Post match thoughts from manager Elle Kayley.

Manager Elle Kayley praised the ladies team after a brilliant performance in their pre-season friendly against Rylands Ladies FC which saw them come away with an 8-1 win.

“Today was a great performance from the team and a great result. I felt throughout the game the players understood their roles and responsibilities well and are starting to adapt to the new formation we have implemented.

In training earlier on the week, we looked specifically at how we press together as a team in this new formation and what triggers us to go, especially with the front 3. I was really impressed with our work rate off the ball as we made that our goal this weekend, to try and force our opponents into making the mistake high up the pitch, in the hope that we can capitalise on this. I’m pleased to say the team did this well which resulted in a few chances for us.

It was great to see so many of our players just out there enjoying there football and working well together. The attitude and atmosphere during the game was a delight and personally I think each of our players had a good game. It was a real team performance that brought the best out of all the players. Our midfield 3 were outstanding, they worked extremely well together and are starting to understand their positioning more and more and worked brilliantly together.

The girls are a credit to themselves, and their hard work in training is really starting to pay off. We are looking fitter, stronger, and have a better desire in which to succeed then we ever have done before. In training we are looking at how we play out of possession and what our roles and responsibilities are when in a certain formation and are always striving to try get the best out of our group of players.

Today's result has given our squad a great confidence boost going into the next few preseason games and the new season. I’m confident our performances are only going to improve as we start to understand our teammates and our positioning more and more. The girls are a joy to work with and I think if they keep working hard and stay committed this will be a great season for us!”

Captain's thoughts from Keara McDonough: "It's good to be back!"

St. Joseph's Ladies captain Keara McDonough says the club has been working hard the last few months to re-form the ladies team and is excited for the new season.

"It is so good to be back playing football after months of lockdown. Despite time away from the game, it’s been a busy few months for the club. Re-forming as St. Joseph’s Ladies has meant we have had to start from scratch. During the break, we have successfully managed to raise funds to support the ladies’ team for the upcoming season, received generous donations from family and friends who support the club, managed to obtain a match kit sponsor and a training wear sponsor and had equipment donated to us from Customkit Teamwear! The generosity and kindness of the local community and businesses has been overwhelming, and for that I want to say a huge thank you! Without the support from family, friends, Customkit Teamwear, Limitless Digital Group and Sanderson’s Butchers, there is no way this team could have been up and running for the new season. (Sponsor's Page)

I’m very excited to announce that we have a brand new match kit on order with Surridge, along with training wear for all the players and coaches. I can’t wait for the gear to arrive and to pull on the red and white stripes of St. Joseph’s for the second time in my footballing history.

St. Joseph’s F.C. was the club I joined after a 5 year break in football. I had been out of the game for a while and was apprehensive to get started again, but the minute I arrived at training, I was made to feel welcome. I have made friends for life at this club. This is what is so important about St. Joseph’s - we are more than a team, and this is exactly why I wanted to keep this group together and re-form St. Joseph’s Ladies after our previous team folded. Some of my best football memories originated at this club, such as winning the league in the 2015/2016 season.

Lockdown was a difficult time for everyone, particularly when you are a close-knit group and used to seeing each other at least twice a week. In order to keep in touch and to ensure morale stayed high, our right-back, Amy Sturge designed a fantastic interactive quiz every week, and even created a trophy for the winner!

Pre-season has been excellent. The girls’ attitude and work rate has been unbelievable, considering the majority of us hadn’t done much exercise since lockdown began! I’d also like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to Paul at Copa Performance. Paul was brought in to whip us into shape and he has definitely succeeded! We will be ready for the new season… whenever that may be. We have a few friendlies booked in for the upcoming weeks and the girls can’t wait to play competitive football again. Hopefully we can get a decent result to set us up nicely for the new season, but the main thing is we are back, safe and happier than ever".

Pre-season thoughts from coach Simon Woodford

As the ladies head towards a new season, coach Simon Woodford shares his thoughts on how pre-season is going and what his aims are for the upcoming season.

"Hello everyone. It has felt like an age since we last played any football, but its good to be back for pre-season even though we are not exactly sure when the new season will start. This uncertainty has made pre-season planning a little tricky, but I feel we have a good plan in place and the future is looking really positive for the team.

Pre-season training is going well and we've mixed it up a bit by bringing in Copa Performance, who have brought fresh ideas and training drills to the team, and the ladies have responded brilliantly to this and have been working really hard which is pleasing to see. The team morale is fantastic at the minute and everyone is buzzing to get the season started again. We have also added a couple of quality players to the squad and are hopeful that 2 or 3 more players will join us before the season starts.

After the extremely difficult season and circumstances we found ourselves in last year, I feel this season is about getting back to enjoying the game and playing with a smile on our face, while maintaining high standards that we set ourselves. I believe that if we enjoy playing football then the quality we have in the squad will make us a very hard team to play against. The ladies are a joy to coach and I am enjoying my time here and looking forward to helping them develop further.

Finally I'd like to thank all the hard work the committee has put in behind the scenes to get us to where we are today, and to the sponsors that have helped us with aquiring new matchday and training kit. Thank you to everyone for their continued support of the team and I look forward to seeing you soon".