The Tyne-Wear derby will see the two women's sides go head to head on Sunday
Howay the lasses! - fans ahead of the WSL 2 Tyne-Wear derby at St James' Park
Fans ahead of the WSL 2 Tyne-Wear derby at St James' Park last season
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Sunderland Women captain Rhiannon Roberts reckons “everyone is excited for the derby” ahead of Sunday’s highly-anticipated Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The Lasses head into the clash looking to bounce back from a disappointing result at home to Portsmouth last time out, and Roberts insists the group are eager to respond in the right way in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2.
“I’m really enjoying it – the girls are great,” Roberts told safc.com. “We are a tight-knit group and work hard on and off the pitch.
“The vibes are good this week and everyone is excited for the derby.
“We’ve had a couple of poor results this week, so it will give us a good opportunity to put the wrongs right.”
Roberts reflected on recent performances, insisting that fine margins have separated the Lasses from a better return of points.
"We’ve been through the analysis, and it’s been fine margins,” she explained. “We are dominating and controlling games, so it has been disappointing not coming away with anything. Hopefully we can start turning chances into goals as soon as possible.”
The Wales international believes consistency will be key in the coming weeks, with the squad confident of competing at the top end of the division.
“Everyone takes points off everyone in this league and it’s really, really tight,” she said. “I believe we’ll be pushing the top half of the league.
“It’s about consistency for us. Our main objective is to get three points this weekend, regardless of how we do it.”
While Roberts will be experiencing the Tyne-Wear derby for the first time, she says the experience of her teammates who featured in last season’s fixture will be invaluable.
There could be around 20,000 fans in St James' Park on Sunday for a game which has traditionally captured the imagination of the North East.
“We want to play in big games like this,” she added. “Some of the players who played in this game last year have that experience behind them, so hopefully that will give us a boost.
“It’s a derby game so we have to earn the right to play our football, and we are all looking forward to that derby fight.
“I think we thrive in moments like these and we’re all really looking forward to it.”