Wolves Women captain Anna Morphet admits it will be a special moment to lead her team out at Molineux on Sunday in their Black Country derby clash against West Bromwich Albion.
As she approaches the end of her first full season with the armband, the defender is hoping the players can put their disappointment from the draw at Hull City last time out behind them in the best way possible – by starting another winning run against the Baggies in front of thousands of supporters at Molineux this weekend.
On wanting to bounce back in the derby
“It was disappointing obviously to come away with a point from Hull. No disrespect to Hull because they made it really difficult. At the end of the game, we walked off probably not deserving of much more than a point, but like any game we look back on it, we look at where we need to improve, and you learn a lot from those types of games because it was about showing maybe a bit more than just the football side of things that we didn't quite do on the day.
“But it's not going to define us. It's got to be something that we react from and take into the opportunities we’ve got coming up.
“There’ll a bit more edge to Sunday after the last result against them. They might have beaten us in the cup just before Christmas, but it's not something we’ve forgotten about. There'll be full focus from the girls going into Sunday, and there'll be a lot of energy and intensity going into that game, wanting to almost react from our last game against them.”
On her experiences of playing at Molineux
“It's always amazing to play at Molineux, and when we talk about maybe the grit and the fight that we maybe didn't quite show at times – or didn’t show as much as we would have liked to – at Hull, what better way to show it than in a derby where you can't go into it any less than 100% to come away with something.
“We've been lucky enough now – myself, personally – to play there a few times, and it never loses that little bit of specialness about it. It's always a great occasion and there's always a fantastic amount of fans there, so hopefully Sunday will be just like those.
“The big stadiums take a bit of adapting to, but because we've had that experience now of playing at these amazing grounds, I'd like to think that we're not going into it as a completely new experience and we've got our previous games there to draw from.
“Having played at these grounds, maybe even though it's a special occasion, it's less of a huge occasion in our heads, so we can be more focused on the game. All of the girls always appreciate these opportunities, but it's very much a case of let's get three points on Sunday.”
On possibility of Molineux becoming a regular home ground
“Hopefully. It'd be amazing. You look at this season and the stadiums we’ve got to play at, weirdly, it becomes a norm every now and again.
“We're always grateful for these opportunities and hopefully as the game progresses, and you see in our league at how other clubs are playing all their home games or a lot more of their games in their main grounds, it's something as players we would definitely love to see happen at Wolves.”
On aims for the rest of the season
“We know where we’re at in the league now, we know the situation, but we can't ever change our attitude.
“We've got to make sure we push Forest all the way and end on as much as high as we can, because the standards we've been trying to hold ourselves to all season doesn't change. We want to win every game and see where that takes us.”
On her first full year as captain
“I love it. I always say I'm very lucky and honoured to have the role and the responsibility. Every time I step onto a pitch and lead the girls out, it's really special for me.
“It comes with its challenges, and I'm still learning – and I always will be – but I'm lucky to be captain of this group, not just this club and the history behind it, but this group of girls because they’ve been amazing this season.
“Leading the girls out on Sunday is certainly going to be special, definitely. It doesn’t lose its edge and for those moments when you are about to walk out and Molineux, you get a few goosebumps and you become that little kid inside of you again – as much as you're trying to stay focused, so I'm really looking forward to it.”
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