Nottingham Forest Ladies report on how the club continues to face the knock-on effects of missing out on the WSL and ways they are making rapid adjustment as a result.
Whilst the failed bid has brought about a decline in comparable financial investment, the club has worked to consolidate on significantly lower budgets in recent months but is now shouldering further blows on a different level.
With a flourishing squad and strong performances on the pitch in the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division, the club currently rides high in the winter league table. So it is no surprise that this will be a talent pool magnet for WSL Clubs who want to bolster 1st Team and Developmental squads for their forthcoming summer season due to start in a matter of weeks.
Forest Ladies have a paradox in delight for recognition for these players but are now left depleted with the exodus of a handful of players in recent weeks with many fixtures still to fulfil.
The latest development is bittersweet in the departure of club favourite, Reanne Thomas, who now signs for WSL side Doncaster Rovers Belles to join former Forest players Lyndsey Cunningham and Lauren Creswell, who have made their mark at this level in previous seasons.
Thomas had been with the club since joining the U-10s and has flourished and grown to play as a regular 1st teamer for the past few seasons.
Pictured: Reanne Thomas on the far left as an U-10s Forest Ladies player:
Lisa Dawkins, Director of Football at Forest, has worked with Thomas in various capacities and says: Whilst I am deeply disappointed to lose Reanne Thomas from the Forest Ladies family, I can’t help feeling relieved that she will be in good hands at Doncaster Belles, and is about to the enter the next phase in her football development. Reanne has been the heartbeat of the senior setup for many years, even though she is still the tender age of 22. Reanne will leave a massive hole to fill in many ways, but as witnessed in the game against Arsenal, there are a few players willing to give their all to do just that.”
Paul Cudby, 1st team Manager, comments: “Having only known and worked with Reanne for a few months, it’s a testament to her personality, technical attributes, and mainly her character to know that she will be missed so much by all of us here. She’s been of great help to me personally, and I know for a fact that she’ll have a tremendous impact on the WSL. It gives a great opportunity for some of our younger players now to take that extra step up and develop their leadership skills, Reanne’s been a great role model to so many here at the club and I thank her from the bottom of my heart.”
As a parting acknowledgment to Thomas’s contribution to Forest Ladies, she was gifted the Captain’s armband to lead the team in a high tempo friendly evening fixture against WSL side Arsenal Ladies on Thursday, 20 February.
Pictured: Thomas in action.
Thomas herself has mixed feelings about her departure and comments: “Whilst I am delighted at the opportunity to have joined DRBLFC for the oncoming season, I will hugely miss all associated with NFLFC where over the past 10 plus years I have accumulated so many great, great memories and friends.”
Forest Ladies 1st Team will play their next game away to Preston on Sunday, 9 March in the FA Premier League Cup quarter-final. Their following fixture will be in the Nottinghamshire Cup Final against local rivals Radcliffe Olympic at Mansfield Hosiery Mills on Tuesday, 11 March. K.O 19:30
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