Women’s team help maintain feelgood factor around Sheffield United

Sunday’s sign-off in front of over 1,000 fans at Bramall Lane saw Carla Ward’s side end a resounding campaign with a flourish by virtue of a 6-0 win over Millwall Lionesses, a magnificent seventh straight league victory of a FA Women’s Championship campaign which has surpassed expectations given their maiden season in the second tier. More especially given a year that began with manager Ward effectively having to construct a new side, with some tough results early on ramping up the pressure.

Befitting their nickname, the Blades’ ladies showed their steel and resolve to pull through and close ranks successfully, with the side also having to cope with the sacking of forward Sophie Jones after she was suspended for five games for using abusive and/or insulting words to an opponent.

Given everything, a fifth-placed finish is one that all and sundry are justifiably proud of.

Ward said: “I suppose when you are at a football club which is delivering success, you almost put pressure on yourself to try and deliver something similar.

“With the club being all upbeat, you want to make sure you join in with that as you cannot celebrate in the club’s success if you are not doing well yourself. That plays a part, but we are just delighted to exceed what the club wanted at the start of the season.

“We had a tough start, but we would not have had it any other way as it prepared us for this division. I think people forget that we had to put 20 players together who have never played with each other.

“Chuck in a tough run of fixtures, it was always going to be difficult. But we knew if we stuck at it and started getting players playing together that we had good players.

“We got hit with a lot of injuries and players coming in and out and with the squad being quite small, I think we can be very happy with the way things have gone with everything chucked at us.

“If you had said at the start of the season we were going to finish fifth, we would have snapped people’s hands off.

“I think we have achieved beyond what we thought we would. After seven wins at the end, we did not want it to finish.”

Ebony Salmon – one of three players brought in on loan from Manchester United alongside Naomi Hartley and Fran Bentley – and Jade Pennock helped themselves to a brace apiece as the Blades signed off in style on Sunday to crown a peerless final third of the season which saw Ward named as the division’s manager of the month for March.

It has whetted the appetite for 2019-20, when Ward is confident of raising the bar further.

“The aim has got to be top-four and bettering this season,” added Ward, whose side traditionally play at the Olympic Legacy Park.

“We know it will be a tough ask, but if we keep on our run of form and keep the squad together and add a few more, we will be in a good place.

“A lot of people have said that the Manchester United girls coming in has turned the season. But I do think that is slightly disrespectful to the group. They added quality, but we also had an awful lot of quality and players who have been absolutely exceptional this season. I would not want to single anybody out.

“When the going has got tough, they have stuck together.”