Family spirit is key for Gemma
The WPL South title race is hotting up – with at least six sides in contention. But the division’s top scorer, Gemma Shepherd, believes the finest of margins could make the difference.
The 28-year-old Charlton striker is in her fourth season at the club and has scored 15 goals in 10 games.
With the club currently in third place, the same position that they finished in last season, Shepherd thinks the league has opened up following Brighton’s defeat to QPR last Sunday.
Credentials
She said: “We were really lucky with the result at the weekend and I think that gave us all a boost.We had just won 6-0 away from home, but to hear the results had gone our way really made the journey home even better. Goal difference could make a difference this year so it was pleasing.
“Our strength is definitely scoring goals. But we don’t just rely on one person to score goals; we hit the back of the net from all areas of the pitch. Keeping a clean sheet was really important for us as that is what we have struggled with.”
The Addicks lifted the Women’s Premier League Cup in May, but were knocked out of this season’s competition by Cardiff last month.
“We were obviously disappointed to go out of the Cup, but last season was tough with the fixture schedule and at one point we played nine games in a month,” Shepherd said.
“It may be a blessing in disguise that we are out of the competition and can focus on winning the league. The Cup win is a day I will never forget, but this time around we want to ultimately get promoted to the Super League.
“We have a great set-up here and to be honest we were very disappointed when our bid was rejected. All the credentials for the top level are here and we had one of the strongest bids. But it wasn’t to be and we want to get there as soon as possible.”
Starlets
Since the introduction of the Super League, some Premier League clubs have struggled to hang on to their starlets thanks to the lure of the top level.
However, Charlton have kept the spine of their squad and Shepherd puts this down to a great team spirit.
She said: “Good form gets noticed and clubs notice, particularly with the strikers. But we were lucky that we fought off any interest and the fact that we are like a family means that the girls wanted to stay.
“You don’t often get that loyalty in football, so it is really nice to be a part of.”