Trained up as a centre-back and also training to be a solicitor, so don’t be surprised if she serves opponents with some stiff 50/50 challenges.
1. Name: Amy Perch
2. Age: 23
3. Team: Newcastle United WFC
4. Position (and have you always played there)? Centre half. I’ve played a bit all over in my time – came to NUWFC as a centre mid but I was soon drafted in as a makeshift centre back and I’ve never (been allowed to) look back.
5. Team Supporter/Fave player? Derby County – I get constant grief off people for my taste but I always look to the gutsy players for inspiration – people like Robbie Savage and John Terry.
6. Occupation/or what you are studying? Trainee solicitor
7. Are there other footballers in your family? My Dad is a massive football fan – he has always played and continues to do so age 21 (cough, cough!) despite having the knees of a 90 year old!
8. Favourite game you have played in (and why)? I’ll never forget the game where we played away at Notts Forest a couple of seasons back when we were 4-0 down at half time and ended up drawing 5-5. We may not have quite managed the complete comeback but the grit and determination to come back in that game will stick with me for as long as I play.
Lifting the County Cup last season was pretty special too – we were so psyched for the final so it was amazing to pull it off and win the whole competition.
9. Your best attribute as a player? I’m quite a sensible player, don’t do anything fancy, just stick to my job and try to do it to the best of my ability. I like to think the way I read the game gives me those few extra yards as a defender and I’m also not scared to go in for those crunching 50/50s!
10. What are your ambitions in football? From a personal point of view I would like to stay fit and continue to play at the highest level for as long as I can. Aside from that, I’d do anything to see Newcastle United WFC get into the WSL and I think if we continue to be ambitious in our goals we will get there in the not so distant future.
11. Who has been the biggest influence in or on your footballing career? That’s easy – my Dad. He was the one who got me started in my footballing career by setting up a team for my friends and I when I was 16. He has supported me in so many ways over the years and he still travels from Derby every week to watch every single game I play! What a hero.
12. What is the best thing about playing for your team? I know it’s cliché but my team are my family. I spend so much time with them on and off the pitch and always look forward to seeing them. We win together, we lose together and we constantly laugh together. You can’t beat that feeling of togetherness.
13. If you got to design your team’s kit, what would it look like? I like our kit as it is – everyone knows who we are when we don those black and white stripes! I guess I may add a splash of pink… or maybe sneak in a ram on there somewhere 😉
14. Do you listen to music to get you motivated, or while you train – if so, what tracks? We always have music on in the changing rooms before games – I tend to leave that to the younger players now but they usually do a decent job of getting us in the right mood and the right mindframe. Our goalkeeper Michaela Raine has been banned from DJ duties as her taste is terrible, as is her singing!
15. Who, that plays for your team, should we know more about and why? I think Rachel Vassallo could be the one to watch this season. She’s small but deadly! She’s quiet and humble off the pitch but on it the ball is glued to her feet – she could make a mug out of even the best defenders and I don’t think she gets enough credit for her excellent work rate.
SHE KICKS – the online community for women’s football
