Paul Striving For More After Award Honour
- Lachante Paul won 2020/21 Young Player of the Season at the Club’s Annual End of Season awards
- The forward scored seven league goals in the Foxes' FA Women’s Championship title-winning campaign
- Paul is now preparing for next season’s challenge of playing in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League
- She says it is a dream to play in the competition and that the team will be fighting to produce good performances
The 18-year-old received her prize as part of Leicester City’s Annual End of Season Awards, which also included accolades for team-mates Natasha Flint and Ashleigh Plumptre.
A former Arsenal academy graduate, Paul was City’s second top goalscorer with seven goals on the way to becoming FA Women’s Championship champions, as well as registering four assists in her 19 league starts.
“It makes me feel like people are actually seeing what I can bring and what I can give to a team,” Paul commented upon accepting her award.
“To have a lot of young players around me who are also doing great, it just shows that I’m doing well and I’m striving to get even better. I feel like this has been one of my best seasons that I’ve ever played, to achieve such big goals at such a young age.
“It’s been such a good season, it’s very exciting to be in this position, but it’s also been challenging. I think because there is a lot of competition, standards are very high and that’s what everyone demands. We all want the same goals and that’s why we got along so well.
“We got to know each other a bit more [as the season went on], how each play, where to be, what passes were going to be made, things like that.”
LCFC Women moved into Belvoir Drive training facility for the 2020/21 campaign, while the introduction of Leicester City legend Emile Heskey as a Club Ambassador has brought vital experience, especially for the forwards, who have been able to work with him closely during the season.
“Having these facilities and to play around great players and have great coaches is great,” she continued. “It boosts your confidence and makes you a much better player.
“It’s been fantastic. He (Emile Heskey) gives you a lot of tips, a lot of things that you need to work on. You can always go to him to do extras, it’s a real bonus to have him at the Club.”
Having shown their credentials in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup, beating top tier Manchester United in the Fifth Round, Leicester will be out to prove that they can do the same when facing Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
Following the Club’s promotion, attention has quickly turned to the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Paul believes that playing against those opponents on a weekly basis is an exciting prospect.
Goals: Manchester United Women 2 LCFC Women 3
Watch all five goals from Sunday's Vitality Women's FA Cup tie against Manchester United Women as LCFC Women edged a fifth round thriller.
“I’d say that game (against Manchester United) was the most I’ve ever had to run,” the forward explained. “I had less touches on the ball, but it also showed that we are ready to play in the WSL. We showed as a team that we definitely can do it.
“I think it will be a great experience (to play Manchester City). I think we will have a stronger team, we’ll be more focused due to being in the WSL, so definitely, it will be a very good game.
“For me, personally, it’s a dream come true. Especially because I had aspirations of being in the WSL when I get to 21, but to be there now at 18, it’s an amazing achievement.
“And as a team, I think it’s special for us, because we’ve come from the bottom and we’ve risen to the top.”