Kirsty Hanson stole the show on her competitive debut for the Club, scoring twice in front of our Lilywhite fanbase for the first time, but Signe Gaupset got us off to the perfect start at Brisbane with a controlled half-volley after the first quarter-of-an-hour.
The Norway international then turned provider to set-up Kirsty for her first of the afternoon and to double our lead on the half-hour mark, giving us a healthy advantage heading into the second period.
Our number 16 completed the scoring and grabbed her second of the game with a stunning left-footed curler into the top corner. There will obviously be slight disappointment to concede so late on, Viviane Asseyi netting in stoppage time, but it was all-in-all a positive afternoon to kick start our 2026/27 campaign in England’s top flight.
“Really pleased,” Martin told us, speaking after the game. “Delighted for the players, really happy with the three points and large parts of the performance. We’ll be disappointed as a group because we wanted to keep a clean sheet, so that goal at the end maybe takes that little bit of icing off it. But I couldn’t have asked for anymore. They gave me everything.
“When the first one goes in, it maybe takes that little bit of pressure off the group. We had some moments before she got that chance where you’re thinking you just want one to go in. I think it settles everyone and takes the pressure off people.
“In these games, especially the first game, it’s going to be frantic and end-to-end. It’s more about how we defend and the way we defend. I know we have the quality going the other way to hurt teams, so it’s just making sure we’re defensively good. I thought in the first part we were, apart from the odd set play and some moments, but once we got a grip of the game, I thought we had full control.”
Despite a strong showing in our first 90 minutes of competitive action, our Head Coach feels there’s another level to come from his squad and hopes to see that click in the coming weeks.
“I think when we put it together properly and we’re fluid, we’re really good,” he added. “We just need to make sure we find that consistency.
“There are also small parts that will come with time and experience, particularly managing games better and not allowing them to become stretched and transitional. The more we do that, the more we’ll become a rounded team.”
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