlton Athletic Women, City’s trip to Durham was less fruitful, as, despite putting in a strong performance away to the league leaders, they were defeated 1-0.
Reflecting on the game, manager Mellissa Phillips, was keen to emphasise the clear strengths that could be seen in her team’s performance.
“We all walked away from the game feeling disappointed but also proud of the way that we performed.
“The reality is that Durham is the top team in our league at the moment, and I’m proud of the way we competed, opportunities created, and how we made Durham change their shape to adapt to us.
“We executed a lot of things that we worked on in training both from set pieces, but also in the run of play and Durham had to match our physicality and our competitiveness, which is something to take away and be incredibly proud of.”
Indeed, this sense of pride in the performance is something that will clearly help motivate the team going forward, something that Phillips is keen to emphasise.
“We know what we're capable of and we know that whilst Durham and Liverpool might be inching away from the table at the moment, they won't run away with it.
“We get to face both of them at home next, so we're looking forward to those challenges. But ultimately, it's one game at a time and we won't get ahead of ourselves.”
Of course, whilst Durham and Liverpool sit in first and second respectively, the Lionesses are right behind them in third.
“I think results on the weekend went in our favour, despite dropping points to Durham,” said Phillips, “it just puts our fate back in our own hands and we know that we have to take control of our journey and put in the performances that get results.”
The next step on that journey comes this Sunday, when City take on Sunderland Ladies, who are currently just two points behind them, in fifth.
“They've had a great start to their opening campaign in the Women's Championship and it’s a credit to the coaching staff and Mel [Reay], she's got them incredibly organized, they're a very difficult team to break down and they’re explosive on the counter,” remarked Phillips.
“They've got different elements to their game with set pieces, so we know it'll be a challenge for us and we're up for that and I think we're all hungry to get our next result. It will pose a different challenge to us than we faced before, but we're ready for it.”
London CIty's next home game is against Sheffield United Women! Click the link to get your tickets now!