Everyone Had Belief, Says Baker
- LCFC Women beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 on the final day of the season
- City finished 10th in the 2022/23 Barclays Women’s Super League campaign
- Ava Baker scored her first WSL goal at Broadfield Stadium
- The Foxes recorded five league wins since Willie Kirk’s appointment as manager
After producing a remarkable turnaround, which saw the Foxes claw themselves back from a seven-point deficit, Leicester arrived at Broadfield Stadium on the final day with the fate of survival in their own hands.
As Reading were losing to Chelsea, nothing was in fact required from City to retain their WSL status for another season, but manager Willie Kirk was determined to end on a high.
The Scotsman introduced Ava Baker into the game for the final 20 minutes, and the youngster proved to be the catalyst in Leicester’s victory, as she netted her first WSL goal.
Baker: Delighted To Score My First WSL Goal
Ava Baker speaks to LCFC TV after netting her first Barclays Women's Super League goal in a 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Following a second-half strike from close range, after a Courtney Nevin corner was headed down by Sam Tierney, the younger winger spoke to LCFC TV to discuss confirmation of league safety for the Foxes.
“I'm speechless right now,” Baker said. “Coming back from international duty, to have a moment like this... the support from the girls has been unreal, and it wouldn't have been possible without them.
“It's unreal, the feeling between everyone. We've supported each other from the very beginning, and since Willie has come in, it's been amazing. Everyone's had the belief and the confidence to keep going, to get results and goals.”
Highlights - Brighton Women 0 LCFC Women 1
Full highlights of LCFC Women's final Barclays Women's Super League game of the season.
Without a win this season until the start of the New Year, the young Lioness star confirmed that the squad always kept the faith that they’d be able to provide the necessary results.
“The belief within the girls, we all had it and we all knew that it was possible,” Baker continued. “Everyone doubted us, and we've gone and done it.
“A goal’s a goal – they all count! Without everyone else, it wouldn't have been possible and from getting my first [Continental Tyres League Cup] goal (against Sunderland) to getting my first WSL goal. It's just unreal.”