Ipswich Town Women’s manager Joe Sheehan was delighted by the way his side approached their first league game at Portman Road.
The Tractor Girls eased to a comfortable 5-0 win against Chatham Town, with a goal from Natasha Thomas sending them on their way midway through the first half.
From there, goals from Sophie Peskett, Lenna Gunning-Williams put them into a commanding position, with Thomas scoring again before Summer Hughes rounded off the victory towards the end.
Speaking alongside Peskett after the game, Sheehan spoke about the pride he felt surrounding the day, particularly the way that his players looked to inspire future generations.
“We spoke in the week about thinking that the occasion was going to be bigger than the result,” he said.
“We didn’t spend too much time thinking about the result, it was more about how we could make an impression on so many people, be trailblazers, influence, inspire and give so many young children hope to fulfil something like Sophie has managed to experience today.
“That’s what it was about for us, really. We managed to play reasonably well - I think it was a lot better in the second half – and we scored a few goals, which I think means many people will go home feeling entertained.”
The final attendance was registered at 10,173, which is a record for the Tractor Girls and for the Women’s National League South, making it a historic day for all involved.
The club had been keen to push ticket sales as much as possible in the build-up to the match, but Sheehan was still astonished by the number of supporters that showed up when his side are unable to seal promotion to the second tier.
“It’s an incredible number,” he admitted. “To get over 10,000 in a game like this, in a respect where we can’t win our division and there aren’t many games to go, for so many people to come and watch us with that in mind is incredible.
“We’re very grateful for everyone who attended, and like I say, we’re hoping that we’ve been able to light a flame in so many young children that can go home tonight, lay in bed and think about a performance like Sophie’s and try to emulate her one day, and aspire to experience something like we have today.”
The fans were sent home happy. Although they took a while to reach their best, they played some excellent football and scored five goals, all of which were met by a loud roar from those in the stands.
Sheehan knew that the performance was just as important as the result, hoping to encourage as many people as possible to start following the women’s team as they look to build to a finish the season on a high.
“We needed to showcase a reasonably good level to make an impression on so many other factors,” he explained. “In the first half, I don’t think we were anywhere near the level that we’re capable of, and obviously we can understand that for such a young group, experiencing something like that for the first time can be really difficult to navigate their way through.
“In the second half, we were desperate to try and play better and give a better account of ourselves. I think the fourth goal probably epitomises that – it’s a goal that’s more like the level that we’re trying to perform at.
“I think we can be pleased about how we managed the occasion and the result, but this is so early for us still, and we want to be so much better than we are. We’ve worked really hard throughout the week to keep progressing.”
At the half-time interval, CEO Mark Ashton came out to reveal the attendance and discuss plans for the future. With the men’s team performing at the top end of the Championship, he shared his ambition to reach the same level with the women’s team, which Sheehan agreed with.
“We hope that, when we do get there, it’ll be the right time to do it,” he said. “I’m not setting the bar too high, we want to develop a really good product on the pitch and help players develop week in, week out.
“Just like our men, we want to get to our Championship, stay there and compete at the top end of it, not get there and struggle with too many gaps and loose edges that need tying up.
“It’s all in good time. We’re really process-driven and we hope that, when we get it right, we can get there, stay there and compete there. We don’t want to be a yo-yo, we want to blow the league away, in all honesty.
“We don’t want to take it close, we want to perform consistently, get out of this division and compete in the division above.”
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