Club news

Buet Eager To Continue Title Push

By James Hilsum • 07 January 2018

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Danielle Buet says that the team is determined to continue their FA WSL 2 title push, when they face Tottenham Hotspur at Cheshunt this afternoon, kick-off 2pm.

It will be Albion’s first match of 2018, and Buet hopes that an intensive period of training during the festive period will reap dividends heading into today’s match.

She said, “We've had it quite tough over Christmas; we had a few days off, but we were back in training during the period between Christmas and New Year.

“It’s been tough, but we want to push on and try and win the league in this second half of the season, so it was important to do the work.

“We have a good team spirit and bond. I'd be training even if I was not with the team. It’s nice to work hard together and it helps team morale.

“We've played Tottenham in the cup already and we know their strengths. They're a good team that wants to play, so we know it won’t be an easy game at the weekend.

“We'll imagine we're playing Chelsea, it’s the same attitude and that’s what Hope [Powell] brings, and we don’t take things lightly.”

The Seagulls will be playing in FA WSL 1 in 2018/19 regardless of what happens during the rest of this season following their successful Tier One application, but Buet insists the motivation amongst the squad is as high as ever.

She also recognises the areas where the team will need to improve heading into the New Year.

“I know we want to win this league before going up, and I think we've got a good enough squad to do it, but there are some strong teams in this division.

“The focus now is on getting back to basics and doing our defensive jobs. We know can create chances and score goals with the squad we have, but there are always things you need to work on.

"We had a lot of new players at the start of the season, and we needed time to get to know each other. It was never going to happen overnight.”

The midfielder also looked ahead to next season as a whole, and is confident that the side can compete in FA WSL 1 in 2018/19, using the impressive performance against Chelsea as an example.

“The door that has opened is an exciting one with this club.

“There is a gulf in terms of standard, and we will be playing against full rosters of international players, some with 50-plus caps.

“But when we came up against Chelsea in the Continental Cup, we proved we can play against the better teams.

“If you've got the right structures and the right coaching, it doesn’t matter what names you are playing against.

“The most important thing is that you're all on the same wavelength. We'll recruit and there is no reason why we can’t upset these teams.”