AFC Wimbledon Ladies boost squad for exciting run-in
AFC Wimbledon Ladies manager Chris Lyons has bolstered his squad for an exciting challenge in league and cup by bringing in experienced defender Sahara Osbourne-Ricketts.
Sahara (pictured above right with Chris) joins a Dons squad in buoyant mood after a brilliant SSE Women’s FA Cup win at Plymouth Ladies and they currently occupy second place in South East Division One.
“The squad is in a good place at the moment and it is incredibly competitive for places,” said Chris. “We’ve added more quality to the squad with the signing of defender Sahara Osborne-Ricketts. ‘Biffy’ (Sahara) has previously played at WSL clubs Oxford and Watford, so she’ll bring experience as well as her strength and ability. ‘Biffy’ has already shown her quality in a friendly for us, and I’m confident she will be a very good addition to the squad.”
Lyons added that the club has also been working hard on improving the set-up behind-the-scenes by adding to his backroom staff.
“It’s a credit to the players and the physio team that they treat recovery from injuries so seriously,” said Chris. “We’ve added assistant physio Leah Bimson to give everyone more individual time and help the players get back to playing. Leah has settled in very well and added a lot to the team already. We’ve also added nutritionist Simone Benedetti to the staff so we’re trying to give the players as much support as possible. For me, this just shows how serious we are about pushing this club forward, and everyone has risen to the challenge.”
The ladies are back in league action at Luton this Sunday and Chris is looking for the squad to continue its great recent form.
“With our last two competitive fixtures the travelling has been a test, but both times everyone has responded brilliantly. At Ipswich just before the Christmas break, we were very dominant and I thought we were good for the 4-1 victory. Then we travelled to Devon for our FA Cup against Plymouth Ladies. I think we put in one of our best games of the season. From front to back everyone put in an excellent performance against a very good home side.
“This weekend we’re back in league action as we travel to Luton, where we’ll be looking to continue our fine form and give them a real game. When the Hatters came to us in November we were not at our best, and if I know this group of players well, they like nothing better than proving how good they are”.
AFC Wimbledon Ladies host Brighton in the third round proper of the SSE Women’s FA Cup on Sunday 5 February (2.00 pm kick-off at Sutton United) with spectators welcome.