Loughborough Away
This Sunday, we travel east to Leicestershire, to face league leaders Loughborough Lightning who currently remain unbeaten in the league. Loughborough narrowly missed out on promotion to Tier 3 by goal difference last season, losing only one game to Boldmere St. Michaels. They come back this season wanting to fight for the promotion they were so close to last season.
Results so far
Lightning kicked off their season strong with a 6-0 win away against Lincoln City, the team that currently sits below us on goal difference. They go into Sunday seeking their fifth league win in a row, following an 8-0 win against Notts County, a 4-2 win against last week’s opponents Leafield Athletic, and a 3-0 win away against fellow league debutants, Lincoln United.
Despite their strong form in the league, Lightning frustratingly lost in the determining round of the FA WNL Cup against Tier 3 side Derby County. Loughborough took the early lead through a spot kick but The Ram’s equalized in stoppage time. They went on to take the lead in the first half of extra time, knocking Loughborough into the FA WNL Plate competition.
As it stands, Lightning have had nine different goal scorers across the five games they’ve played. After struggling to add to her goal tally last year, midfielder Jess Collyer is in fine from in front of goal, with the number ten having scored five goals in four games. Collyer signed last summer from West Ham’s academy and has plenty of international experience in Wales’ youth setup, as does the retained Aston Villa academy product, Lauren Purchase, who captained Wales’ U19 squad.
What pre-season looked like
A lot of new faces joined the side during pre-season, including a lot of academy players. Kenzy Collingbourne joins Lightning from Durham’s PGA U21 side. Defender, Hazel Cotton, and midfielder, Lucy White, both join Loughborough from Brighton & Hove Albion’s academy. Winger, Lucy McConnell, is also a new addition, following her time in Newcastle United’s development squad.
The Midland’s outfit further bolstered their GK union this pre-season, signing 18-year-old Ash Naismith from Ebbsfleet United and Teresa Murphy from Charlton Athletics' U21’S.
A little bit of history
In 2021, the same year WCWFC was established, Loughborough Lightning became part of the Loughborough Lightning programme and franchise. The team was formed through the merger and collaboration between Loughborough Foxes and Loughborough Students Women’s Performance Team.
Manager, Charlie Baxter, has been at the club since January 2023, making the move from Ipswich Town where he spent time as the Assistant Manager to the women’s side. The Loughborough alumni joined the team with plenty of experience, including working alongside the likes of Marc Skinner, Manchester United Women’s current manager, at Birmingham City.