We Didn’t Capitalise On Chances, Says Morgan

- Jonathan Morgan spoke to LCFC TV following LCFC Women’s defeat to Everton
- Simone Magill scored the only goal of the game at Pirelli Stadium on Sunday
- Morgan’s Foxes are yet to secure a point in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League
- The manager believes City’s positive performances show that a result is coming

There was nothing to separate the sides until Simone Magill’s 81st-minute strike, which proved to be the winner at Pirelli Stadium and consign City to an eighth consecutive defeat in the top-flight.

Leicester created openings both before and after the visitors’ goal, but were unable to find a way through and remain at the foot of the league standings, yet to register a point during their first season at this level.

Despite the disappointment, Morgan was pleased with the team’s overall performance, but believes they lacked the final-third quality required to record a positive result in Burton.

“We played tremendously well today,” he reflected to LCFC TV. “We were organised, we were resilient. I think we created some very good chances that we just didn’t capitalise on, which is becoming a little bit of a common theme with us at this moment in time.

“Especially then conceding the late goal, the girls are obviously distraught again because they put so much out there and I think it is showing that are injuries are having an impact on us, not being able to make changes when we need to.

“If you look at Everton, they made five changes and five great players came on. I believe it was a sub that scored the winner, and we just haven’t got that at this moment in time due to the injury situation.

“Everton only had three really good opportunities this whole game and they took one of the three. I think you could argue we had three good opportunities ourselves and we didn’t manage to take one and that’s how ruthless this level is.

“We have to keep working on that and that composure in front of goal is something that we are going to keep focusing on. But I think it would be much more worrying if we were just defending for our lives every game and not creating opportunities.

“At least we’re playing good enough football to open teams up and create those opportunities. We’ll keep working on it and I know that the likes of Tash [Flint] and Siggy (Jess Sigsworth) and all the other strikers and attacking players will come good.”

“We still feel very confidence that we will navigate ourselves out of this battle.”

Goalkeeper Demi Lambourne came into the side to make her first league start of the season having deputised for Kirstie Levell in cup competitions this term, including Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Durham in the Continental Tyres League Cup.

And after Levell was ruled out for up to 14 weeks with a knee injury, City’s No.1 stepped up to don the gloves against the Toffees, producing several fine stops throughout the contest.

“I never had any doubts with Demi Lambourne,” City’s manager continued. “I think this is the fourth year she’s been with us and she’s a fantastic professional, a fantastic player and she is just very unlucky to have Kirstie Levell at the same Club with her.

“They push each other all the time. It was just like having Kirstie in goal, she made some massive saves at some crucial times and that will do her the world of good. She deserved that opportunity and we’re really proud of her.”  

Following the latest international break, the Foxes will travel to Arsenal for their next Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture on Sunday 12 December (6:45pm kick-off), and work will immediately start on preparing for that game against the league leaders.

Morgan added: “I’m proud of the girls, we’re going to keep going, we’re going to work hard, we’ll go back again and deconstruct today and then we get ourselves ready for Arsenal.

“The morale in the camp is so high because we know we are playing well, and we know we are doing things right. It’s unlucky and it will come. Teams see us as a threat. If you look at Everton, they threw everything at the end and yet we still got in behind them, we still caused them problems.

“Our girls just fatigued but the reality is that we go back into training, it will the same prep leading up to the Arsenal game, the same motivation the girls will have the same spirit, they’ll still be ready for that game.”