Luton Ladies midfielder Jess McKay says the pressure’s on for today’s Bedfordshire league derby (2pm) against Bedford Ladies after defeat in their last two County Cup meetings.
The Hatters hold one of the in the Eastern Region Women’s League Premier Division’s three unblemished records, starting the campaign with two victories, as well as a thumping 7-0 Women’s FA Cup preliminary round rout against Leigh Ramblers last weekend.
McKay bagged a brace in that tie and she’s looking to maintain their positive run and reverse their fortunes against their rivals from up the A6.
“We only usually meet them in the County Cup towards the end, in the semi-finals or finals, so it’s a massive local game with a lot of pressure,” said the midfielder of facing Bedford.
“They’ve
always been the underdogs in the cup but now it’s a league game we’re on par. We
always want to beat them because it’s a local rivalry.
“They are a good side and we know that because we’ve played them a couple
times, but we’re definitely looking for the win.”
Town’s top scorer this term, Dionne Manning, has four goals to her name, notching in each appearance so far. Quoted on the club’s Twitter account, she said: “There’s always a bit of a derby atmosphere when we play Bedford, there’s a rivalry there and the past two times they’ve come out on top in the cup, and we’re definitely looking to turn that around this season and pick up all three points on Sunday.”
Promotion is the aim for Luton after last term’s heart-breaking relegation from the National Leagues after eight years. But there’s only one automatic promotion spot and, with Colney Heath sitting top of the pile by virtue of a massive plus-12 goal difference over Town, there already appears little room for error.
McKay said: “It is early doors and only our third league game, so I don’t want to jinx anything but it’s feeling really positive.
“We’ve got every opportunity to be up there, but we do face some challenges. Some of the teams in this league are very good.
“They know us from being local so there are some teams that will know our strengths and weaknesses, just due to being friends outside of football. It’s not like we’ve gone into a league where no-one knows us.”
Manning added: “The team’s delighted with the positive start we’ve made to the season. Last season was tough for everyone involved and it’s a nice feeling to look forward to a Sunday again. The team spirit is high, and we’ve been scoring all across the team so everyone’s confidence is high.
“Promotion is 100 per cent the aim this season, we know we’re title contenders and everyone expects us to go up, but we’re taking it game by game and just focusing on getting the basics right.”
Hatters fans can watch Luton Ladies face Bedford at The Brache on Gipsy Lane today at 2pm. Tickets £2 for adults and £1 concessions.
Luton fixtures can be found here.
Luton Ladies this week announced the appointment of Andy Findlay as joint manager/coach with the reserve side, to work alongside James Merrett.
Yesterday, striker Manning also revealed that Luton Ladies are 40 per cent towards their target of £5,000 to pay for the team’s training and travel. You can still donate to the JustGiving crowdfunding drive here.
