Robinson reflects on her SSFC Women journey so far ahead of league return

Amber Robinson has made the most of her opportunities for South Shields Women.

Since joining the club over the summer - initially for the Reserve Team - she has grown from strength to strength and she has even stepped up to First Team action in recent weeks.

That wouldn’t have been possible without the time, effort and commitment put in behind the scenes, which started in August when the squads came together during pre-season.

“I think training together was really good because I got to mix with more people who were very welcoming,” she said.

“There was also a good challenge involved training with First Team players and learning a lot from them in the friendlies and sessions.”

She then made her debut for the First Team on the opening day of the season, and while the result didn’t go the way she wanted, she took away many things to learn from.

No doubt that helped her, as well as the others in the squad, to become better players as a result of that setback.

Robinson said: “I think the team has improved so much since the first game of the season. 

“It can definitely be seen in recent results, especially the League Cup win against Spennymoor. 

“I learnt a lot from the initial game, especially areas I needed to improve as an individual and what the standard is for First Team games, which has allowed me to go away and work on my game to develop it more.”

The young defender has made seven appearances for the Reserve Team this season, one of the highest among the group, which just goes to show how much she has been valued in the squad.

“I have really enjoyed being with the Reserve Team so far,” she added.

“I've enjoyed our development as a group the most; seeing the difference from our first game together to our recent positive results against sides challenging for the league title has been really encouraging, both individually and as a team.”

When she was told she would be joining the First Team for the recent win against the Moors, she was understandably “excited” and also grateful to see that the hard work paid off.

“I was really excited to be back with the First Team against Spennymoor recently,” commented Robinson.

“It was really nice to get some minutes and the chance to show that I've worked hard to improve from the first game of the season and how beneficial getting consistent minutes with the Reserve Team has been for me so far.”

Competitive action returns this Sunday when the lasses travel to Bradford City and Robinson is hoping that the rest of the season can be successful.

She finished: “I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season.

“I think both teams can continue to compete and develop. 

“I'm so excited to continue playing and hopefully developing more as a player to be the best I can be for the club.”

Image credit: Libby Whitfield.