Watford report that while only just over half way through their pre-season, performances from the squad so far have encouraged the coaching staff.
The Golden Girls are full of confidence after recent performances and will head into the FA Women’s Cup 4th round tie at Sunderland in a buoyant mood.
With it still being over a month until the Super League starts, every fine detail is being looked at to make sure the side start at the top of their game.
Assistant Manager Chris Thurston is pleased with what he’s seen so far: “With any pre-season the most pleasing aspect is when it comes together on the pitch,” he revealed. “We’ve showed that we are continually improving and John [Salomon] and I have been pleased with the team’s performance at West Ham and in our friendly matches since.
“Last season we got our pre-season preparations spot on and that helped us start the season strongly. I think this year we have reviewed what we did and improved on it and that can only serve us well ahead of the new campaign.”
After an impressive season last year, the coaching staff have been working hard to continue to improve, as Thurston explains:
“John has introduced a few new ideas whilst aiming to hold on to what made us competitive last season.
“The ladies have taken these on board and have worked well with the strength and conditioning and sport science support we have been able to give them.
“We’ve made lots of progress both on and off the pitch and now our focus must be on getting the remainder of pre-season right.”
Looking into the match preparation has been a key part of pre-season for Thurston: “We’ve been working on the way we would like to play against different types of opponents. I think it has been evident in our performances so far.
“We understand that each match brings with it its own challenge and our aim is to be ready for that.
“Additionally, the ladies have been working hard in training on their condition and so I think you will ultimately see a fitter and stronger side over the coming weeks.”
Whatever happens in the FA Women’s Cup game at Sunderland on Sunday, Watford Ladies will not be playing a competitive game for a month after it.
Thurston tells us the plans in place for this period of time: “We will continue to play friendly matches and aim to test ourselves against a variety of opponents.
“It’s a period that’s crucial to how we start the season and so we will aim to ask a bit more of the players each week.
“The main goal is to be ready for our opening Super League fixture against Millwall and I think that we are right where we want to be at this stage of pre-season.”
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