Free-scoring Simone looks for more memorable moments in season finale
Maidenhead United Women go into Sunday’s final FA Women’s National League match of the season away to struggling Larkhall - well beaten 4-0 by the Magpies before Christmas - targeting some significant ‘best ever’ milestones for the club. United have an opportunity to record their highestever FAWNL points tally with a win and if they can score three goals it would ensure a MUWFC-best return of goals in a FAWNL season. Ryan Taylor’s team also know that even a draw at Larkhall would secure a bestever FAWNL finish of sixth place.
One factor in the improved form of the team this season has been the return to full fitness of forward Simone O’Brien. The 28 year-old suffered a broken fibia following a freak trainingground incident back in May 2021 but the 2019/20 season joint top-scorer has weighed in with four goals since returning to the starting line-up in October; three of them came in games
United have won, including the only goal of the game in an impressive victory at high-flying Exeter City in January whilst last month her clinical finish sparked a dramatic come back which secured a memorable and crucial late win at Swindon Town.
Recalling those two huge victories in particular, O’Brien reflected: “These games remind us of our fight and drive as a team. At Exeter we were the underdogs due to their great unbeaten run yet we did some great work with Dan (Martin, MUWFC Sports Psychologist) in the build-up and executed our game plan. In the second half the goal came. Even when we scored the celebration had a different feel. We knew we deserved the goal and then we knew we had a hard twenty minutes or so to keep the win, which we did. Throughout the seasons I’ve been at Maidenhead we would have previously given up and taken defeat but we’ve grown as a team and improved as individuals and it showed at Swindon, coming back from two-nil and three-one down to fight literally to the last second to grab four goals. It was a game we wanted to win. It didn’t go as planned yet we stuck with it and turned it around. These two games were huge in hopefully working towards our highest finish, so I’ll take these important goals to my name any day!” O’Brien will be looking for another season-defining goal for United in Somerset this Sunday.