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Keep Standards High, Says Smith

FA Women's Championship champions LCFC Women are in a good place to finish the current campaign in a positive fashion, according to Libby Smith.

2021-04-24T07:07:00.000Z

by Sam Jones

Published

24 Apr, 2021

Keep Standards High, Says Smith

FA Women's Championship champions LCFC Women are in a good place to finish the current campaign in a positive fashion, according to Libby Smith.

Sam Jones

2021-04-24T07:07:00.000Z

Keep Standards High, Says Smith

FA Women's Championship champions LCFC Women are in a good place to finish the current campaign in a positive fashion, according to Libby Smith.

Sam Jones

2021-04-24T07:07:00.000Z

Keep Standards High, Says Smith

FA Women's Championship champions LCFC Women are in a good place to finish the current campaign in a positive fashion, according to Libby Smith.

Sam Jones

2021-04-24T07:07:00.000Z

Keep Standards High, Says Smith

FA Women's Championship champions LCFC Women are in a good place to finish the current campaign in a positive fashion, according to Libby Smith.

Sam Jones

2021-04-24T07:07:00.000Z

- Forward Libby Smith chats ahead of LCFC Women's visit to Lewes Women on Sunday (2pm kick-off)- The FA Women's Championship clash sees the champions take on fifth-placed Lewes- The Foxes defeated Liverpool in the Vitality Women's FA Cup Fourth Round last weekend- Smith says the team are motivated to continue their current form in league and cup competitions

Attention shifts back to the Championship this Sunday, with a trip to face Lewes Women at The Dripping Pan (2pm kick-off), following last weekend's 1-0 win over Liverpool Women in the Vitality Women's FA Cup.

That fourth round victory set up an exciting clash against Barclays FA Women's Super League side Manchester United on Sunday 16 May, while the final two league fixtures of 2020/21 can act as ideal preparation for that encounter with the Red Devils, Smith believes.

City are also aiming to continue their current record of 12 straight Championship victories, extended by beating London City Lionesses 2-0 - a result which also secured the Club's first second-tier title and promotion to the top flight.

"It's just about getting as many wins as we can," the 20-year-old commented, speaking in Thursday's pre-match press conference at Belvoir Drive. "We want to finish with 14 wins in a row if we beat Lewes and Charlton.

"We've won the league and then we did great last weekend to turn our focus to the FA Cup and get the win in that too. But it's just about finishing strong now and getting ourselves ready for the United game in the FA Cup.

"It's massive going into next season that we keep going as we are and showing teams why we are the champions and I think we can play with freedom now as well.

"Obviously teams are going to want to beat us because we're champions and you're going to get that, but it's great for us now to just enjoy ourselves and go and play football."

A member of City's Regional Talent Club from the age of seven, the youngster then spent some time in Chelsea's Girls' Academy before returning at the age of 16 to move into Leicester's first team, then a part-time team playing in the third tier.

Part of the transition to becoming a full-time professional outfit last summer, the former England youth international has experienced the changes first-hand and believes it shows just what an achievement winning the title has been.

"The whole journey has been incredible," she said. "Starting off, Leicester City is a big club but the women's team wasn't so big. Obviously, I came through the RTC, the Academy, playing Manchester United, Aston Villa and seeing them develop as they have into the WSL, and then for us to become full-time, I think it's just fantastic.

"The backing from the Club is unbelievable and you've seen that the backing is so important because it does really help. With the facilities that we've got now at Belvoir Drive, it's really great and it helps us push on with our game.

"It's not been the easiest because, for us youngsters especially, a lot of us haven't really experienced that before. We've obviously got some senior players who have done and they can guide us on that and lead from experience.

"It's been quite difficult, the transitional period, and having a whole group of different players coming in at the start of the season, then going full-time as well, we've really adapted well and quickly.

"You've not got time as you've got games coming up thick and fast and a busy schedule. We've got the right support from the staff and the girls and that's the main thing."

The LCFC Women forward, traditionally deployed as a winger or striker, has transitioned into playing a more defensive role this term, often positioned at right-back during her 12 Championship appearances.

She explained: "In football, if you're diverse and you can adapt to different positions, I think that really helps you and you have more opportunities to play and have more playing time.

"Obviously, at the start, it was hard to transition into that role because I had to change my mindset from being attacking to defensive, but we play with attacking full-backs and freedom so, for me, it was quite an easy change.

"With the support on the grass, day-to-day, I was able to learn and adapt within the position.

"Getting a lot of game time is great. Similar attributes are needed for a full-back as a winger and I can also play as a no.9. I just want to work hard and give everything for the team, be direct and that's applicable to many different roles on the pitch.

"The staff have been constantly having one-to-ones with me and it's about learning. As a player, it's not an easy journey, it's going to be difficult, there's going to be ups and downs, that's part of it.

"If I'm left out of the team, I feel like it's a great challenge for me to come back the next week in training and show why I should be and use it as a positive rather than a negative."

All times BST.

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