SSFC Women aim to bounce back against Wakefield

Oct 6, 20232 min read

South Shields Women look to bounce back from their narrow defeat against Alnwick Town this Sunday when they travel to face Wakefield AFC (2pm kick-off).

Eve Gatens brought one back from the spot shortly after half-time but Megan Sprot’s double consigned Shields to defeat as they were knocked out of the Women’s FA Cup.

This weekend’s tie gives the Mariners the perfect opportunity to make amends and consolidate a strong unbeaten start in the NERWFL Premier Division - a record which has seen the lasses pick up the best offensive and defensive numbers in the league.

The hosts come into the fixture full of confidence having demolished Cleethorpes Town at the weekend: Rachael White and Rebecca Hunt scored seven between them.

Shields were 4-2 winners in the equivalent fixture last season thanks to strikes from Gatens, Sophie Greener, Alex Miller and Ellie White but lost out at home 4-1, having taken the lead from a trademark Gatens thunderbolt set-piece.

Matt’s thoughts

“We’re disappointed from last week, but we’ve put that behind us," Shields head coach Matt Gatiss said.

“We’ve looked at the mistakes, looked at the issues and all in all it wasn’t a bad game in terms of chances and our possession and positional play.

“The key message is that we keep doing what we are doing and the preparation for Wakefield has just been to continue that and pushing it and pushing it.

“We’ve done a couple of great sessions this week where we’ve seen real progress so it’s all about taking that forward now into a game, again just further honing our style of play and how we want to approach a game.

“We’re not practicing it so we get it right, we’re practicing it so we can’t get it wrong.”

Information for supporters

Kick off at the Action Coach Stadium in Frickley (WF9 2EQ) this Sunday is at 2pm.

The team would appreciate any support, whether that is in person or on the club’s social media channels - all encouragement goes a long way as the lasses aim to chase down the leading teams in the league!