Motherwell captain Suzanne Mulvey believes that the winning mentality within the squad can be a key factor in their SSE Scottish Women’s Cup semi-final against Spartans.
The women of steel take on the SWPL1 side at Forthbank next Sunday, with a place in the final of the showpiece fixture in Scottish women’s football up for grabs.
It would cap off a phenomenal season for Donald Jennow’s team, who have already stormed to the SWPL2 title with six games to spare and are on the brink of setting a record points total.
“There’s a winning mentality through the amount of experience that is in the squad,” Mulvey said. “We want to win not just every game, but every tackle, every header and every 50/50.”
“We know we’ll need to be at our best against Spartans, we’ll continue to work hard in every training session, take all the information we can on board from the coaches and make sure we are as prepared as we possibly can be for the game.
“It’s very exciting, we take one game at a time and all our focus is on the Spartans game. But if at the start of the season you had said we would have won the league with a number of games to spare and be in the Scottish Cup semi final we’d have jumped at that.
“This is the type of game I’ve loved playing in throughout my career, it’s going to be a battle and I can’t wait.”
The mixture of youth and experience has proven to be a winning formula for ‘Well so far this season.
In recent weeks Cara Lovatt and Natasha Roberts have been handed first team opportunities, while the likes of Kaitlyn Canavan, Lauryn Reside, Caitlin Russell and Kendall Welsh have all played a big part over the course of the season.
A cup semi-final will be unchartered territory for many of the youngsters, but Mulvey believes the older players will step up to help them adapt to the big occasion.
“Many of the squad have experienced this type of game before, so it won’t be a new or scary experience,” she added. “For the younger players, we’re building it up as an exciting experience, a great opportunity to get themselves noticed and show that there are a number of good players at Motherwell.
“It’s a very competitive environment, there are a number of younger players who have come in and made a big impression.
“To have different options in different positions is fantastic and I think it’s our mixture of youth and experience that has been key to our success this season.”
While the debate rumbles on over the scheduling of the Betfred League Cup semi finals, there are no such issues when it comes to the women’s game.
Both last four fixtures will take place at the home of Stirling Albion on the same day and for £5 you can see Glasgow City take on Hibernian before Motherwell face Spartans.
Mulvey is hopes a few new faces can get along to back the team on what is set to be their most important game of the season so far.
“We appreciate all the support we’ve had so far this season and to see a few new faces along at the semi final would be fantastic,” added the striker. “This isn’t the finale, this is just the beginning of the journey, even though we are moving towards the end of the season, it feels like there is plenty more to come
“The success we’ve had this season is a great reflection on all the hard work that everyone has put in, we have a great group of staff and players.”