Brown aiming for a strong finish to 2021
NEWBURY Women’s head coach Darran Brown is aiming for a strong finish to the calendar year as they host Portsmouth Valkyries on Sunday.
Both sides have only registered one victory this season, but because of bonus points and other factors it’s Portsmouth who are higher in the table.
A win for Newbury could see them overtake their league rivals and Brown is targeting maximum points.
He said: “We played them last year – we had a very good win at home and a tough battle away and they’re having a similar season to us.
“We will be targeting the win so we can climb into the middle of the table and we want to pick up some points and sit comfortably in the league.
“The players have been working hard and we’re looking forward to it because this half of the season has been a learning curve for us all.”
There has been a transformation at the club with new players and managers and Brown has challenged his squad for a strong 2022.
He said: “We have new coaches and they bring in their ideas, which takes a while for things to settle.
“We want to finish with a win, close this half of the season, and look ahead next year because we know we can be stronger.
“It hasn’t quite gone to plan for multiple reasons,” admitted Brown. “We have had some personnel changes, with new players coming in and it takes a while for them to embed into the team. “Players are getting to know each other, so it has taken a while to settle in as to how we would like to play and how we would affect games.
“We’re looking to strengthen that with returning players who have been away, so I think the second half of the season will be better and more fluent.”
Despite having some of the regulars back with the squad, Brown said they’re still on the hunt for new members. He said: “We’re still recruiting, we’ve still got new players in the development and the first 15 and that’s positive.”