We sat down with our women's team head coach, Tom Peevor, to discuss their start to the 2022/23 season.
On the first few months of the season:
“It’s been challenging, which we knew it was going to be. We really wanted that challenge and we’ve embraced it really well. I think we have made a good, solid start. It has been tough, which has meant we’ve had to look at certain aspects of our performance and reflect on them and improve. But that’s only helped us to get better. I’m really pleased with the stage we’re at right now. Obviously, we didn’t want a loss on the record, but it’s helped us improve and ever since we’ve put in some good performances.”
On the FA Cup run:
“Firstly, the FA Cup was brilliant. We really enjoyed it. We had a long trip to Market Rasen away but it was great to go to a club that was so welcoming. In very tough weather conditions they worked really hard to get the game on – it was a pleasure to meet them all and play against them. We dominated the game, but they just didn’t give up they gave a really good account of themselves. Moving onto Wolves, that was a really tough game but we knew it was going to be. It was good for us to see where we’re at compared to them.
“I thought the score line was a bit harsh when you look at the performance we put in. But take nothing away from Wolves – they’re absolute quality. But we put in a good performance and also gave them quite a few problems which I know that they wrestled with during the game.”
On the team’s mentality:
“The aim was to compete and we’ve got to keep doing that. We do that by sticking to our process of focusing on the next game and doing everything we can to win that game. We know that we’ve played some good teams in our league and we’ve got some more coming up – and they will all present different challenges that we have to deal with to make sure we win the game. It’s the same process for us going forward and I think after a mini break at Christmas, the players will be looking forward to getting back to it.”
On how the squad has improved and developed this season:
“The squad is absolutely brilliant; their attitude is spot on and that shows in training. It makes my job so much easier to coach when the level of training is getting better and better. I think what I've seen more of this year is the leadership qualities from people within the actual squad and maybe not just with the more experienced players, but the younger players as well. I've seen them walking around with more confidence in themselves and really speaking to other players when they're on the pitch, and that's been the difference in us evolving and improving really.”
On what the season has taught him so far:
“I think from my point of view as a coach, it's been brilliant to observe how players are reacting when times are tough. Compared to last season where for the majority, we found it quite easy, this year we're not and I'm learning a lot by observing the players, helping the players improve in areas, especially when they're really struggling. I think that's helped them improve but also, it’s helped me improve as a coach, to be honest. “
On goals for the second half of the season:
“As I said, we’ve made a good start and again, it's to compete so we're going to keep working hard to compete. We're going to focus on that next game, control what we can control and work as hard as we can to achieve and compete within this league.”
