LSUWFC 2’s Coach, Alex Ackerley introduces us to the club whose teams won a County Cup and had several semi-final appearances last term.
SK: Tell us some of your top nicknames and why players have them and why some maybe don’t?
AA: We’ve got a few ranging from the likes of Goose to Bucket, picked from embarrassing stories, unfortunate situations, etc, given to them as Freshers and probably shouldn’t be shared with too many people! Antonia Smith is Big T and Sofie Armitage is Lee Catermole but my personal favourite is Brad (Sophie Bea Wylde) after she went in goal when we didn’t have a keeper and decided that of all the keepers in the world, Brad Friedel would be her role model! ‘Brad’ then had a blinder on her debut between the sticks and made the six-hour round trip to Cardiff an amusing one.
SK: Do you have a fairly settled team?
AA: All the squads are fairly settled, with the club having four teams there will always be an element of movement but players had an idea of where they fitted in.
SK: How did the 2013/14 season go for you, what do you expect from 2014/15 and who are your biggest rivals?
AA: 2013/14 was a mixed season. The firsts and seconds had slow starts in both their BUCS and Sunday leagues but picked up form towards the end of the season. The firsts reached two cup finals (and won the Leicestershire County Cup) and the thirds won BUCS promotion, so the club still experienced success in a mixed season. For 2014/15 the club’s main aim is to win promotion to the Premier League North or South and to reach BUCS knock-out finals as Loughborough are hosting them this year,. All the coaching staff believe it’s achievable and are looking forward to the challenge. Our biggest rivals would have to be University of Birmingham, no love lost there!
Pictured – Loughborough Students 2’s
SK: Tell us a funny moment the team shared
AA: The funniest moment the team shared was unfortunately at my expense! We’d had a terrible finishing performance the previous game so were practising in a session. I stopped it and stepped in to demo what I wanted and was also pretty agitated by this point. So the ball got played in across my body and I went to smash it but unfortunately the ball hit my standing foot first so I shinned it over the 35ft fence and into the hedges behind from about 8 yards! I tried to keep a straight face and carry on the drill, which I think made the girls laugh more.
Pictured – Loughborough Students 3’s
SK: Who is the team’s joker?
AA: Team jokers would have to be JJ Alison or Sofie Armitage. Two northerners from Huddersfield, never cease to amaze the entire squad with the things they say and do. True jokers!
SK: Does the club have an unsung hero?
AA: Unsung hero, I’d probably say is Antonia Smith. I don’t think anyone at the club has met a kinder person, she’s helped us all out at some point, most of us multiple times quicker than we can say thanks. Legend also says that the first time she went on tour, she went out the night before, didn’t sleep, went straight to the coach for a 5am leave and kept drinking the whole 24-hour coach journey, which makes her a hero to most players I think!
SK: Who is always first on the dance floor on a team/club night out?
AA: It would be quicker to say who isn’t eager to be first on the dance floor. The players find nights out a perfect way to deal with any results, not that I’ve seen it myself but I’ve heard that our right back (Goose) can not only swing a cross in but also cut some decent shapes. Although my assistant [George Winfield] would probably argue that he’s got the meanest moves going!
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