Southampton boss Marieanne Spacey-Cale says that her side are preparing for this weekend’s Barclays Women’s Championship fixture against Durham in the same way that they would for any other game.
The Wildcats visit St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday lunchtime with both sides still searching for their first wins of the new campaign.
Durham are well-known for their physicality and defensive organisation. Lee Sanders’ side are often seen as a different proposition to some of the other challenges that the Barclays Women’s Championship has to offer but Southampton boss Spacey-Cale says that her side’s preparation remains the same regardless of the opponent.
“We know that every game in the Championship is going to be a challenge and it could be a physical challenge, a technical challenge and a tactical challenge,” Spacey-Cale said when speaking to FAWSL Full-Time. “You can only prepare for that in the same way.
“The sessions that we are doing on the training pitch are focused on physicality, not just technical and tactical. We are also talking to the players who have played at this level before and we are using them to educate the ones that haven’t played at this level.
“We know that Durham will be a different game again but we can only prepare how we always prepare and that includes the intensity in training, the physicality in training and dealing with different challenges that might appear on the pitch.
“For us, it is about another part of the process. We are in the Championship, it is very different, we are adjusting to everything but we have to be prepared for anything that comes our way.”
Southampton are playing all of their home matches at St Mary’s Stadium this season and Spacey-Cale said that this has generated a great feeling within her squad.
She said “The vibe is really good because it’s the home of Southampton Football Club so we are at home. The players are enjoying it because we got 2,500 at the first game and we want to keep growing that number of supporters coming in.
“It’s a theatre isn’t it. When you walk out on the pitch, you want to go out and perform and I think that’s what the players are really keen to do. They are absolutely focused on performing and working together to get the results that we want.”
Southampton play their next seven league matches in men’s stadiums. Spacey-Cale believes playing in huge venues offers the game a great opportunity to grow further.
“This again shows where the game is going and where it should be,” The Saints boss said. “You want to put a performance on in front of the biggest crowd possible and at the best facilities so that the game shines through. Being able to play at the grounds that we are, it just showcases what the game in England is all about and highlights how far it has come for women. We’ve got to continue to build that and grow that.
“Good stadiums and good performances bring more fans into the game and we can just keep building the game, making sure that young girls and young boys have access to top performers in the best stadiums possible week in, week out.”
Tickets for Southampton’s Barclays Women’s Championship fixture against Durham remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.
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