Hector encourages the Golden Girls to “Keep Being Brave” to protect Unbeaten WSL2 Run as “Underdogs”

Watford return to Vicarage Road on Sunday to continue their unbeaten run in the WSL2, welcoming Bristol City on home soil. With draws in their opening two fixtures since promotion to the second division, they look to build on these points and aim for their first win of the season.

Head coach, Renée Hector addressed the media ahead of this fixture and reminded that there is no such thing as an easy match in the second tier. Following a resilient test against Nottingham Forest, she outlined the importance of mentality, managing minutes with increased schedules, and experienced performers bridging the gap between the FAWNL and WSL2.

A WSL2 Start to be Proud of 

Currently unbeaten as a newly promoted side in the WSL2, Hector believes this is a significant achievement that represents the momentum in her Watford side to build towards success:

“We can really start trying to build now, I think, you know, the first two games as a newly promoted side, you know, without having a loss, I think is a really positive start. And even with the point on Sunday, we still went up the table, we didn't stay where we were or go down.

So, we have to look at that as positivity, as momentum, and keep building.”

An encouraging Performance in Nottingham

Despite taking an early 2-0 lead with clinical finishes from Zara Bailey and Saoirse Noonen, the Golden Girls left Nottingham with a point in a 2-2 draw after a tight contest away from home. 

Defensively, Hector praised the squad mentality and determination to protect the point:

“There was a lot of defending going on, a lot of putting our bodies on the line, a lot of emergency defending. And we came out of it with some back wounds. But listen, they feel really encouraged. We feel really happy with the desire we had to protect our goal and get something out of the game. So, we can keep building on that.”

Forest scored on the stroke of halftime, with an unexpected shift in momentum. Hector did not shy away from the impact this had on the team mentality:

“Yeah, I think it does affect the team. There's no doubt. I think that's normal for any team, sort of, you know, you're so close to going in and being able to reset and then all of a sudden, a goal sort of comes out of nowhere really. And yeah, naturally, you know, players start to feel a little bit of doubt and a bit of stress.”

However, when asking Hector what her halftime team talk involved, she encouraged bravery, aggression, and focusing on the present:

“Our message was to go and keep being brave, to keep trying to get after the ball… It was sort of a message of that, you know, we have to put that behind us, think those things happen. We have to fine be annoyed about it for two minutes, but now we've got to park it and, you know, we need to push and, you know, try and get a result out of this game. And we wanted them to be a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more on the front foot, which would allow us to create more chances.”

The Home Advantage

Speaking to Hector about the home advantage Vicarage Road will bring to the Golden Girls on Sunday, she agreed that playing on home soil really lifts team morale and a drive to perform for the home supporters:

“Yeah, massive advantage. Even when I walked into the forest ground, you know, it was very red, lots of red, lots of lights. So, it was a lot in terms of the atmosphere. But, you know, I believe that Vicarage Rhodes does that to other teams as well. You know, our fans and our supporters are amazing. We can hear them the whole way through.
There's no doubt that our performance levels go up a notch.

When we play at Vicarage Road, it feels, every time feels just as special as the last time and the first time that we're there. So, obviously, we've not conceded a goal and we're going to hope that, you know, that continues into Sunday.”

Why Experience is key following Promotion  

With promotion to the WSL2 comes new challenges, with those without Tier 2 experience perhaps struggling to navigate the intensity and demands of the league. However, Hector added that the transition was made much simpler with experienced leaders in the squad who have already been exposed to the top leagues: 

“Yeah, it helps massively because now, as much as you know some of the girls that we've retained is obviously helping with the transition of the new players to know what it means to be a Watford player.

You know, a lot of those new players coming in that were professionals before, whether it's been in WSL2 or in the Scottish League or whatever it is, they're helping, you know, the girls that we've kept in terms of that transition into becoming a professional footballer and what it means to become a professional footballer.”

Taking Advantage of increased Fixture Schedules to unlock Potential 

Despite mixed opinions on the increase of fixtures brought to the women’s game by competitions, such as the Subway Player’s Cup and Women’s FA Cup, the head coach remarked that the extra midweek games work to her benefit compared to the FAWNL scheduling last season:

“Yes, for sure. I think I'm happy there's more games, to be honest. I think sometimes, you know, in Tier 3 and maybe WSL2, there's not enough games and it's really difficult to keep the whole squad match fit unless you're going to sort of add in friendlies, etc.”

Pleased with her squad depth, facing Crystal Palace midweek allows her players to face new oppositions, bigger challenges, and get minutes to maintain fitness and feel part of the team:

“You know, like I've said before, I'm really happy in terms of our squad depth. I could argue I've almost got 2 11s, you know, that I could put out really in any game. So yeah, 100% that it will be used as an opportunity to rotate and keep players that are maybe not playing as much as they would like in the league fresh… we're still competitive and we still want to, we still want to, you know, be competitive in those games.

Obviously, we're going into that game as underdogs again, but like I say, I feel like the whole group is working and learning so much every single day. And it would be a really good test for us, and a really good opportunity to get some freshness into some legs.”

The Golden Girls host bottom-of-the-table Bristol City on Sunday 20 September (14:00 KO BST) where they look to continue in their WSL2 charge in front of a home crowd. Hector believes their values, mentality and experience could be the difference in making a statement performance and maintaining their unbeaten run, despite expectations of Watford as “underdogs” in the second tier.