A Professional Performance, Says Kirk

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A Professional Performance, Says Kirk

LCFC Women did what was required to see off Derby County in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, according to Willie Kirk.

2024-01-15T11:18:00.000Z

by Sam Jones

Published

15 Jan, 2024

A Professional Performance, Says Kirk

LCFC Women did what was required to see off Derby County in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, according to Willie Kirk.

Sam Jones

2024-01-15T11:18:00.000Z

A Professional Performance, Says Kirk

LCFC Women did what was required to see off Derby County in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, according to Willie Kirk.

Sam Jones

2024-01-15T11:18:00.000Z

A Professional Performance, Says Kirk

LCFC Women did what was required to see off Derby County in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, according to Willie Kirk.

Sam Jones

2024-01-15T11:18:00.000Z

A Professional Performance, Says Kirk

LCFC Women did what was required to see off Derby County in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, according to Willie Kirk.

Sam Jones

2024-01-15T11:18:00.000Z

- A 4-0 win over Derby County saw LCFC Women book a place in the fifth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup- Lena Petermann, Janice Cayman, Deanne Rose all scored at Don Amott Arena on Sunday afternoon- Willie Kirk assessed his team’s resounding success and believes it was the ideal return to action- City’s Barclays Women’s Super League campaign resumes at home to Aston Villa on Friday night

The Foxes were 4-0 victors at Don Amott Arena on Sunday, with Lena Petermann, Janice Cayman, Deanne Rose and an own goal sealing their place in the fifth round of the prestigious competition.

Beginning the New Year on a positive note was top of the agenda for Kirk, who analysed a convincing success over their third-tier opponents ahead of the resumption of their Barclays Women’s Super League season.

“We’ve started off [2024] in the best possible way,” City’s Manager commented. “It was everything we asked of them and demanded of them. We had to be professional, we had to be respectful.

“The best way to do that is being full strength and going at full tilt, pressing really hard and just being us, getting our identity back on the pitch as quickly as possible in the New Year. It’s a big few months ahead for us and we had to start off with the right attitude and the right performance.

“Today was about putting a team out that we thought would beat Derby. It was full strength for that purpose and the subs were all done with some thought behind them. Players have done well and posed us some questions.

“It was nice to have an away game so close. I thought it was a great atmosphere. It made for a good Midlands derby. The most important thing for me was getting minutes in a competitive game. This is now good prep going into the start of the WSL.”

The home side’s approach made it difficult for the Foxes to break through early on in the contest but once Petermann’s header found the back of the net, the goals – including two from set pieces - started to flow, without allowing opportunities at the other end.

Kirk explained: “I wasn’t sure how they were going to approach the game so we prepared for both – if they were going to be open and attack us, or if they’d be sitting off. We did a lot of work on them being in a low block, so I’m glad we did that.

“I thought they were physical and very well organised. For any central passes, they condensed that area of the pitch with four or five white jerseys around the ball. They gave us a little bit in the wide areas but made it hard to get through.

“We had to show patience and we got what we deserved in the end. Once it got to three and four nil, the most important thing was the clean sheet and that shows your professionalism and doing your job properly and I thought the girls did that.

“The quality of our set pieces for and against has been really good. We’ve conceded far too many corners and we’ve had to work hard not to concede. We’ve probably not won enough corners but the ones we have taken have caused teams problems. It’s good to see those come to fruition today.”

Saori Takarada was named in City’s starting XI for the first time in Mickleover while fellow January signing and Japan international Yuka Momiki also made her debut, as a half-time substitute, contributing with two second-half assists.

“Saori and Yuka have been in a couple of weeks and settled in really well,” the 45-year-old revealed. “You saw their qualities for the minutes they were on. I was really impressed with them.

“They are going to be really important for us, not just for the rest of this season but as we build going forward and continue to develop our game to get to where we want to be. Saori showed so much composure on the ball.

“She picks up really intelligent positions on the pitch and just keeps the game flowing. Yuka is a magician and you saw flashes of that brilliance today. She’ll continue to get better as she gets game time.”

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