A night under the Fir Park lights will await the women of steel this weekend, with Motherwell returning to ML1 for the third successive season after previously facing Hamilton and Glasgow Women in the previous two SWPL campaigns.
The hosts will be poised to continue their exceptional run of form when they take to the Fir Park turf in a pivotal encounter with Dundee United after coasting into the post-split with three successive victories over Hamilton, Spartans and nearest rivals Aberdeen. Midfielder Sarah Gibb is relishing the opportunity in North Lanarkshire.
“We are all absolutely buzzing to be playing at Fir Park,” Gibb emphasised.
“As a squad, we want to be playing on the biggest stages and to be given the opportunity, we are all just full of pride and excitement.
“The opportunity to play on a pitch of that quality, with a larger crowd in the stands, we are all really looking forward to what will be an incredible occasion.”
Despite the magnitude of the game on the remainder of Motherwell’s SWPL campaign, Gibb insists the weight of the occasion won’t distract the squad from their preparations.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say our preparations change heading into this weekend,” Gibb noted.
“Every week, we train harder than ever and we always want to push each other to the standards we know we can hit. Of course, given the occasion every single player will want to play but as a squad the most important thing has to be sticking together.
“Ultimately, it isn’t just about the eleven that start the game, we all have to go through the occasion as a full squad like we have been doing these past few months.”
A resurgence in form has continued to apply pressure on nearest rivals Aberdeen, with the women of steel within touching distance to the top of the split after cutting the deficit to Aberdeen, with a comfortable three-goal victory over the Dons at K-Park a fortnight ago.
“We’ve definitely hit a good run of form and are starting to build that momentum,” Gibb explained.
“When looking at our results you can see that we are starting to earn the rewards from the performances we’ve put in, which we couldn’t consistently maintain at the start of the season.
“Sunday’s game is massive for us, we need to perform and stay on track if we want to hit the goals we have set for ourselves. We’re hopeful as a squad that as many fans can get out and support us as possible, as we all want to represent Motherwell and do the club and fans proud.”
Since trading Springburn for North Lanarkshire in the summer, Sarah Gibb has cemented herself as a central component at the core of the Motherwell midfield, with the 20-year-old fondly looking back at her first season in claret and amber.
“I’ve loved coming in and working with the squad and the staff,” Gibbs said.
“We haven’t hit some of our expectations in terms of getting top six or reaching the latter stages of the cup competitions, but as a player, I’ve learned a lot from our experiences as a team.
“Since the turn of the year, we have hit a positive run of form, so currently the squad is in a good place and not only are we focused solely on finishing this season well, we are also looking to use the second half of the season to create an identity as a team and build on it for our next campaign.”
The women of steel’s forthcoming meeting with Dundee United at Fir Park will have free entry for all supporters. However, if you are able to, there will be buckets available for fans to place donations. All profits will go towards the girl’s academy.
“I think on behalf of the team we would be so grateful for as many fans to turn up for us on Sunday, Gibb said.
“We want to be able to use the platform to show what we can do and encourage the fans to continue to watch us at K-Park.
“We’re all well aware of the standards we need to hit when we pull on the Motherwell jersey and we would love the fans to give us as much support as possible.”
