Portsmouth’s Megan Hornby has found a fine streak of form as she heads into the final weeks of the year.
In fact, her performances in November were so stellar that she was named the WSL2 player of the month – ahead of a shortlist that included Newcastle’s Jordan Nobbs, Bristol City’s Maria Farrugia and Charlton Athletic’s Charlotte Newsham.
And she tells SheKicks.net that she was taken aback to win amidst that kind of competition.
“I think I was in a bit of shock because of the names on there!” she said.
The 25-year-old was presented with her award in front of her team-mates – and the video on social shows them calling for an acceptance speech, with a surprised Hornby simply saying that she puts her recent form down to a group effort.
“It’s the graft from the rest of the team and luckily enough I am a striker that can finish some goals,” she says.
She admits that the beautifully crafted goal she scored against Sunderland is probably her favourite so far this season. It’s one that folk on social media have said they are watching over and over again – even Hornby herself has enjoyed watching it back.
She signed for the club in the summer of 2024 following her departure from Blackburn Rovers. Moving to Portsmouth also meant her first time living away from home, so it’s been a big learning curve on and off the pitch.
“The people down here were lovely, a lot of chatting with the locals and that, setting in nicely, finding all the little coffee shops around here, so it was quite easy, and I’m lucky enough to live with my best friend from back at home as well, so it was win-win,” she says.
Megan Hornby: The Pompey Way is my way of life now
And as for the club, she describes it as “unbelievable”, adding that she’s a complete believer in “the Pompey Way”.
“There’s just nothing like the support down here and the style of play, it reflects with the men and the women – that fight, till the last minute, Fratton Park being a fortress. It’s just my way of life now!”
Portsmouth currently sit third from bottom of the WSL2 table, on ten points from ten games. They are level on points with Durham, in ninth, and two points behind eighth-placed Sheffield United and seventh-placed Southampton. Even Newcastle, in fourth, are only six points ahead of Pompey.
“I’ve not seen a league like it so far, one that’s so close, you can’t predict who’s going to win it already,” she says. “It’s a very exciting league, especially for the fans and even for us.”
And heading into the Christmas break, she will look forward to spending time with family – but will be raring to go on her return.
“I think it can be easy to drop off once you’ve started well,” she says. “So I think for my New Year’s Resolution – just keep the momentum going, keep working for the team and then we’ll see where we get to at the end.”
