Defender Leandra Little will the donning the captain’s armband for Sheffield United this season according to reports on the club’s official website.
The 35-year-old joined the South Yorkshire side in the summer of last year from Liverpool and started 16 of the club’s 21 games in all competitions. Her experience and leadership qualities have been recognised by new head coach Neil Redfearn who has handed her the responsibility of captain.
After being handed the captain’s armband for the coming season, Little told Sheffield United’s official club media sources “It’s a massive honour.
“I’m always really privileged to pull on an armband and lead a team out and this is no different. It’s just about wanting to be the best I can in terms of supporting everyone both on and off the pitch and that will be my intention when it comes to the captaincy this season.”
Little worked under Redfearn during his time at Doncaster Rovers Belles as well as in his brief spell in charge of Liverpool. She will be deputised by last season’s vice-captain Katie Wilkinson and Little is revelling in the opportunity to work alongside the forward.
She added “Wilko is very passionate, you see that on the pitch every single time she plays. She wants us to play with those high standards on the pitch. We complement each other well I think, we laugh about it sometimes that we’re good cop, bad cop, but we do work well together and being in different areas of the pitch, we can ensure messages get to other players on the pitch in different positions.”
The Blades narrowly missed out on promotion to the Barclays FA Women’s Super League last season after finishing runners-up to champions Aston Villa. They are already amongst the favourites to be claiming the FA Women’s Championship crown this season, however, with competition from Leicester City, London City Lionesses, Durham and league newcomers Liverpool it certainly won’t be easy. Many teams, including Sheffield United themselves, have strengthened over the summer and it promises to be a hugely competitive league this year. Defender Little will be hoping that she can help her side fend off the competition as they look to be top of the table come the end of the season.
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