After a fortnight of postponements, our Women return to action last weekend in a hard-fought draw with Perth Glory and while challenges presented themselves, there’s been plenty of lessons learnt in the lead-up to our first interstate game.
Our Liberty A-League side will now venture to Brisbane to take on the Roar with a possible place in the top four up-for-grabs and will be hoping to return to winning ways after a brief halt in momentum due to a COVID-forced break.
For most players that pause was only two weeks, but for midfielder Bethany Gordon, it’s been much longer due to a knee injury picked up in the first half of Round One against Sydney FC.
Speaking on the clash with Perth Glory, Gordon says after a long layoff it was a relief to be back on the pitch.
“It was exciting just to know I could be on the pitch again with all the girls,” Gordon said.
“Just getting 90 minutes in my legs after having six weeks off is a very positive feeling.
“Obviously we didn’t get three points but taking one from being 1-nil down is still a positive outcome.”
For the rest of our squad, a number of players in the squad tested positive to COVID some weeks ago, and returning to the pitch was always going to bring challenges.
Our Jets have played the least amount of matches in the competition currently but young gun Lucy Johnson isn’t fazed.
The young midfielder believes the team can continue their upward trajectory as they all slowly return back to the training pitch and hopefully regular matches.
“I’d like to think we will get back on track,” Johnson said.
“Obviously a lot of us were feeling the effects from having COVID, so it was definitely a tough match against Perth.
“But I think that will get better from here and we can do what we do best against Brisbane and everyone else.”
In her debut season in the league after being brought up from South Melbourne FC by Head Coach Ash Wilson, Johnson has shone brightly in the heart of our midfield.
With the team looking to return to form, the Tasmanian-native is confident that if the Jets stick to their gameplan and play to their strengths, we’ll see a win in the upcoming clash against the Roar.
“I think we just need to work on what we do best,” Johnson said.
“[Like] playing up from the back and linking up with each other, playing through the midfield and those through balls to our fast winger, holding the ball up from the Nine [striker] – those kinds of things.
“I think we can get the job done.”
In just her fourth appearance in the league since her debut with Canberra United in 2017/18, 21-year-old Gordon arrived at the Jets this season in search of a regular starting role, and she took a step towards that after featuring for the full 90 minutes at the weekend.
Gordon’s return to the pitch is a timely one as a spot in the top four beckons. We sit just one point behind Adelaide United with a game in hand, but Brisbane are also looming close behind.
With the weekend’s draw, our unbeaten run stretches to four matches – one match behind our record – and Gordon says this Sunday’s clash against the Roar is the perfect match to catapult them towards their first finals berth since the 2017/18 season.
“We want to continue building on the fact that we have come off two or three weeks of not really being a full team together,” she said.
“Being in that fourth to fifth position on the ladder the last few weeks – we are looking to solidify that.
“Brisbane is obviously a big chance to come out and have that as our position. It’s where we want to be at the halfway point of the season.”
