IN the wake of a narrow 0-1 defeat at Army, Jersey FA Women’s captain Holly Muirhead is focused on “keeping hold of the ball better” for their final Southern Counties Cup clash, against Essex FA this evening.
It has been a mixed campaign in the cup for Chad Morris’ young side, with a loss against Middlesex, before victory over Kent and then the defeat to Army.
Despite the loss two weeks ago, Muirhead saw plenty of positives from her side to take into their last remaining fixture, against a side they got the better of in last year’s cup competition.
“It was a really tight game [against Army],” said the skipper.
“The feedback Chad received from Army was that if we had ended up winning or drawing, they wouldn’t have been mad, because we played well enough to take something from it.
“We reviewed the footage and although we played well, we all agreed that we want to keep hold of the ball a bit better.
“There are some targets we have set ahead of the Essex match in order to do that better, so we are ready to finish this year’s cup strong.”
Much has been made of the age of Morris’ side, with Army even asking their average age given the youth on display.
The increased exposure to high-quality football for Jersey’s youngsters is something that can only help in shaping their footballing journey and Muirhead has been impressed in how they have stepped up to the challenge.
“It’s weird to even say that myself, Sam [Silva] and Tiff [Sundby] are the more experienced ones, because we still think we’re so young,” added Muirhead.
“It’s nice to have Sam back in for this match, because she brings experience from Island Games and other major tournaments.
“But we have always seen this competition as a great opportunity for our players.
“Yes, they have come into the fold really young, but each of them has stepped up.
“They haven’t shied away from the step up in level or quality.
“We have some talented players, so although they are young, they’ve been picked for a reason and are showing exactly why.
Morris has made three changes to the side that faced Army two weeks ago, with Bekah Pierce, Emily Le Page and Sara Luce making way for Alena Clyde-Smith, Ana Malta and Sam Silva.
Silva was on target in Jersey’s victory over Kent and has netted 13 times this campaign locally for Jersey Wanderers.
Clubmate and reigning player of the year Sofia Rodrigues currently tops the golden boot chart on 16 goals and the Wanderers duo will look to re-ignite their partnership in Jersey red this evening.
Action from Averley Football Club’s Parkside ground is set to start at 8pm.
Jersey FA Women’s squad: Aine Ruth, Alena Clyde-Smith, Ana Malta, Danny Da Silva, Ella Brennand, Ella Docherty, Hannah Lynam, Holly Muirhead (c), Leah Morris, Poppy Benest, Roisin Flynn, Sam Silva, Sofia Rodrigues, Tiffany Sundby
