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This Sunday sees the Lionesses back in action and back on the road, as they get set for a visit to The Dripping Pan to take on Lewes.
Lewes
It’s been a difficult start to the season for the south coast club, with Lewes picking up two points from their opening two games.
A 0-0 draw on the opening day away to Birmingham was then followed with a dramatic 2-2 draw at home to Southampton, in which the Rooks lead 2-0 before the visitors came back to draw.
This all comes after a busy summer at The Dripping Pan, with former Glasgow City manager Scott Booth appointed to the role of Head Coach.
Following Booths appointment, several new signings were forthcoming, with Sophie Whitehouse arriving from Bristol City, defender Nat Johnson signing from Coventry United, and Emma Thompson arriving on loan from Chelsea.
However the summer of change also extended to the pitch itself, with the Dripping Pan pitch undergoing a re-development to have a carpet-hybrid pitch, part funded by the Premier League, installed.
Looking back to last season it was a difficult afternoon for the Lionesses when they made the trip south, with Lewes edging a 1-0 win. Yet when the Rooks came to Princes Park in April, it was the turn of London City to claim all three points.
And whilst there might be many new faces at the club, alongside a new pitch to play on, the Rooks will, without question, still present a firm test for London City.
Amy Rodgers in our battle against Lewes at the beginning of last season
London City Lionesses
For the Lionesses it’s back to business as usual this weekend, following last weekend's postponement of the game against Bristol City, following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizebeth II.
The postponement followed the international break, resulting in Sunday’s clash against Lewes as being the Lionesses first game for three weeks.
However, the confidence that the team would have taken from that 3-4 win over Charlton, will certainly be there to carry them forward into this weekend's test.
Speaking to the press ahead of the game on Sunday, Amy Rodgers had this to say on the match ahead.
“The Dripping Pan is always such a tough place to come,” said Rodgers, “they’ve got a good new pitch in, which is something that’s always welcomed as a player.
“They always have a good crowd which makes for a great atmosphere to play in, but for us it’s all just going to be about focusing on the job in hand and getting the job done.”
For Rodgers, it’s been a start to the season where she’s picked up where she left off, getting her first goal of the season against Charlton.
So what would she say her goals are for the year?
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but I want to be in a place where I'm helping contribute to the team and the team's success.” said Rodgers.
“But overall, everything I do is with that overall team goal of promotion in mind.”
The ensuing pile-on following Rodgers' trade-mark long range effort against Charlton
Head Coach, Melissa Phillips
Speaking ahead of the game on Sunday, Head Coach, Melissa Phillips had this to say:
“Lewes always proves to be a difficult task and the dripping pan is not an easy place to play.
“We are eager to get back to matches after the international window and break in play.
“We’ve had a solid few weeks of training to really focus on our identity and know we will need to take advantage of the fine margins in the game.”
Remember to keep all eyes on our socials on Sunday for all the latest news from The Dripping Pan!
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