Helen Bleazard (Image: AFC Bournemouth)
Helen Bleazard (Image: AFC Bournemouth)
IN HER first exclusive Daily Echo column, Cherries boss Helen Bleazard reflects on pre-season and her side’s opening victory in the National League at Wimbledon, plus looking ahead to this weekend’s home game against Cheltenham.
THE Wimbledon game will not be one that we look back on as a team, as there will undoubtedly be more exciting games and more exciting results to come.
But it was a huge one to really cement what we’re going after this season.
We always talk about taking it week by week, and Wimbledon were a little bit of an unknown because they’ve had a new manager and probably more players in and out than we had.
So we knew it was a really, really new team for them, and we were trying to understand their identity, how they pressed and how they played. We had a few ideas, but were really trying to narrow it down.
But it was mainly down to the fight. They were a very physical team, and I think we lost a few duels and first and second balls in the first half, and that was one of the biggest things.
(Image: AFC Bournemouth)
We just said at half-time that we had to win the fight first, and we did that in the second half. We got the goal really early, which was pleasing. We could have gone on to score quite a few, and credit to Wimbledon, they had a few chances at the end. Scads did really, really well with some last-ditch saves for us.
That came after a really good pre-season.
It was my first pre-season with the group and pretty much half a new squad, so that’s been a good challenge because the girls have had to get used to each other on and off the pitch.
We as coaching staff had to get used to the players, and they’ve had to get used to us, and it’s been nothing but positives.
We’ve learnt so much along the way about how we can coach them and how they understand what we’re going after in our philosophy.
(Image: AFC Bournemouth)
I can’t complain. We’ve had four really good friendlies, and we’ve learnt a lot going into them. I think what really helped us going into our first game was having a consistent run of matches and being able to try new things.
We move on to our first home game of the season at the Bob Lucas Stadium against Cheltenham Town.
We had our open session there this week, which was really, really nice, to see the girls on the pitch and in that stadium. Obviously, the fans came down and got to have that interaction, which was great.
We’re really looking forward to hopefully doing that more and having much more of an atmosphere on Sunday, which we’re really, really excited about.
It’s our second game, and we want to make it two wins on the bounce.
(Image: AFC Bournemouth)
We’re really looking forward to it, trying to cement our style of play and really put on a show for the fans at Weymouth.
In terms of what I’ll cover in this column, I honestly don’t have a clue, so I’m just enjoying the process, really!
I caught up with Chris Billam-Smith at the third-kit launch, and he was really pushing the women’s team, which is nice to hear, and I know he’s doing a column as well.
We’ve connected through Bournemouth, and it’s a really nice thing to have someone so high up in his sport supporting Bournemouth, but also the women’s team as well. So that’s a really nice thing to have.
But I think, for me, I’m always trying to learn, so I’m reading a lot more books now than I used to. I’m reading a sports psychology book, Dr Katie Hays’ How to Win, and that’s been a really good one.
And then I’ve just been given Gareth Southgate’s leadership one, so I’m starting to listen to that one.
I’m listening to Carlo Ancelotti’s podcast on Audible at the minute, I think, about leadership, because he’s quite a quiet leader and that’s a slightly different approach to mine. I’m quite a loud leader.
I’m just enjoying learning about other ways to lead as well, which is really interesting.
I hope to see you on Sunday at the Bob Lucas to support the team – Up the Cherries!