Lauren Briggs believes Durham Women’s squad is more together than ever before – after the Blues kicked-off the new season with back-to-back wins.
An opening day triumph over Sheffield United was followed by a 3-0 win at Portsmouth last weekend which leaves Durham Women top of the table at this early stage.
Next up is a trip to Charlton Athletic – the only other side in the league with a 100% record – and we caught-up with Briggs ahead of the clash in the capital…
Briggs on the Portsmouth win…
“I think we showed two different parts of our game throughout the 90+ minutes.
“It’s a performance that gives us real momentum going into our next game in terms of showing that quality on the ball and converting our chances, but then the second half it was a bit of a tougher performance from us.
“We really had to battle for it and we gave it everything.
“To get those three points with three different goalscorers and a clean sheet, that’s something that we can only use to our advantage.”
Briggs on the clean sheet…
“It was a game of two halves and the second half we really showed the resilience in our performance.
“That’s something we really honed in on during pre-season and it was just as important for us to get a clean sheet as it was to get three different goalscorers.
“If we do our job and shut up shop and don’t concede then that’s half the job done – and we fulfilled that role.”
Briggs on the spirit in the camp…
“We obviously had a lift after the first win against Sheffield United and we just knew going to Portsmouth that we weren’t going to leave there without three points.
“Each player – whether you start or finish the game – played their part. We really felt like we weren’t going to concede and we weren’t going to not win.
“Having that mentality and then fulfilling that is something special. We can only take that into our upcoming games.
“The group is probably more together than it’s ever been. We’ve all got the same goal and we’re chipping away at that.”
Briggs on building momentum…
“We’ve got games coming up that will be really difficult and every game is really competitive.
“But we’ve put ourselves in a really good position. We have six points out of six and going into Charlton we have to take that confidence.
“We won’t be naive, it’s going to be a tough game, but we’ve got wind in our sails and we need to take that.
“I have full belief in everyone in the squad.
“The group is really together and I’m excited for what Sunday brings.”
Briggs on Charlton Athletic…
“It’s going to be a difficult game.
“Whenever we come up against Charlton either home or away it’s always really competitive and it’s fine margins that it always comes down to.
“But I believe if we carry out our roles and responsibilities as we did against Portsmouth and Sheffield, then I have full confidence in this squad.
“Our only limitation is ourselves and we’ve showed we can consistently take it to the next gear.
“We have some really special players in our group and you can’t take away from our unity – that’s something we pride ourselves on. We’ll do anything for the person to the right, left or in front of us.
“It’s the same for our fans as well. They travel thousands of miles to see us play throughout the season and that spirit helps to push us on.
“We hope to see some of our fans at Charlton and make them proud.”
Durham Women are back at home on Sunday, September 29 as they welcome Birmingham City to Maiden Castle!
Tickets are selling quickly, so tap below to get yours – with prices starting at just £6!
