Leanne Ross paid tribute to her Glasgow City team and all those behind the scenes at the club after they were knocked out of the Europa Cup by Sporting CP.
Glasgow City lost 3-1 (4-2 on aggregate) after extra time in Portugal in the round of 16 – and Ross took time to celebrate the occasion that the club had staged in the first leg.
“We know how hard everybody works,” Ross told SheKicks.net after the match. “It’s not just the football staff. Everybody behind the scenes as well works really hard and are part of this team to make sure that we put on the show that we did last week [in the first leg].
“And you can see with the numbers that are attending our games domestically as well that we’re growing that fan base and it’s because we’re able to provide good experiences for them as well.”
Leanne Ross: This team are close
Adding that she had been disappointed with the atmosphere during the second leg, she said: “I think it was really disappointing to come here tonight and not have any fans in the stadium really. It was a quiet atmosphere – you can expect a lot more from a big club like Sporting Lisbon…I don’t know, it doesn’t feel like a European occasion tonight, but I think that’s something that we can be proud of in terms of what we managed to achieve as a club last week and in the previous round.”
She said that the European competition had helped increase a sense of unity across the club, saying: “[Playing in Europe is] always great and it’s an opportunity for the players and the staff to spend a lot of time together. We’ve used that time really well this season and it’s really benefited us in the domestic games as well, just to create those bonds within the team.
“And I think it’s been obvious and everybody’s commented on it from the outside as well, just how close the team are at this moment in time and this has played a big part in that.”
And she went on to say that she hopes their time in Europe will help them kick on as they look to win the Scottish Women’s Premier League for the 17th time.
“We’ve really enjoyed the European adventure this season and we’ve taken a lot from it and it’s probably galvanised our performances and our form at home as well – just that enthusiasm for this competition, so we need to learn from it and take that home and continue into the games that have to come now.”
