Albion Women Manager Siobhan Hodgetts-Still praised her side for the way they “dug deep” to secure a late winner against Liverpool Feds on Sunday.
The Baggies were pegged back by their Merseyside opponents, but strikes from Ella Haughey, Taylor Reynolds and Marli Rhodes, the latter of which came in the 95th-minute, brought an important three points for the hosts.
In their final match of the season at the Alexander Stadium, Hodgetts-Still’s team made a big step towards a top four place, with two further league games left to play - including one crucial clash against Derby County at The Hawthorns next week.
She said: “We’re buzzing to get the win, but I thought it could’ve gone either way. Feds made it really difficult for us at times.
“I’m really proud that the girls dug deep, stayed in the game, and we earned the right to get that chance at the end. We defended our box very well and scored the winner with a minute to go, and I couldn’t be happier with the win and the three points.
“I’ve been asking Taylor and Ella to be braver and go higher. I think Taylor has had a few opportunities to score in recent weeks, and it’s only a matter of time until she scores. She deserved her chance today, and I’m glad she took it.
“The game could’ve gone either way, but when we went up the other end and followed in that chance, the bench erupted. It shows how much it means to us, really, and it’s brilliant to get another three points closer to where we want to be.
“This group has aspirations to go higher and where we want to go and finish in the table. We had some really good words at half-time, and as I said, the game could’ve gone either way, but we dug deep to show how far we’ve come together.
“There have been other seasons where we could’ve crumbled and conceded in those later minutes. We have to take the positives and enjoy this moment ahead of the two important games left.
“Next week’s another opportunity to play at The Hawthorns, we want to continue on our run, take the positives from today and bring them into next week.”
Goalscorer Reynolds looked to have put Albion in the ascendancy with her goal just after half-time, but the home side were quickly held back to level terms.
The right-back admits the Baggies “couldn’t afford to drop points” in their antepenultimate FAWNL Northern Premier clash of the season - and was glad to be on target to help their efforts.
She said: “We’re all a bit relieved because we knew it would be a massive three points for us. We’re aiming for a fourth-place finish so we couldn’t afford to drop points today.
“As soon as we scored that goal, we were all buzzing because we feel we’ve taken one step closer to that goal.
“We’ve been working a lot in the final third during training. It was a great ball from Ella so I couldn’t really miss from that distance.
“Ella and I know the job we’ve got to do. It’s a lot of effort, a lot of energy and a lot of tracking back and getting forward again, but the last few weeks, we’ve got in better areas and started attacking the box so it was bound to happen.
“We always dig in, we never want to give us but there are always things we can tidy up on. At two-all, we could’ve walked away with no points, and I think we stuck together to get that one more chance.”
