Yeakey: SSFC Women's "hard work is paying off"

Anna Yeakey is delighted to see that South Shields Women’s “hard work is paying off.”

The lasses picked up their first win this pre-season last Sunday, with a 2-0 victory against Washington FC Women.

After difficult games against Chester-le-Street Town Ladies and Durham PGA previously, finally getting a positive result was something which meant a lot to her.

“I think the girls really earned that win,” the goalkeeper said.

“Massive team effort; the work we’ve put into training is paying off and we’re seeing those things come to life in a game scenario, so it was a great feeling to get that win under our belts and knowing our hard work is paying off.” 

Yeakey stood out with an exceptional penalty save towards the end of the game, which kept the scoreline at 2-0 and, most importantly for her, preserved Shields’ clean sheet record. 

She stunned with a fingertip save from distance earlier in the half to cap off a fine performance by the shot-stopper.

Speaking on the penalty save, Yeakey highlighted the positive impact that the Shields backline made throughout the game.

She said: “To save the pen was a great feeling, especially not having practiced many [penalties] in training for a while. 

“I’m quite pleased to have kept a clean sheet - they were a good group and had some decent chances but my backline was also solid, [they] played a big role in the clean sheet as well and made my job easier on multiple occasions.”

A highlight that afternoon was seeing Jen Wootten grab a brace during the first-half and that is something which Yeakey wanted to mention.

“Yeah, I think Jen played a really good game of football,” she commented. 

“She worked her backside off and got rewarded for it. 

“I think her communication, movement, and overall performance was top drawer. 

“She deserved the two she put in, very well done, and very well deserved.”

Shields host Middlesbrough FC Women U23s this Sunday in what will be the team’s first home encounter of this pre-season programme.

Looking ahead to that game, Yeakey said: “I am feeling confident in this group for the upcoming coming weekend.

“I think if we play the style of football we know how to play we will do just fine. 

“It’s the perfect opportunity for growth and I am super excited to see what this team has to offer this season!”

Image credit: Craig McNair (@ideventphoto)