London City Lionesses full-back Grace Neville says that Sunday’s victory over high-flying Southampton is a turning point for the team.
The Pride defeated The Saints 1-0 at Princes Park thanks to a long range rocket from captain Lois Joel. The result ended the Kent club’s six-match winless streak in all competitions, a run which dated back to early September.
When speaking exclusively with WSL Full-Time, London City Lionesses defender Neville said that the team were hungry to succeed in their latest game and that they battled hard for the three points.
“As a team, we really needed that win,” Neville said. “There was a difference, we went out with more bite and fire in our bellies to pull through and get the win.
“It was a tough game, it was different to what we have come across before. There were some long balls and it got a bit scrappy in the second half but we fought through it, kept our shape and came away with the win. Hopefully, that builds momentum now going into the international break.”
After returning to winning ways, the focus now turns towards upcoming matches against Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Lewes. Neville strongly believes that the win against Southampton was a turning point in London City Lionesses’ season and that the only way is up.
She said “This is the turning point for us. The win at the weekend has given us all a bit of confidence and momentum now going into these next few fixtures.
“These are teams that we believe we can get three points against. We know that anyone can win on the day in this league but we will do everything that we can in training and on the field to make sure that we can come away with maximum points.”
With new management coming into the club in the summer, along with a whole host of new players, it has taken London City Lionesses time to gel. Neville says that the team are now coming together and there is a desire to push on.
“We’ve all come in from different environments and it was a complete restructure this summer,” the defender said. “There were only a few of us that stayed from last year and then a whole new coaching staff came in.
“I think now we have been through a few bumps in the road, we can all pull together and move in the right direction. We all want to take the club forward as far as we can. That’s starting to show on the pitch a little bit more; we seem to be more connected and we are building relationships.
“We are excited to see where we can take the club. We didn’t have the greatest start but we all believe that we can take three points in each of the next three games and build on from that.”
London City Lionesses return to action after the international break with a fixture against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Sunday 5 November 2023.
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