Cambridge United boss Darren Marjoram hails ‘resilience’ players showed in FA Women’s National League Plate win over Bristol City Academy
Darren Marjoram has hailed the ‘resilience’ that his Cambridge United side showed during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Bristol City Academy.
The hosting U’s had to soak up some pressure from their visitors before Mollie Coupar struck in the final minute to secure her side’s spot in the next round of the FA Women’s National League Plate.
Boss Marjoram said: “They’re a tough group. We kept players from last year deliberately – we don’t want a high turnover of players.
“It’s about adding some quality to what we’ve got because the players learned a lot last season during the Plate run and the league campaign.
“Having those players around is important and then adding some experience from other clubs and good levels helps us in those moments.
“Our resilience is key and we’ve kept three clean sheets now in the last four games – that comes a lot from resilience.
“Teams are always going to have a spell, whether that’s prolonged or a short spell – you have to ride it out.
“The resilience was great and they know how to see a game out. We’ve spoken a bit about our DNA and what we look like – that’s part of it, being a resilient side.
“We don’t make it easy for opponents. Today, in a game where the wind is swirling around a little bit and there’s things that can make it tough, we kept it clean.”
The winning goal – scored by Coupar – came after the returning Sarah Wiltshire had seen her attempt cannon off the crossbar.
It was Wiltshire’s first appearance since suffering a broken arm in pre-season.
Marjoram added: “You talk about resilience – how resilient can you be to have more than the likes of Sarah? She epitomises it.
“She had to have an operation on her arm and as soon as the surgeon has cleared her to play she’s ready to go.
“She’s always wanting to give her all for the team and has the quality in those moments – that’s the key.
“It was a tight game all the way through and at some point somebody needs to show that moment of quality that wins you the game – that’s what Sarah did.
“Pairing her and Mollie up front, we knew if we got that half chance that they were the two that were likely to take it.
“It was fantastic the way it worked out, a brilliant shot from Sarah hits the crossbar. She’s very unlucky not to score but there’s the alertness from Mollie to nip in and tuck the ball away.”
Fifth-placed United return to Division One South East action on Sunday with the visit of London Bees.
