Interview: Getting to know Sunderland AFC Ladies central midfielder Mollie Lambert!

RR: Tell us a little about yourself....

ML: I am 21 years old and I play centre midfield.

So I started at Middlesbrough centre of excellence in u10s, then moved to Sunderland centre of excellence for two years in the u17s. I then went to play for Newcastle first team where I captained the club for a season before moving to Sunderland development in 2016, then progressing to the first team in 2017 to current.

RR: Who was the player you looked up to most growing up, and why?

ML: Well... when I was growing up I was actually a winger, and since supporting Middlesbrough from a young age Stewart Downing was the player I looked up to, however Paul Scholes has been a player I loved to watch. His passing range and creativity in midfield was always amazing to watch and look up to.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

RR: Proudest moment of your career so far?

ML: Starting for Sunderland against Manchester City and Chelsea in the WSL season 2017/18 whilst I was still a teenager.

RR: Is this season the most exciting you’ve experienced since you joined?

ML: It is one of the most exciting seasons so far - it’s on par with my breakthrough season personally. As a team this year it’s exciting to think we are considered as one of the favourites for promotion, so it’s exciting going into every game hoping to come out with three points.

RR: You used to play for Newcastle Women and sign for Sunderland in 2017. Were you nervous about making the move?

ML: I wasn’t really nervous in moving clubs because I knew it was for the best in my career. I knew a lot of the players in Sunderland at the time which made the move easier. However, it was a big jump moving across, but I feel I coped with the change well and quickly.

RR: Who is your best friend in the Sunderland AFC ladies squad and why?

ML: Georgia Gibson. We’ve known each other through university and well we play in midfield together so we have a great bond.

RR: The best thing about playing for Sunderland AFC ladies?

ML: Besides the team... Melanie Reay.

Learning from her as a former player has been exciting and is hard work, however, I feel she gets the best out of me as an individual.

RR: What is the one change you'd like to see in the women’s game over the next ten years?

ML: I would change the amount of reward that us women get for the amount of work we do. Behind the scenes it’s tough training, doing media, the gym and all of the travel. We don’t get much credit for it.

Want to keep up with Sunderland Ladies and Mollie Lambert? You can follow them both at @SAFCLadies and @MollieLambert98