Lasses Fan Focus: Leicester fan Alice is hopeful ahead of Conti Cup tie with Sunderland!

Roker Report: Thanks for speaking with us Alice. Can you tell us a bit about you as a fan and how long you’ve been following Leicester City Women?

Alice Wright: I’ve followed football since 2007, so when I was 3 years old, I did try my hand at playing it when I was 14 but I packed it in after a year because the girls I played with had been playing since the ages of 4 or 5, so they were much better than me and because of this I got left out, they wouldn’t play passes to me, etc, and they didn’t really like me because of it.

Although I wasn’t technically skilled I did always put 110% into every game and would run here there and everywhere.

I’ve only really been following LCFC women for a year. I was approached by LCFC Women Supporters Club to write articles from them and it’s gone from there really.

Don’t get me wrong the year they won the Women’s Championship I would always check the scores to see how they were getting on but I grew up surrounded by men’s football and supporting the men’s team and there just wasn’t a lot of exposure on the women’s game.

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RR: It’s been a difficult season so far for the Foxes. Do you see the Conti Cup as a welcome break or an unnecessary distraction from the fight for WSL survival?

AW: Although I do always like a good cup run I do feel that it’s an unnecessary distraction at the minute from the WSL and we should be more focused on that and staying up.

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RR: So much seems to have been invested off the field in terms of facilities but the struggles in the league have continued for over a year, so what’s not working at the club right now?

AW: I don’t think we invested right in the summer with players, at the minute our problems seem to lie more defensively. Our goal difference is currently -23 which I think speaks for itself really.

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Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

RR: Head Coach Lydia Bedford was replaced by the director of football Willie Kirk a month or so ago after less than a year in the job, is that a move you supported?

AW: No, I think we should’ve given Lydia Bedford more time, granted under her we hadn’t picked up any points but since Willie Kirk has taken over I think we’ve conceded 13 goals in 3 games.

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RR: This competition is often seen as a chance for younger and fringe players to get minutes. Who are the players you’re hoping to see more of in the Conti Cup?

AW: I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing Ava Baker in the team, she’s 16 years old and a promising young talent. She’s been in and around the first team in the WSL this season and she’s also involved with the England squad.

Mackenzie Smith is another promising young star, she’s 17 years old and has also been around the first team this season. I think she’s also been involved with England.

Funnily enough, I think she came to watch one of the games when I was playing football at 14 because a few of the girls who played for our team were also in the Leicester City academy so knew her quite well.

Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

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RR: What would be an acceptable result for Leicester in this game?

An acceptable result I think would obviously be to win and claim all three of those points but I would also take a draw and just not let too many goals in.

The best case scenario would obviously be to keep a clean sheet to instill some confidence back into the team to take with them into the WSL.

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Alice Wright is a journalism student, a writer for the Since 71 blog and for the Leicester City Women’s Supporters Group.

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