Lewes midfielder Caragh Hamilton says that the team’s togetherness will be key to them enjoying a strong season in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
The Rooks have continued to perform at a high level in the second tier in recent seasons despite heavy investment being made by a number of rival clubs operating on a full-time professional basis.
Lewes lost some key players over the summer with the likes of Ellie Mason, Paula Howells and Rebecca McKenna moving on but midfielder Hamilton says that the 2023/2024 squad are united and are ready for the latest challenge.
“You don’t want to focus on what you don’t have and that’s something that we have spoken about from the get-go this year,” Hamilton said when speaking exclusively to FAWSL Full-Time. “We are focusing on who is here and we can only control what we can control.
“We are not thinking about what resources or players we do or don’t have. Having that close bond can only be a good thing and that’s something that Lewes always do really well; they come together, not just as a team but as a whole club as well. That is their strength.
“We’ve got to get the quality right because the Championship is a very tough league and it is going to come down to those very small margins. If we’ve got players, which we do, that can produce those moments of quality, we will go far this year.
“You’ve got to have that end product but we have the players to do that. Yes, we have a young squad but once they get a bit of confidence behind them, we can be a very dangerous team this year.”
The Barclays Women’s Championship gets tougher and tougher each year but Hamilton says that the target for Lewes is to improve on last season’s ninth-place finish.
She said “Your target first and foremost is to better the previous season. We’ve certainly set that as a target in our minds and we will take things one week at a time.
“We will never look at a specific game and think we can get one point or three points. We will look at every game the same; that it is a tough challenge no matter who the opposition is and hopefully, they will give us that same respect back.
“Every game is going to be competitive, we know that. The squad from last year have spoken about how strong a start they made and maybe towards the back end of the season, there was a little bit of disappointment.
“If we get to Christmas and get that first half of the season out of the way, we will probably reassess where we are at that point. You definitely want to make steps forward from Christmas onwards; progress and climb higher (in the table).”
Lewes kick-off the new season with a fixture against Southampton at The Dripping Pan on Sunday. Hamilton feels that the squad are in a good place ahead of that huge opening day match.
“It is (a dream start) and hopefully, the game will attract a big crowd,” the midfielder said. “Southampton fans will travel well and I’d like to think that Lewes fans will be out in their numbers as well.
“We’ve had a really good pre-season. Reading was a really good test and the West Ham game was a good marker to see where we were at too. Hopefully, we go into the Southampton game at a level where we are ready and at our peak.”
Lewes’ Barclays Women’s Championship fixture against Southampton kicks-off at 4pm on Sunday. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.