Shauna Legge will lead Leeds United Women out in the FA Cup at Stockton Town in what will be another memorable Sunday afternoon for the skipper.
Now in her third season with her childhood club, skippering the side is something the centre-half still can’t quite put into words she says, especially in such a prestigious competition.
“Being a Leeds fan all my life and growing up in the area, to play for the team and represent the badge that you have supported is special,” the defender explained. “To wear the armband as well and lead this group, it is amazing.
“To be the captain of this club is something that I am really proud of and I know my family are as well. And obviously, to play in the FA Cup, which is a world-famous competition, is something that I think every football fan aspires to do. I am really grateful for the opportunity that I have had at this club and just want to help try and make us be as successful as we possibly can.
“We all know about the magic of the FA Cup and it is a good opportunity to play someone that we haven’t come across before. We will prepare like we always do, do our homework. We are lucky we have great staff behind us that prepare us every week for every challenge.
“Like I mentioned before, it is about building that momentum and working hard every week, wanting to win every game. We want to play against the best sides and really test ourselves. A good cup run is always a good thing to have running alongside a good league campaign.”
With 31 goals scored in eight victories this season from as many matches, Simon Wood’s Whites have been in scintillating form across both the FA WNL Division One North and FA WNL Cup, prior to attentions turning to the FA Cup this time around.
United’s last win – a 4-1 demolition of West Yorkshire rivals Bradford City – continued the rich vein of form. Reflecting on the fantastic opening to the campaign, Legge is delighted the hard work behind the scenes is paying off and believes this is only the start for the team.
“We were really happy with that win at the weekend,” she added. “We wanted to use the League Cup to try a few new things, build momentum for getting back into the league, and ultimately we want to win every game that we possibly can.
“To go there with a slightly depleted squad in terms of having a few knocks, people unavailable, it allowed us to give new faces a chance. It was a good day all around, getting the result and allowing people opportunities.
“It was massive to keep that winning streak. Like I say, we want to win every game that we possibly can, so you can only do that by building momentum and getting into a bit of a flow, which I think we started off doing really well.
“We need to just keep that up and whether it is a league or a cup game, we just want to have a really good performance and win – get the 3 points or get through to the next round, whatever that may be.
“Eight unbeaten is obviously a really good start which we are really pleased with but, you know, we have worked hard for it and I think that's what it comes down to in the end. We need to work hard and find ways to win which we have been doing.
“We are scoring more goals, which is great, but we are also conceding less and we are difficult to break down, which is something that we spoke about off the back of last year and in pre-season.”
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