O’Brien: Continue The Upward Curve
- Attacker Shannon O’Brien assesses her LCFC Women career to date in an interview with LCFC TV
- The 19-year-old has scored three times for the Club since her January arrival from Coventry United
- City are currently in the middle of their pre-season schedule ahead of the new campaign
- The Barclays FA Women’s Super League campaign begins away at Aston Villa on 4 September
Undergoing her first pre-season at Belvoir Drive following a January transfer from Coventry United, the attacker is targeting an even more productive 2021/22, following three goals in her first nine games for the Football Club across all competitions.
While O'Brien has played a total of 70 minutes during City’s friendly fixtures against Liverpool and Chelsea, further pre-season matches are set to increase the squad’s readiness for the long-awaited opener away to Aston Villa on 4 September.
“I joined in January and I was kind of building myself in,” she commented while speaking to LCFC TV earlier this week. “And then, once it was coming into the end of the season, I was hitting form and getting where I wanted to be.
“I think the break was needed after the Championship season, but as soon as the first session came around, I was so excited to get back into it and there’s no better place to be for pre-season.
“Now I just need to pick up where I left off and start the season strong. I love pre-season. It’s been my first full pre-season so far, so it was nice to get in and meet all the new players and then we're straight into matches.
“I think it’s important to get into the stride of things and test yourself against the opposition that you’re going to be facing this season.”
The 19-year-old was able to settle in quickly to life at Leicester and revealed the six summer signings have also made a smooth transition into the squad, adding a new dimension of competition across the pitch.
The ex-Aston Villa forward continued: “They have fitted right in. I think we’ve recruited well; we’ve made a lot of strong signings that have fitted in easily. Now it’s just about figuring out how each other play with different players. They’re all really lovely girls so it’s been nice.
“I think, as a player, you want that competitiveness. You’re not going to improve if you don’t have anyone pushing you and wanting to take your shirt.
“So, for me, I thrive off that and I think a lot of the girls do as well. You want someone right behind you pushing you all the way. It gets the best out of you.”
Last season’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup is also to be completed, with Leicester’s last-eight stage visit to cup holders Manchester City a reward for their stunning victory over Manchester United in round five.
Taking that belief into the top-flight will be crucial for the newly-promoted Foxes, believes O’Brien, who scored in the success over the Red Devils.
She added: “Especially from the game at King Power Stadium and then straight into that Manchester United game, there was no pressure really on us, but we believed in ourselves to cause an upset and we did.
“I think, for me personally, I didn’t want the season to end really because I’d been on such a high, but looking back at it, it was a great way to end and a good way to start it now.
“It’s really exciting. It’s something everyone dreams of when you’re playing football, and women’s football especially. The WSL is probably one of the best in the world. That’s where you want to be as a player and that’s something I’ve always dreamt of so I’m really excited to be a part of it.”