It was another improved performance from Watford Ladies, which secured the Lady Hornets’ first point and clean sheet of the season against Millwall Lionesses. One of the most encouraging aspects of the 0-0 draw with Millwall Lionesses was the defensive performance which helped the team to a first clean sheet of the season.
Leighanne Robe was one of three centre-backs who impressed throughout in keeping the visitors quiet.
“Last game against Reading was a turning point for us and we took that into today’s match,” she explained. “It’s something to build on, we’ve got a new formation and it seems to be working really well.”
“You’ve got the security in the middle and then you’ve also got the wing backs that can get forward but they tuck in so effectively. That means you have still got a back four if one is high and vice versa which is good.”
“It is helping us attack more, along with being more secure at the back. Things are really positive in the changing room and amongst the team at the moment.”
“The main thing is keeping a clean sheet and start building now towards getting three points next time out.”
Robe has been an almost ever-present since joining the club and has started all of Watford’s matches in 2015.
Well placed to comment, she feels things are on the up: “We feel much more secure now. Before we’ve had defeats where we’ll be in the match thinking let’s not concede anymore.”
“Today it wasn’t about that at all, we had the security, we were confident, and now the only frustration is not having put the ball in the net, which is a massive change for the girls and the team.”
With Everton next up in a week’s time at Berkhamsted, there’s another chance to add one or three to the current tally.
“We’re confident of adding to our points total next week,” Robe says. “It’s great to have the back-to-back home games after today.”
“We’ve got the confidence and we’ve found our feet from a difficult start so we are looking forward to next week definitely.”
And the view from the coach:
“I thought we pushed on and had the chances to get all three points,” Manager John Salomon tells us. “We might look at it on reflection and think that it’s a match we should have won.
“The most important thing today was to lay some solid foundations defensively and to get our first point on the board. We asked that of the girls and they have come away with the first clean sheet and first points of the season. We’re really pleased and it gives us something to build on.”
The Lady Hornets continued with the shape that had served them well in the previous game away at Reading.
Salomon was pleased with what he saw: “The girls are really starting to learn and understand what we want them to do and you could see that as the game went on.
“We didn’t have the best of starts for the first ten minutes or so but we settled down, started to ask some questions and were solid throughout defensively.
“Second half we created some very good chances, on another day we might have nicked a goal or two. It wasn’t to be, Kate had a couple of good efforts, one blocked and the other the keeper has made a great save.
“We’re only a few weeks into the work that we’re doing, with what we’re asking the girls to do in this new shape. To see these signs already is very encouraging, it’s something that’ll give us a lot of confidence going into the Everton match at the weekend.”
It’s a return to Broadwater for that match-up, against an Everton side that were relegated from the top tier of women’s football last season.
While expecting a difficult test, Salomon is full of confidence in his side: “It’ll be a tough fixture. We’ve set the foundations today of how we want to play, how stubborn we want to be defensively and how we want to go and influence the game in the final third and create opportunities to score goals.”
“We talked to them after the Reading game, we thought that we were moving in the right direction and we’ve taken more steps forward today.”
“We’ll look to continue moving in that direction next weekend when we face Everton at Berkhamsted.”
