"We have to be patient with our build." Hills previews Sunderland trip

Karen Hills

Head Coach Karen Hills looks ahead to this Sunday's Barclays Women's Championship fixture against Sunderland.

The Addicks currently sit 3rd in the league table picking up two wins from three. This Sunday's opposition have registered one point so far this season sitting 11th in the league standings.  

Hills on Charlton's 3-0 win against Birmingham at The Valley:

" I thought the girls did really well on Sunday, I thought it was a fantastic team performance, it was good to bounce back from the disappointment against London City I thought the players were really together. To beat Birmingham on our home turf the way we did was a credit to the girl's mentality and it shows the bounce back that can happen"

Injury updates on Hannah Godfrey and Emma Follis:

"Both players are disappointed, I think we are in a position at this moment in time to asses where they are and the severity of the injuries, but we are still not in a place at this moment in time to really know the finer detail, but I think that will come in the next couple of days."

Elisha N'Dow's impact in the starting XI against Birmingham:

"The whole of the back five were superb, I spoke to Sian (Rogers) and told her how big her saves were in the game, and then of course I thought the back four defended magnificently, I thought they were together, I thought they won their 1-1 battles and bringing Elisha N'Dow into that back line secured just a little bit more experience, but overall I was really pleased with their display, and they kept Birmingham at bay."

Looking ahead to Sunderland, and maintaining the intensity of the Birmingham match:

"Sunderland will be a very different game, obviously we lost to them both times last season. They are a very different team in terms of the way they want to play, they are still new to this league. They have got some experienced players who have played at different levels, we know it is not going to be an easy game, the pitch is going to look different to what we have played on over the past couple of weeks as it is a lot smaller."

"we know that they are always going to be very good at defending, very compact, they do not give away a lot of chances and we have to be patient with our build, we also have to recognise their strengths in the counter-attack, but at the same time we have got to go there and pose our game. We have got players who are going to be able to take the game to them, but we know it is not going to be an easy game." 

Karen Hills quote

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