Fiona Roberts captains her side in the Beds & Herts League and when she’s not working in the City, clearly invests some time thinking of Alexis Sanchez!
1 Name: Fiona Roberts
2 Age (DOB): 31 (21/07/1984)
3. Team: Panshanger Ladies FC (Hertfordshire)
4 Position (and have you always played there)? Centre-Midfield. I used to play up front or on the wing but I got the opportunity to play in centre-midfield a couple of seasons ago and it felt natural. I’m most happy when I have my boots on and on the pitch, so I don’t mind where I play, but I love the feeling of being in the middle of the park, getting involved whenever I can. It’s nice to still be able to have a shot but also good to be able to get back and defend.
5 Team Supporter / Fave player? I support Arsenal FC and I am lucky to share a season ticket at the Emirates with a work colleague. Alexis Sanchez is my favourite player. I admire his ambition, work rate and how he is always keen to have the ball. He always looks on fire when he pulls his shorts up his thighs! He was a great signing for the Gunners.
6. Occupation / or what are you studying? I work in Investments in the City of London. There are a few other Arsenal fans in my office which is good. I get to go for a run by the River Thames at lunchtime which is nice, especially when the sun is shining. There are lots of good sights to see.
7 Are there other footballers in your family? Nobody else in my family plays football regularly, but my brother and dad are keen watchers. My dad used to take me to watch Arsenal as a child but since he has moved away from Hertfordshire, he now watches his local side Exeter City. He still follows Arsenal but it’s a bit far to travel to! My brother supports Luton Town and I think he was jealous when I played on their pitch a few seasons ago.
8 Favourite game played in by you (and why)? Last season against our local rivals Welwyn Garden City Ladies at our home ground. We were a new team and a number of our players, including myself, had come from Welwyn Garden City. We had played them at their ground earlier in the season and lost, but when they came back to our ground we played extremely well and showed how much we improved as a team. It was such a great day and we celebrated well.
9 Your best attribute as a player? I’ve been told I have a good footballing brain by my teammate Kerry [Twigg], and I encourage players as I’m the captain of the team. I think I read the game well and support my fellow midfielders and teammates with non-stop running.
10 What are your ambitions in football? To be able to play as long as I can. I’m the oldest in my team and Monday mornings are getting harder but I don’t want to give up playing. I love training, getting ready for the game, going out on the pitch and enjoying my Sunday’s. My weekends without football are not the same!
11 Who has been the biggest influence in your footballing career? My Manager Jez [Davies]. His encouragement has got me where I am now. Without him I wouldn’t be half the player I am. His commitment and passion for the game, especially the ladies game, is a real inspiration.
12 What is the best thing about playing for your team? The teamwork and how we all look out for each other and encourage the younger players. When we play as a team there is no stopping us. We all go to a local pub after our home games and we always have a laugh, whatever the result.
13 If you got to design your team’s kit, what would it look like? Red like Arsenal! We already have a nice lime green home shirt. We often get nicknamed the bogeys but I think it’s a lovely shirt and you can’t lose us!
14 Do you listen to music to get you motivated, or while you train – if so, what tracks? We don’t listen to a lot of music. Sometimes we have music on in the changing room before the game. It’s mostly fun music like S Club 7 and Baby Girl! Everyone has a laugh.
15 Who, that plays for your team, should we know more about and why? This is a tough one. We have so many great players, for lots of different reasons! We also have a great Manager, Assistant Manager and Coaches who put a lot of time and effort into our team. But I will go with our goalkeepers, April [Spang] and Gabby. April is our current goalkeeper and has saved loads of shots this season and she is an inspiration to our new goalkeeper Gabby who is currently training with us and getting ready to play for us when she is 16. Gabby is a great goalkeeper from what we have seen so we can’t wait for her birthday. April is looking forward to being able to have some time out on pitch too, which will be nice for her.
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