Sheehan: A Hugely Successful Day
Sunday, 23rd Mar 2025 17:51
Ipswich Town Women’s boss Joe Sheehan was delighted after “a hugely successful day” as his team beat Plymouth Argyle 3-1 at Portman Road, while title rivals Hashtag United were beaten 2-0 away against Gwalia United to see the Blues back to the top of the FAWNL Southern Premier Division.
Town head the table on goal difference from the Essex side but with two games in hand. They could have claimed the title before the Tags play again with the Blues’ additional matches over the next fortnight. Thursday winners of the division are promoted to the Women’s Championship.
Reflecting on his team’s second ever league game at Town’s main stadium, in which they were watched by 10,807, up on the 10,173 at last year’s match, Sheehan said: “It was good. Last year this weekend we had our opening game and to get more than 10,000 was amazing and I think to back it up is super-impressive.
“I think sometimes, you can do something for the first time there’s a bit of an appeal to it. I think to back it up and to get that level again and actually greater than that I think is super-impressive.
“And so pleased were able to score three goals, put on a relatively good performance and importantly win the game.”
A year ago, Sheehan’s side beat Chatham 5-0 at a time when the Blues were all but out of the promotion running.
“We’re in a different situation to last year, so it’s not just now playing in front of a big crowd, there’s something riding on the game for both teams,” Sheehan continued.
“We still forget that this team is still so young and despite playing a lot of games in senior football, you never really know how players are going to turn up when there’s a lot at stake and you’re playing in front of a big crowd.
“I think to play how they did is really impressive. We’re definitely capable of scoring more goals and playing perhaps a little bit better. But we can’t complain too much because it was a big occasion and pleased that the players managed to deliver on it.”
The three goalscorers, Lucy O’Brien, club top goalscorer and appearance-maker Natasha Thomas and Sophie Peskett are all players who have been with the Blues for a number of seasons.
“Sophie scored last year, Tash scored last year and she’s been here such a long time, she’s part of the furniture and just equally as proud to see her growth and the impact that she’s having in this team as well as the young ones coming through that in a different situation to where she would have been at their age,” Sheehan added.
“The team’s in a good place at the moment. We’ve got Tash who is really experienced, we’ve got a fabulous group of young players that are still evolving, still growing and as a collective they’re such incredible players, such incredible ambassadors for this football club.
“I don’t know how long ago the game finished but they’re all still on the pitch now signing stuff, having photos and they love doing stuff like that, love doing Ipswich Town Foundation visits and we’re equally as proud of what they do off the pitch as we are on it.
“We’ve been trying a long time, we’ve been persevering, we’ve been chipping away, we’ve been as consistent as possible. We keep trying to evolve everything we do, keep improving year on year, step by step.
“Different this time around to last year but we’ve maybe got some breaks we didn’t have previously. We’ve recruited and improved the squad and the experience we didn’t have previously.
“But the consistency of the group, we know to get out of this division, the margin for error is so small, you have to be pretty relentless for 22 games.
“And it’s not easy being part of Ipswich Town when you have a target on your back. Expectation is so great and we have to keep delivering in what are difficult circumstances at time and our players deliver week in, week out.”
Sheehan said O’Brien’s goal in only the 104th second was an ideal way to get up and running against a Plymouth team which had come to sit back and try to make things difficult for his side.
“A perfect start,” he reflected. “We know Plymouth were on the end of a harsh result last week but when you play against a team that are going to try and frustrate and sit back, an early goal really, really helps, so to score after two minutes was brilliant. It just settled a little bit of apprehension, if there was any.
“And we were able to take control from there really. It’s not easy. You get it across all different teams, men’s football, women’s football, against a team that are sitting off, in maybe a high pressure game, with a lot at stake, you have to put the ball in the back of the net.
“I think I’ll probably watch it back and will see lots of opportunities we might have missed to increase the scoreline but sometimes you can keep missing and suddenly you get to 60 or 70 minutes and it’s still 0-0 and you might then find yourself behind.
“It’s really not easy. Maybe some neutrals will have thought that was quite a comfortable result but we’re so conscious of how the games can an out if you don’t capitalise early and fortunately that goal really helped.”
The only blemish was Plymouth’s late goal, scored via their only shot on target following an error by keeper Natalia Negri.
“I think Natalia’s probably going home today feeling a lot worse than any other player because she’s kept 11 clean sheets and she loves keeping clean sheets, so the fact that she’ll probably feel responsible for that will disappoint her,” Sheehan said.
“But it’s not made a massive impact in the grand scheme of things, so we won’t be too down about it.
“She’s her biggest critic and her and the goalkeeping department are brilliant at reflecting and reviewing games, so I’ll leave that to them to look back on that and dissect.
“It’s one of those things, she’ll be disappointed she’s not kept a clean sheet but fortunately it’s not made too much of an impact.”
Asked, given Hashtag’s defeat, whether it’s a big weekend in the season, Sheehan said “I’d be stupid if I said no. I think we’ve deserved a bit of a swing and whilst it’s still in our hands, I’ve not felt throughout this season there’s been a moment which has gone in our favour.
“It doesn’t mean anything at this stage because we’ve still got to play four more games and win as many of them as we can, but this is the first time when there’s probably been a swing in our favour, it looks quite appealing on the eye.
“I’ve been here too long, been beaten too often late and not got the outcome I’ve desired at the start of the season to get carried away in the slightest.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in Tuesday, it’s been a hugely successful day, but back down to earth Tuesday. A real reminder of exactly where we’re at, what’s at stake, what we need to keep doing and we won’t change that just because of today’s swing.
“We’ll be back in really hard Tuesday, work really hard. We’ll be better this Tuesday than we were last Tuesday, better this Wednesday than we were last Wednesday, that’s all we’ll keep doing until the season finishes.”
After the game, the team was joined in their dressing room by club sponsor and shareholder Ed Sheeran.
“It’s amazing,” Sheehan said. “I’m fortunate I’ve met him previously so it was maybe a little bit different for the players today.
“I was quite pleased to just stand back and watch it because seeing our players spend some time with him and sing and whatever else, chanting or dancing, was great.
“I think it’s a really great feeling and he’s incredible for this football club, the support he provides, and he’s such a great guy, such a genuinely nice man, a real family man.
“Passionate about the region and the football club and he was delighted to come here and watch us, is gutted he can’t do it more often, but his support is absolutely brilliant.”
_TWTD_
Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to [login](/login/) in order to post your comments