May left "proud" despite SSFC Women's Bradford City loss

Natalie May says she was left proud following South Shields Women’s 3-0 loss against Bradford City AFC Women on Sunday.

Although the Mariners went home empty-handed, they put in a fantastic defensive shift and it is that spirit and determination which May feels earned the lasses a better result.

“It was obviously a tough result to take because I think the performance deserved more,” she reflected, “but overall, I think we can be proud of how we approached the game.

“We worked really hard for each other, stayed organised and competed well across the pitch. 

“At times we played some good football too, so although the result didn’t go our way, there are definitely positives to take from the performance.”

Heading into the match, the league leaders had thrashed Ponteland United Women 6-0 at home and beaten Wallsend BC Women comprehensively 5-1 away.

It was always going to be a challenging game, but considering the scoreline remained at 1-0 for much of it - that in itself was via a penalty - there were undoubtedly some good things to take from it.

May continued: “When you look at the scorelines Bradford have had in recent games, keeping it at 1-0 for so long shows how disciplined and determined the team was defensively. 

“Everyone put a shift in, from the front all the way back, and we made it difficult for them to create clear chances. 

“Anna was outstanding as well and fully deserved POTM - she put her body on the line, won a lot of key duels and really helped keep us in the game.”

May spoke about the team’s desire to fight for challenges as being something worth highlighting, and while there are lessons to learn from, the team can go into future games confident of showing great improvement.

“I think the main positives are the work rate and the togetherness we showed,” she added.

“We stuck to the game plan, supported each other and kept fighting for the full 90 minutes. 

“There were also moments where we moved the ball well and showed what we’re capable of going forward. 

“If we can keep that same intensity and build a bit more confidence in the final third, we’ll put ourselves in a good position in the coming games.”

Next up is Brunsmeer Athletic Women, meaning the lasses will have made two of their longest trips in the NERWFL Premier Division in back-to-back succession.

“Every game gives you a chance to respond and put things right, and I think the team will be looking at this one as an opportunity to build on the positives from Sunday,” she finished. 

“If we bring the same work rate, organisation and team spirit, and add a bit more quality in key moments, there’s no reason we can’t come away with a positive result.”

Match details for this Sunday’s visit to Brunsmeer Athletic will be shared on our social media channels soon.

Image credit: Craig McNair (@ideventphoto).