England: “Something had to change” for SSFC Women to get Sunderland West End draw

Ava England has admitted that “something had to change” in order for South Shields Women to get a result against Sunderland West End Ladies on Sunday.

The lasses fought back from 2-0 down through a Tianna Hill brace, on either side of the half-time whistle, to finish 2-2.

“In the first-half, I felt as if nothing was really clicking and as a team we all knew something had to change,” she said.

“However, in the second-half, we came out strong and I felt as if we showed up with more desire and want in the end.”

England was pleased with how the team responded to falling behind – a flurry of chances followed and on another day, it could have counted for more. 

She continued: “I am extremely pleased with how the team responded after Tianna scored both goals. 

“I feel like we showed that we were back in the game and wanted it a lot more.”

It can be a challenging time of year with the weather creating chaos on and off the pitch.

Nevertheless the young defender thinks the team has handled that problem well so far.

She added: “Honestly, I think the team coped really well with all the different surfaces we’ve been playing on recently, adapting to each pitch and putting up a good fight against each team we’ve played against.”

Shields now look ahead to this weekend’s game against Spennymoor Town Ladies in the Third Round of the NERWFL League Cup.

The two teams met a fortnight ago in the NERWFL Premier Division, with the Moors claiming a 2-1 win at Harton Welfare.

“Personally, I am looking forward to Sunday's test, as we put up a really good fight against them the last time and were unlucky to come away with the loss,” she finished.

Kick-off at Downhill Hub is at 2pm this Sunday, December 7th. Entry is free, but you must register for a Leisure United account and scan the generated QR code for access.

Image credit: Craig McNair (@ideventphoto)