Women's Team manager Luke Podmore relishing stadium date on Sunday

Sunday’s visit of Penrith will be the first time that manager Luke Podmore has seen his FC United side feature in a competitive game in the stadium. It’s an occasion he is relishing after the Reds’ strong start to the 2017/18 campaign. He most recently saw his side overcome Stockport County Blues at Broadhurst Park in the league after Kirsty Chambers’ and Jess Battle’s goals gave the Reds a 4-0 win on the day. The visitors put on a resilient defensive performance and it’s a test that Podmore believes was good for his side.

"I was pleased with the performance on Sunday. It was a different test for us, a test that we needed and one that I wanted for the team. I’d much rather have a game like that than a game that may be unrealistic at times. Ultimately, it will stand us in good stead for the games that we’ve got coming up".

As much as the manager has enjoyed the Reds’ start to the season, he knows that the next month won’t be easy with some tough fixtures to come starting on Sunday. Penrith will be the visitors to Broadhurst Park as FC look to start their defence of the Argyle Cup with what will be a well-contested first round tie. After that the Reds have two big league fixtures against Curzon Ashton and then West Didsbury & Chorlton, both at Broadhurst Park (3G). Podmore admits this period is a chance to show the fans what this team can do. "We’re looking forward to the next three games, starting with this Sunday. We’ve got a fantastic opportunity in the stadium to show our fans what we can achieve and what we can do. It will mean a lot to both the girls and myself, the day as a whole".

"Then obviously the two fixtures after that, Curzon [Ashton] and West Didsbury [& Chorlton], we’re really looking forward to them and they are games that we really want to make a mark in. We can take two big leaps there towards the league title really if we can perform the way we know that we can and then get the result. The target for the next three is obviously three out of three. Confidence is sky high here at the moment, we’re the in-form team", Podmore added.

Four wins from four league games saw FC United go top of the league table for the first time this season at 4pm on Sunday. Podmore puts their flying start to the league season down to a number of factors. "Consistency is right up there so far this season. The statistics coming out of each game are mind-blowing to be honest. I think that we recruited really well in the summer, we knew what we were missing last year and we have gone and strengthened in those areas. There is a cutting edge about us this year, anytime we go forward, we look like getting goals from anywhere really. The quality in depth is magnificent, you look at the bench some weeks and it’s just outrageous the talent that we have in our ranks this year. It only helps me out as we are ready for a variety of different scenarios that we may need to deal with throughout the year. For me, the togetherness that this squad has got this year is the final piece of the puzzle".

As Podmore mentioned, he has been pleased with how the new summer recruits have fitted in so quickly and adapted to the way of doing things here. "All of the signings have fitted in perfectly to our philosophy and the way we want to do things here. The bravery, the attitude, the courage, the risk, they’ve got everything. The signings have bought into everything that we want to do here. It’s clear to see that they are thriving in the system at this club. The goal in the summer was to make ourselves a stronger team, both mentally and physically and I think that we’ve done that with the signings that we have made".

Some of the new faces will get their first experience of playing in the stadium at the weekend. Staging the game inside the stadium as opposed to the usual 3G home pitch means a lot for the team, Podmore suggested. "I’m absolutely delighted that we have been given access to the stadium for this game. It means a lot to the players, it means a lot to me and the staff too. The occasion is going to be wonderful. We can’t wait to see our fans turnout and hopefully we can reward them with a good performance. I think that the day as a whole will be a fantastic one for the club and for women’s football in the North West as well. We’re giving the fans and the people in the local area, a platform to come and watch what we can do and hopefully people will take that up and come to watch us. All in all, we can’t wait for Sunday!"

Despite playing Sunday’s fixture in the unfamiliar surroundings of the stadium, Podmore admits that preparations will be no different to any other week. "Preparations never change for me. The process never changes but obviously what is in that process will do. We carry the same setup and same approach as we would usually. We will be looking at what we did well last weekend, what we can improve on as well as how to implement the gameplan that we are going with on Sunday. We want to make sure that we work on that gameplan so that everybody understands what their roles are on Sunday. If we simply carry on preparing like we have done so far this season, we should get a similar result to what we have had already in these first few weeks".

With his side starting the defence of the Argyle Cup, Podmore has fond memories of last year’s final in which the Reds’ won the trophy for the first time in the club’s history. A 6-4 win over Bury Ladies FC crowned FC winners of their second cup competition in the space of two weeks after beating City of Liverpool 5-1 in the final of the Manchester FA Women’s Cup two weeks earlier.

The Argyle Cup final win was one that Podmore said he will never forget. "The final will live with me forever! It was a fantastic day-out for the club, the first time we had ever won that cup before. We beat some really tough opposition on the way there but the final was certainly a difficult day for us. The way that the game setup and the preparations for that day probably weren’t ideal. There was probably a miss-match in organisation, not from our point of view, but in general the late access to the changing rooms and shorter warm-ups were not as good as I thought that they could be. I think that it definitely translated into the start of the game and our performance. But overall, it was a very memorable day for good reasons but we’ll look back on it and realise that in future finals, things do affect you beforehand. We have to learn to stay focused more on the game in hand".

"Hopefully, we can go far in the competition this year again. I think we’d be setting ourselves up to fail if I went out and told the girls that I want them to retain it again. However, I would like us to give a good account of ourselves in this competition this year and if that brings us to the final again or gives us another chance to win it, I would be delighted", Podmore added.

In terms of starting the defence, Podmore and his side will have to be at their very best with Penrith AFC Ladies the visitors to Broadhurst Park on Sunday. The Cumbria-based side currently sit top of the NWWRFL Division 1 North having won all five of their games so far this season and Podmore believes that it will be a tough test for his side. "It will be a tough test for us there’s no doubt about that. They’ve been up and around the top end of the north division for a while now and their going well again this year. They are scoring goals and not really conceding many at all. Honestly, I do think that the South division [of the league] has always been the stronger of the two but at the end of the day it’s a cup game and I’m sure Penrith will prepare well. We have to make sure that we prepare ourselves as a team, in the right way. We don’t tend to worry about opponents though. We know what we can do; we want them to worry about us. I think that the talent and experience that we have now, will be enough for us on the day and help us to get a result. The only thing that will stop us getting the result is the occasion that will be our biggest opponent on the day. We need to show that we can overcome that and as a result I’m sure that we will be prepared for the big games coming up after???.

You can see Podmore and his FC side host Penrith AFC Ladies in the stadium on Sunday for an Argyle Cup first round tie – 2pm kick-off!

We hope to see you there!

By Mikey Partington