Albion Women Interim Head Coach Martyn Irvine believes the group have “embraced” the new challenge since his arrival.
The Baggies ran out 5-0 winners over Leafield Athletic on Wednesday evening, where five different scorers notched, and a stingy defensive showing produced another clean sheet.
And having already faced another pre-season test just 72 hours prior, Irvine was quick to praise the side’s “endeavours” as they continue to ramp up their preparations ahead of the 2026/27 season.
He said: “Again, I’m really delighted with how things went today. I said on Sunday we were likely to have a different test and I think Leafield came on and really pushed us, especially in the first 10-15 minutes.
“We got into a groove and retained the ball well. We were very patient in our approach.
“Sometimes frustration kicked in and decision-making was forced at times, but we didn’t get dragged into anything silly and that was pleasing. We recycled the ball well and I was pleased with how we applied ourselves.
“We had the water break after 30 minutes and we just said ‘keep probing and keep patient’ - we knew the goals would come if we did that. I can’t wait to see the first goal back, it’s a really nice bit of football that gave us the confidence to carry on.
“We’ve had a heavy week in terms of our load, we’ve managed to get more minutes into our legs. Some of the endeavours were outstanding there, I have to give credit to the group and to the staff for the way they’ve embraced everything across the time I’ve been here now.”
In just her second Albion appearance, Naomi Powell scored her first goal in navy-blue-and-white as she prodded home from a corner, and having moved from Portland Thorns earlier this month - the 27-year-old says they have “great characters” to help them achieve their goals this term.
She said: “It was more minutes in the legs for us and another pre-season test. It was a different test compared to the previous games, but it was good to get lots of goals in and I’m really proud of the girls.
“I’m delighted, and it’s nice to get a goal under your belt, but being able to help the team is my priority every time I set foot on the pitch. I’m happy to get that over the line and contribute to the result.
“We’ve been working on different aspects of our team performance in training, so to see that in action, is all we can ask. We’re getting those different building blocks in place ahead of the new campaign.
“Martyn was saying in the huddle about the vibes being really good, and it’s about building on what we’ve done, getting connected and playing the style we want to. We’ve got great characters in the team to help with that.”
