Martin Ho and Lize Kop praised the impact of the support from a record-breaking crowd at Brisbane Road as we earned a hard-fought point in the north London derby on Sunday.
A disciplined but determined performance saw us maintain our strong start to the Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, taking our points tally to 16 after nine games – just four points shy off last season’s total of 20 – as we sit fifth in the table and level on points with the Gunners.
While it was a positive afternoon on the pitch, we were also breaking records off the pitch as the 6,788 supporters that turned out for the battling derby at home set a new WSL record for us at Brisbane Road.
And they certainly played their part throughout the 90 minutes in E10, with Lize and Martin crediting our Lilywhite fanbase in helping us get over the line.
“They help massively,” Lize added, reflecting on the fantastic atmosphere produced in E10. “I’d love to see them like this every week.
“The support is so good. Sometimes you hear them during the game and it gives you so much energy - you can feel it in your body. It’s important in tight matches like this, helping us get a draw, so thank you to everyone for coming - I’m really happy.”
Asked about the support in E10, Martin added: “They were unbelievable. If I’m shouting and the players still can’t hear me, then it’s loud — and I’m shouting a lot from the side of the pitch!
‘We can’t ask any more from them. I said to the players, ‘if we want more moments like this, if we want more fans consistently attending, then we have to perform like we did today’. Fans aren’t asking for perfection - they’re asking for effort, commitment, passion and desire when you put that badge on.
“We showed that in large parts. If we want to grow this fanbase and this team, and be followed across the UK, then these performances have to be consistent.”