Martin Ho described our 2-0 victory at Leicester City as a ‘real squad effort’ as we returned to winning ways in the Barclays Women’s Super League at King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Two goals in six minutes from Cathinka Tandberg and a sublime finish from Olivia Holdt put us in control in the opening half-hour, but we were pegged back by the home side five minutes before the break as Sam Tierney thundered home from close range.
We had to dig deep in the second half to defend our lead in the contest, putting in some committed defensive work - including Clare Hunt who made a number of key blocks - to ensure we return to winning ways in the WSL following a heavy defeat to Manchester City last time out.
Speaking to us after the game, Martin said: “That was hard-fought. I think we started the game quite well, got into the right areas, and created numerous opportunities around the box.
“By the end of a three-game week, you’re always going to have some tired players. Just after half time, I thought we looked really tired. That’s natural when you’re playing so many games, but I thought the players who came in did exceptionally well. It was a real squad effort.
“I said to the players afterward that it shows big character as a group - not just those on the pitch but also those who didn’t feature. It was a real squad effort to get the result.
“When you’re not at your best and still take points, defending the way we did in the second half, it’s the sign of a good team moving in the right direction. Maybe previously we wouldn’t have been in that place, but I think now we’ve taken a big step forward.”
The result in Leicester sees us to climb to fourth in the current standings with nine points out of 12 – and Martin was full of praise for the strong start to the campaign.
“If you’d offered me nine from twelve at the start, I’d have taken it. It’s a really good start, gives us a strong platform and puts us in a good position.
“Now we need to maintain that, keep pushing to win games and keep evolving in how we want to play. That takes time, but today the character shown by the players couldn’t make me any prouder.”