London City Lionesses goalkeeper Grace Moloney says that she is focusing on this afternoon’s fixture against Reading like any other game.
Moloney spent 14 years with The Royals before leaving the club at the end of last season. She was Reading’s longest-serving player and departed with 223 appearances to her name.
The Republic of Ireland international is set to come up against her former employers for the first time this afternoon. Moloney says that she is excited for the game but the feeling is no different to if she was facing any other opponent in the Barclays Women’s Championship this weekend.
“I was at Reading so long that it got to a point where I just didn’t have the same feeling for the club at the end as I did growing up and throughout the first five or six years of my professional career,” Moloney explained when speaking exclusively with FAWSL Full-Time.
“The manager left and there has been a big change in the staff over the summer with the switch towards part-time. Some of the girls are obviously still there (from last season).
“I’m excited for it just like I am for any other game but to be honest, I don’t think about it being Reading. If I’m selected to play, I just want to go out there and get the three points.”
Off the back of last weekend’s 3-2 victory over Watford, London City Lionesses head coach Carolina Morace said that Moloney is one of the best goalkeepers that she has had the opportunity to work with. Having Morace’s backing is something that has thrilled Moloney.
She said “It’s unreal to hear that and it gives you extra confidence.
“I wasn’t happy with the first goal (conceded against Watford) or even the second one watching it back but making a comment like that after the game fills you with confidence, even when you’re not happy with the mistakes that you’ve made.
“Knowing she still feels that way about me as a player just gives me extra confidence going into training and games.”
Moloney was one of London City Lionesses’ marquee signings in the summer. The player is humble when it comes to this season’s personal targets; she simply wants to play games and continue to improve every single day.
“I want to play as many games as I can,” Moloney said. “We’ve got a really good goalkeeper group here, there’s three of us and we push each other every day.
“I’ve been lucky enough to start the last two games and I want to continue to do so. I know that I have to push myself every single day in training to try and pick up new things that will improve my game. Even though I’m 30, there’s still so much that I can improve on.
“For me personally, I want to play as many games as I can and help the girls out, drive them on and hopefully, we can achieve our goal at the end of the season which is finishing top of the table or as high as possible.”
London City Lionesses’ latest fixture against Reading kicks-off at 2pm this afternoon. Tickets for the Princes Park clash are available and can be purchased by clicking here.