Damon Lathrope was somewhat frustrated by the Golden Girls’ performance against MK Dons, but ultimately felt pleased to have overseen an important 2-1 win at Grosvenor Vale on Sunday (February 19).
With his team having fought to come back from behind after Laura Mitchell struck three minutes in for the Dons, the Hornets Head Coach hopes their recovery will stand the group in good stead moving forward, with Annie Rossiter and Faye Brough netting for the hosts.
Lathrope highlighted the Dons’ regimented defensive style as an obstacle his side were able to overcome in the second 45, thanks to “character and resilience”.
“I seem to say it every week, we had enough chances to put it to bed in the first half after conceding early and we gave ourselves work to do,” began Lathrope. “If you want to be a team at the right end of the table at the end of the season, you need to find a way to win and we did that, which was pleasing.
“They made it difficult for us and we had to dig deep, show character and resilience. That will serve us really well going forward, because we showed that in abundance.”
The introduction of Bianca Baptiste and Kalani Peart increased the tempo 10 minutes into the second half, with Jade Bradley and goalscorer Brough also brought on to reinforce the team.
Pleased with the Hornets’ strength in depth, Lathrope reserved praise for Brough, who came on to score the late winner on her home debut, having signed in January.
“We’ve got good depth and any player in our squad can come on the pitch at any point,” said the 33-year-old. “The subs have made an impact and played their part today.
“I’m really pleased for Faye. She’s finding her feet, been training with us for three weeks or so and has got real ability, we could see that straight away. Today was her first real opportunity to show us on the pitch, she got her chance and took it.”
One of only four midweek fixtures in the league season, the Golden Girls face league leaders Portsmouth at home on Wednesday night (February 22, 7.45pm KO), having lost 2-0 in the reverse fixture. The team have prepared for the tough test and will look to extend their winning run to three at The Vale.
“We didn’t want to look beyond MK Dons, we had to get the job done and we’ve put it to bed now,” reflected Lathrope. “[Portsmouth] are flying high at the top of the table, and we owe them one from last time. The girls are ready, we’ve prepared as best we can and will make sure we recover properly for Wednesday.”
