Sheffield & Hallamshire Women and Girls League outfit Sheffield Wednesday Ladies have piqued the interest of many this campaign, showing they are not merely here just to take part.
The Hillsborough-based side have faced several blockades this season, from the temporary absence of manager Kieron Lee to extreme weather conditions making the pitch look like a battleground following two sets of 45-minute halves; yet their personality, grit and determination has always shone through in the tough times.
Currently speaking, Wednesday Ladies are in a rich vein of form, with a quadruple run of winning games and an unbeaten run stretching as far back as late January, when they bowed out the SHCFA Cup to a star-studded Barnsley Women’s side. This unbeaten string of games sees Lee’s side in the higher echelons of the table, sitting third and knocking on the door of top two sides Brunsmeer Athletic and Kiveton Park.
In a league of teams reliant on the exuberant quality of individuals, Wednesday have strengths all across the field. From the experience of Kirsty Tonner in-between the sticks to goal-hungry Amy Broomhead leading the line with an excellent 28 goals in 17 matches, weaknesses are few and far between with the Owlesses.
Wednesday have it all. The likes of Heidi O’Reilly, Kelsey Spink-Robinson and Mika Russell drive creatively and elegantly with the ball seamlessly like a duck through water. Then you have the real hard bastards of the side consisting of Aleks Fox and Renée Simmonite-Scott, who would slide through a 10ft wildebeest if the ball was on the other side.
An impressive youth set-up at the club has provided opportunities to under-18s Spink-Robinson and Russell to shine for the first team, not just providing an extra body on the matchday squad, but an extra dimension in attack. The team is young in age but by no means short of experience.
Naivety is non-existent in Lee’s ranks as was shown in their previous encounter with Brinsworth Whitehill. A mud bath that had been hammered away by several teams playing on it prior awaited the Owlesses. The game had only hit the 10-minute mark, but Wednesday had already won the mentality battle while Brinsworth on the other hand were struggling to adapt to the barbaric conditions. As a result, the opposition were unable to make a single dent in the defence consisting of usual full-backs Fox and Maisie Gilligan, with Lucy Poskitt and Caitlin Walker at the heart of the back line. This theme followed suit for the full 90 as Wednesday ran away with a 7-0 victory.
As things stand, Wednesday are in a very favourable position in the league and await a semi-final in the SHWGL Cup. The season has already been a success, but ending with silverware would be the final jewel in the crown of a cracking term for the Owlesses.
