SSFC Women set to kick-off season with League Cup tie

South Shields Women kick-start their competitive campaign with a home tie against Spennymoor Town on Sunday at Harton Welfare (2pm kick-off) in the NERWFL League Cup.

Pre-season gave head coach Matt Gatiss a lot to think about, following two resounding victories against Gateshead and Birtley and one heavy defeat at Norton.

It will be the first chance for the five new summer signings to play their first competitive fixture for the Mariners: Jaz Elliott-Wood, Erin Taylor, Becca Emery, Ebony Longstaff and Zoe Norton.

It will be the lasses' second outing at Harton Welfare this summer, after the emphatic victory against Gateshead in pre-season.

Head coach’s views

Gatiss said: “Spennymoor’s a special club to me and Dom over at Sunderland; we started that club from scratch.

“It’s a lot of the same players there now who have been on the journey since then, starting in the development league and the county and pulling through.

“And a lot of the work we did was to build a foundation to what they have got now, and it’s really good that Billy’s (Shackleton) picked that up and continued that trajectory that we set up.

“We know what they’re going to be about, as they have players who have been there for a very long time.

“They’ve got a solid standard of style of play that we’ll adapt to, but it also helps that we’ll know where hopefully where to hurt them, and then come the end of Sunday be in the next round.”

Information for supporters

Kick-off at Harton Welfare (NE34 0NA) is at 2pm.

Entry is free and all supporters are welcome to come along and cheer the lasses on.