Forest showdown sees Ewes aim to land derby double
DERBY County Women look to complete a league double over Nottingham Forest as the East Midlands derby returns to Pride Park Stadium on Sunday, writes Ciaran Morrison.
The Ewes defeated their rivals 2-1 at the City Ground earlier in the season thanks to early goals from Yasmin Mosby and Eleanor Ashton.
After defeating Fylde 2-1 last time out the Ewes come into this showpiece occasion eighth in the National League North table but they could finish the weekend in fourth should they defeat Forest and other results go their way.
Defender Charlotte Steggles, who previously played for Forest, is looking forward to the fixture.
“It’s a great occasion for us all to play at Pride Park and, hopefully, it is a good spectacle for women’s football,” said Steggles.
“Everything goes out the window, it’s a game of football, both teams will go into the match with game plans and how they want to play and how we think we can get something from the game. It is something I’m really looking forward to, these big games when you get to play in front of the fans, they are always great for us to play in and enjoy.”
Steggles says the team need to embrace the occasion of playing at Pride Park.
“For all of us we hope in a few years that it’s Pride Park where we will be playing week in week out,” she said.
“Hopefully, that can be embraced in the years to come, and we can start filling out the stadium.
“For everyone and especially the younger players who have not necessarily experienced these sorts of occasions and these sorts of games, it is a great day, but we need to make sure we get the job done on the pitch.”
Steggles anticipates a tough fixture against Forest in what she says cannot be classed as just another game.
“You can’t just say and treat it as another game because there is the rivalry of the two cities and the crowd gets behind you and it is something I relish, and I enjoy playing on that stage, as it is not something we get week in week out,” she added.
“The reverse fixture was end to end and it could have gone either way, so I’m hoping for something similar and, hopefully, we will come out on top.”
Midfielder Emily Joyce is also excited for the game and says the team can go head-to-head with the full-time teams in the division.
“The fact we won at the City Ground gives us a bit of confidence and we want to build on the win on Sunday and to keep going with these positive results,” said Joyce.
“Every game is different but as Sam (Griffiths, manager) says, we play better against the top four teams and go toe to toe with them, so we’ve got to take that with us.
“There is an added incentive to beat them and show it doesn’t matter that you are training more than us, we can still show what we can do.
“I hope we get that bit of luck on Sunday to get us the win.”
Tickets for the fixture can be bought at dcfc.co.uk from £3 for concessions and £5 for adults.