Conti Cup Final Reaction: Arsenal 2-0 Lincoln

Comment and reaction from Friday’s Conti Cup Final…

SO Arsenal retained their crown when they won the FA WSL Continental Cup final on Friday night at Barnet FC with a 2-0 win over Lincoln Ladies writes CATHERINE ETOE. There was disappointment for Lincoln, who were full of belief after having already held the Gunners to three draws this term, but a palpable sense of delight in the Arsenal camp. Here we bring you the thoughts of Arsenal boss Shelley Kerr and defender Gilly Flaherty and Lincoln midfielder Megan Harris on the match and the season…

Arsenal boss Shelley Kerr on the win:

It’s another clean sheet so we’re delighted with that but really when it comes to a cup final you just want to win. 

On breaking Lincoln down:

We spoke about it all week, we said the three games we’ve played them this season have been draws and we’ve had so many chances in the game but it’s a credit to Lincoln because they are so well organised defensively and are really disciplined but I thought we showed a wee bit of patience. When you have to defend for long periods it’s really difficult to do and I felt maybe perhaps Lincoln tired because you have to concentrate so hard it drains you mentally and physically. We showed patience, and we had that class and eventually we got the goal and then another thankfully.

On Ellen White’s goal:

I know Ellen was delighted to score but she was also delighted to make amends for the couple of chances she had earlier. The good thing about Ellen is she does get chances in the game and doesn’t let her head go down and will always get on the end of things and is capable of getting you a goal.

On how the game unfolded:

I think I’ve got a few grey hairs and that’s been every time we’ve played Lincoln this season. Every time we’ve played them we’ve created chances. I was so confident that we would win, even with the three draws that we’ve had prior and I think the girls were as well, in fact we actually spoke about practising penalties [on Thursday] night and they didn’t want to. They said it won’t go to penalties, that’s how confident they were and I think that’s due to the fact that they are so used to playing on the big stage.


Gilly with Vic Akers (Catherine Etoe)

Arsenal defender Gilly Flaherty on the result:

We knew tonight that we had to go and win it for the club but also for the fans that have been there through it all. 

On Lincoln:

We know what to expect from Lincoln, solid, organised, but we know when we get our chances we have to take them against them against Lincoln because you are not going to get many. We had a couple of chances we missed in the first half and it took two good strikes for us to break it. 

On the goals: 

They weren’t like little tap-ins, they were clean strikes and obviously Kim [Little’s] one she beat several players and put it in top bin. They’re special goals and sometimes it takes special goals to win finals, especially two teams that are so organised and solid.

On the season: 

It’s hard, we’ve won two cups but by our standards that’s still not good enough. We should never be third in the league and the way we’ve played doesn’t warrant being the third placed team. You have to take the highs and the lows and it’s been an interesting season but it’s something that we’ll only learn from. If you don’t experience the lows you’ll never be able to appreciate the highs. Next year we are going to be even more focused to get our league back and keep the two cups as well.

Megan Harris on the loss:

We’re disappointed not to win but I thought the girls really put their bodies on the line for Lincoln, the amount of times we cleared it off the line and we were absolutely fantastic in defence. Arsenal are a quality side and you have to give them full credit because they kept going and battered us down in the end. 

On their expectations ahead of the game:

We have been their bogey side this year, and last year almost as well, they found it hard to break us down. Defensively we are a very strong outfit and they have found it hard in times gone by so we were coming into this game believing that we could do the job and that we could get the win, but their quality came through in the end.

On the match as it unfolded:

It’s one of those where they just keep on coming and coming and we were getting a little bit deeper and deeper and a little lapse in concentration from us and they punish you. They are full of quality players who can score from anywhere so you’ve got to concentrate for the full 90 minutes and I think we just lost a little bit of concentration. 

On the coming weeks:

Everyone has to take a break. It’s been a long old season, not necessarily with the amount of games we’ve played but the stop-start nature of it so you have to recharge your batteries a little bit. Some players will go away and put their feet up and enjoy a couple of months off before we start training again after Christmas.

On next season:

As players we are not 100 per cent sure what next season is going to bring. Obviously the change to Notts County is a big thing to try and make this team more professional and start competing with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal who have done that already. It’s going to be a big change and a big step and hopefully we can improve and get ourselves some silverware in the not too distant future.

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