Gilbert: ‘We have enough to get out of this situation’

READING FC WOMEN’s boss has urged his team to ‘right the wrongs’ following their home defeat to London City Lionesses in the Women’s Championship.

After losing their lead which saw former Royals captain Emma Mukandi score a stunning winner for the visitors, Gilbert’s team are now involved in a relegation battle.

Reflecting on the game. Gilbert said:

“It’s frustrating to be in the position we were in to then give up two goals.

“I feel especially for the first goal to come from a corner and not clear out lines is disappointing.

“Then for the second, of course it’s a great strike, but we’ve allowed far too much time and space for them to simply play through us and that was the theme of the entire game.

“We didn’t look sharp. You can put that down to not having played a competitive game in a month, international break, a few other factors. But we prepped how we usually do to try and mitigate this.”

Gilbert has called on his side to find form again as they enter a crucial part of the season to try and stave off any fears of relegation.

He continued: “No matter how much you train, prepare, you can’t really replicate match fitness to get the sharpness in the legs.

“For the majority of today (Sunday) you could see that so it’s frustrating.

“Whilst we shake off the disappointment from the weekend we have to remember we have enough games to get us out of this situation.

“Of course you’d rather have the points on the board which is a bit of a cliche.

“Although Sunday was bitterly disappointing, we have to remain calm and remember we have eight to go, review what went wrong and be ready to go again to find a way forward.”