REDS HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE, SAYS CAPTAIN GEMMA
Gemma Bonner is confident the current Liverpool squad have a bright future together after defying predictions her team would struggle this season to finish comfortably in mid-table.
Bonner was speaking at the club’s end of season awards, held at Anfield’s plush new Main Stand last week, where she picked up a Special Recognition accolade for making 50 appearances for the Merseyside club.
Before the season started, many expected the Reds to face a difficult Women’s Super League 1 campaign following the highprofile departures of players such as England international Fara Williams and Natasha Dowie.
But having been the only club to take points off champions Manchester City both home and away this season, Bonner and her teammates have shown that their young team can still mix it with the sides above them.
She said: “When we looked at the players we brought in at the start of the season, we knew we had the quality within a young team, which gave us a lot of con
fidence. It was from outside that some people questioned us and I think we’ve answered a few of those.”
The Reds ended the season with a topsy-turvy encounter last week against Arsenal Ladies, which was more like a boxing match than a football encounter.
Rather than punches being traded, though, it was goals, with the Gunners running out 5-3 winners in a game that had that end of season feel to it, with little for both clubs to play for.
Bonner admitted that the style adopted by head coach Scott Rogers, who replaced Matt Beard at the start of the season, did mean her side were likely to both score and concede in their matches.
But having lifted two league titles as captain of the club, and with an average age of around 25 within the current squad, the Reds skipper is confident that if her young team stays together, they can compete for trophies once again.
“We had a new style and new players, so it took a while for things to settle, but you can see through the style and fluidity of our play that we’ve progressed over the season.
“We score lots of goals, and concede a few because of the way we play, but we’re a young team.
“Hopefully we can stay together and become successful over the next couple of years.”
Meanwhile, Doncaster Rovers Belles won 1-0 at Reading last Sunday to avoid finishing a nightmare campaign without a single point. Katrin Omarsdottir netted the winner.