Women's

Harris hoping to give Powell a selection dilemma

Albion goalkeeper Sophie Harris is hoping that she can give manager Hope Powell some food for thought ahead of this evening’s Continental League Cup match against London Bees.

By Jake Ketley • 20 November 2019

By Paul Hazlewood
Sophie Harris speaks to the media ahead of Wednesday's game.

Harris’s appearances have been limited to the cup so far this season, but she is determined to put in a good performance tonight and give Powell something to think about ahead of the next league game against Manchester United.

She said, “There will always be competition in the position that I play. I’ve had a few starts recently in the cup, so it will be good to showcase myself and hopefully build on the performances that I have produced already.

“I knew it would take some time to get back in the team because I didn’t get much game time during pre-season due to my injury, so I knew the cup would be my chance to show what I’m made of and for me to make my mark.

“Megan [Walsh] is a great goalkeeper so I knew there was going to be competition there, and that it would continue throughout the season. Hopefully with me getting some more minutes, it can give Hope a bit of a headache in our position.”

07:58

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Harris's London Bees Press Conference

Harris, who joined Albion from the Bees last summer, expressed her excitement at playing against her former club, and assessed her opponents’ mindset ahead of the match.

“I was with Bees for a couple of seasons and they gave me the game time that I needed to help me progress. It will be exciting to go back, and hopefully we can get three points.

“The facilities at London Bees are great; they have a nice stadium, but the what's available to us here is amazing, and the club is so supportive of the women’s set up. I feel like it is very professional and the standards are set so high, so this is a great club to be involved with.

“If I am at Bees now and I'm about to play a WSL team, then I'd want to showcase my qualities as a player. They will have no pressure on them, and as a WSL team, people will expect us to get a result. Sometimes they are the games that can catch you out, but we know that so we need to go out and perform.”

03:35

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Albion 0 Arsenal 0 (Albion win on pens)

The 25-year-old then looked back to the previous matchday in the Continental League Cup against Arsenal, in which she saved a penalty in the shootout, and believes that the match was important in boosting the team's morale.

“The Arsenal game really helped start our momentum and getting the three points against Birmingham has really benefited us too. We are in a positive place, and we know the results will come if the performances are there.

“We need to keep building on the performances that we have had so far and put into practice what Hope, Amy [Merricks] and Alex [Penny, goalkeeping coach] are showing us.

“If we go out and play like we did on Sunday, and how we did against Arsenal, then we’ve proved that no matter what team we come up against, we can get a result. We’re looking to improve on what we did last year, but we’ll take each game as it comes."