Eager for the double

Arsenal v Sunderland
The FA Women’s Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final
1pm, Monday 4 May 2009
Pride Park, Derby County FC
Winning club will receive £5,000 from The FA

Sunderland defender Vicki Greenwell believes the team are eager to go as they pursue a league and cup double.

The Black Cats have had a superb campaign, currently set for The FA Tesco Premier League Northern Division title whilst also looking forward to The FA Women’s Cup Final after producing a big upset to overcome Chelsea in the Semi-Final.

And Greenwell, in her first season at Sunderland after transferring from north east rivals Newcastle, is ready for the crunch games ahead.

“The remainder of the season is very exciting but at the same time we’re not taking anything for granted, being in The FA Women’s Cup Final and having the league still in our hands tells the story of how well we have done this year,” she said.

“Leaving Newcastle after I’d been there for nine years was hard, but playing for Sunderland and being involved in such a successful season has been very exciting.”

Despite an impressive 11-0 win over Aston Villa in their last league encounter, Mick Mulhern’s side had endured an inconsistent run of form after their Semi-Final success, losing to both Manchester City and Leicester whilst drawing with Newcastle and beating Rotherham 11-0. 

Having dropped points, it leaves the Black Cats needing to win all three of their remaining league games to overtake leaders OHH Lincoln, who have played all their fixtures but Greenwell believes their dip in form is now over.

“I don’t think we had problems focusing on the league after the Semi-Final win.  We spoke from day one about not losing focus and we knew the league wasn’t won and we still had a lot of work to do,” she added.

“We have had great runs in the league and I’m convinced that the last couple of results are just down to us not being invincible. We learn from every game whatever the outcome.”

While their next match is The FA Women’s Cup Final against Arsenal on Monday, a place in the Premier League National Division is just as high on the club’s agenda.  And with their impressive league campaign and overcoming tough opposition in The Cup, Greenwell believes the current crop of players could hold their own if they reach the top flight of women’s football.

She said: “I think we are more than capable of coping in the Premier League.  We have a young talented squad and the results shown in the cup run are an example of that.”