“It just wasn’t enough on the day” for SSFC Women says Innes

Monica Innes admitted “it just wasn’t enough on the day” as South Shields Women were defeated in the semi-final of the DCFA Women’s Cup on Sunday.

Chester-le-Street Town Ladies advanced to the final with a crushing 4-0 win over the Mariners, who were hopeful of repeating their 2-1 NERWFL Premier Division win from a few weeks ago. 

Although there were some positive aspects to take from the display, Innes said the team just didn’t do enough to overcome a resurgent Cestrians outfit.

She said: “It was a tough game. We knew it was going to be a tough game and we knew Chester would come out wanting to prove a point after their defeat against us in the league. 

“They took their chances and it paid off for them. 

“First half, I think they were the better team. We sat off too much and didn’t go into everything 100%. 

“Second half, I thought we did better as a team; we moved the ball better and created some good chances but ultimately it was too late.” 

Innes was singled out for praise afterwards by co-head coach Sophie Clough, who said her defensive output was “fantastic” and she broke down countless opportunities from the visitors.

“I felt like I had a good game,” she shared.

“In training we’ve been looking at winning our individual battles a lot and getting around each other to pick up the second balls and I felt from that perspective I did alright.

“Across the whole of the team, I thought we did well in that sense. 

“The work rate was there from us as a whole; it just wasn’t enough on the day.” 

Attention turns to the league, where there are 10 games remaining to make something out of this season, even if silverware is unlikely to be on the agenda this time around.

She continued: “Unfortunately there will be no silverware for us this season, but we still have some big games coming up in the league so you could say not having other distractions is an advantage. 

“We can put all our time and effort into preparing for the upcoming league games and hopefully have a good winning streak and end the season on a high.”

The lasses are next in action on Sunday, February 23rd when they host table-topping Ponteland United Women and Innes is looking back at January’s 4-1 away defeat as motivation for this weekend’s game.

She ended: “Whenever we come up to a fixture we have previously lost, as a team we all have that mindset that we want to go out and prove a point.

“I think I can speak for all of us in that we are up for it. 

“We will be showing up, putting on a decent performance and playing some good football. 

“Effort levels and intensity in training have been on point and there’s no reason we can’t bring that into the upcoming games.”

Image credit: Craig McNair (@ideventphoto)