Portsmouth Women player makes ‘punishing’ admission after Newcastle Women loss
Portsmouth Women goalkeeper Eve Annets has demanded her side be more “punishing of teams” after another defeat in the Women’s Championship.
Annets made her debut at Westleigh Park but could not prevent fellow promoted club Newcastle United claiming a 2-0 win on Sunday (29 September) to consign the Blues bottom of the table without a point after four games.
The Manchester City loanee is one of several inexperienced players at this level as Jay Sadler’s side learn on the job in a tough division, with attention turning to the League Cup at West Ham United on Wednesday night (2 October).
Annets, speaking to Portsmouth’s official YouTube channel [30 September], said: “You can see we’ve got the building blocks for some good attacks – we just have to be more punishing of teams.
“Ultimately, we’ve lost the three points there and we need to start getting wins and draws.
“I love playing for Pompey and it’s great to be able to help the team and go out there with this badge on my chest, but as a team we have to just start getting some points on the board.”
Portsmouth Women suffer losing start
It has been tough to take in the opening four weeks of the season for Portsmouth Women, whose transition period has developed so rapidly that at times they will come unstuck.
Head coach Sadler will have been well aware and has spoken of the challenges and differences his squad and staff have faced over the summer since turning fully professional.
The Championship is an unforgiving league both in men’s and women’s football, as both sides are experiencing so far this season, but Annets’ “building blocks” comment is one to look to use as a springboard in the search for points – and in turn confidence.
The League Cup group stage begins in midweek with the trip to West Ham, a welcome distraction from the zero-point start in the league, with a local derby against Southampton also approaching in the competition.
Sadler’s Pompey are figuring themselves and their opponents out as they go – it’s a learning curve, and one the team will hopefully survive from into next season to tell the tale.
In other Portsmouth news, Chris Wilder had this to say about Mousinho’s men after last weekend.
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