Perfect Preparation As Ladies Get Set To Step Up

Perfect Preparation As Ladies Get Set To Step Up

- Hamish Dufton

Ask Andy Spence about his feelings on how Everton Ladies are shaping up for life back in the top tier of women’s football, and it’s fair to say his outlook is positive.

“It’s been the perfect preparation to what is the perfect opener for us in WSL 1,” comes his emphatic response ahead of the first league game on Friday 22 September (7.45pm) – a Merseyside derby to be screened live on BT Sport.

The Blue Girls’ head coach has reasons to be cheerful. After winning their Spring Series division in May, being given Women’s Super League 1 status the following month, and becoming a professional set-up by the end of June, the transition continued into the latter stages of summer.

Off the pitch, young talents who have progressed at Everton in recent years penned full-time contracts, with new faces such as Dutch internationals Siri Worm and Marthe Munsterman signing to boost a squad itching to show they can mix it with the best.

The Blue Girls went some way to showing that in preseason with encouraging displays against big guns Arsenal and Chelsea.

Those friendlies in the space of four days may have ended in 3-0 and 2-1 defeats respectively, but the WSL 1 newcomers proved they have made huge strides in bridging the gap in such a short space of time.