Sam Tierney is excited to be back at King Power Stadium this weekend as LCFC Women take on Everton in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The Foxes got their 2023/24 WSL campaign started last weekend when they beat newly-promoted Bristol City at Ashton Gate. Despite Carrie Jones opening the scoring for the hosts, goals from Aimee Palmer, Shannon O’Brien, Lena Petermann and Jutta Rantala guided Leicester to their first three points of the season.
On Sunday, City head home for the first time this term when they welcome another former employer of Manager Willie Kirk, in the shape of Everton, who lost 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening day. Ahead of the fixture, Tierney, who recently signed a new two-year contract with the Club, spoke about her ambitions during Thursday’s press conference at Belvoir Drive.
“As a Club, I would like us to show our potential in the league,” she explained to the assembled media. “For me, we need to prove that we’re not just a team that participates, but can compete. We’ve got some good players, and we need to start looking up the table. I hope I can help Leicester have a good season.
“If you look at my career, I started with Sheffield United which wasn’t full-time. I could’ve moved on to the WSL but I wanted to finish university and I completed my masters degree as well. But Leicester gave me my first full-time contract and that’s what everyone dreams of. The experiences I’ve had since being here, like winning the Barclays Women’s Championship has allowed me to develop and learn about myself as a person.”
It took Leicester until January to reach this same points tally last season, and the midfielder explained how inspiring a winning mentality has led to this shift in attitude. With three debutants scoring during last weekend’s victory in Bristol, she is excited for what the future holds, starting with a homecoming on Sunday afternoon.
“Initially, after the Bristol City game, there were mixed emotions in camp,” the 24-year-old expressed. “The ones that were here last season were very excited to start with a win whereas some of the new signings didn’t see it quite the same way. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, and I hope I can bring that concentration to the team.
“The difference this season is the high calibre of players we’ve brought in. The experiences, the culture, along with that winning mentality is a big thing we’re trying to learn from and take as much knowledge as we can to put into practice on the pitch.
“The whole Club has had a great start to both the Championship and the WSL. Towards the end of last year, we managed to make King Power Stadium a tough place to come to and we want to replicate that this season too. It feels like it’s been an eternity since we’ve been home so I’m looking forward to seeing the fans in full voice.
“I like to be involved in the banter side of the group. I think of myself as quite witty, but maybe that’s just a northern thing. In terms of the serious side, I’ve spoke about getting better as a player and everyday is my opportunity to do that and I hope that every other player, especially the younger ones see that and can learn from my experiences as well.
“As a player, it’s refreshing to see that we’ve wanted to change our style of play. In the WSL you have to be realistic, and understand there’s teams that you won’t have as much possession against, but we work hard on our defensive side of the game where we try to be aggressive and get on the front foot quickly.”
Everton finished sixth in the WSL last year, racking up an impressive 30-point total, and while the former Sheffield United player was keen to commend the work ethic and quality that the Toffees bring to the table, she is confident in her own side’s ability to get the job done and bring this winning form to Filbert Way.
She continued: “Hopefully we can show that more this year, and we’ll see more of the ball so we can produce better and more attractive performances. During pre-season and in our first game, the goals have been shared around and that’s what we want. Making sure we’re not snatching at chances and instead are cool when these opportunities come so we can take them.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Everton and the way their manager (Brian Sørensen) has come in and implemented a clear style of play. They also like to be possession-based and once they get that clicking, they’ll be a tough team to play. Looking at some of the additions they’ve brought in, they’ve got good strength in depth so I’m expecting a tough game but hopefully at home, we can get the crowd behind us and kick on from there.”
