Crystal Palace begin their inaugural WSL campaign this Sunday with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur and spirits are soaring in the Eagles camp.
All of their 14 summer signings will be pushing for a strong start to the season to sustain the positivity from April’s promotion from the Championship.
One such signing is 18-year-old forward Poppy Pritchard, who has joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City. Pritchard arrived at Palace hoping to get more game time under her belt.
She said: “It’s my first season in the WSL so I am just putting my all into every game and doing my best for the team.
“Hopefully I can get some goals and I want to be a frequent starter.”
Pritchard watched Palace’s promotion push from a rival’s perspective last year, having spent the first half of the season at her hometown club, Durham. When the two met, Durham and Pritchard were on the receiving end of a 9-1 drubbing.
She was eager to interject at the mention of the heavy defeat.
The attacker said: “I scored though!”
She added: “When I played against them they were doing really well last season so they look like a really exciting team. I’m glad that I am here now to try and help.”
The English forward joins a star-studded attack which boasts Annabel Blanchard and Molly-Mae Sharpe, who scored 19 goals between them last season. However, top scorer Elise Hughes faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after rupturing her ACL. Pritchard believes she and her teammates are ready to step up.
She said: “I don’t feel any pressure, I think it is a fresh season. I believe all the girls are confident and can do their best. Whoever trains the best will get picked so I am just working my hardest in training and hopefully will get some more minutes.”
Although Palace have recruited heavily ahead of the season, the squad were already a cohesive unit that worked well together.
Pritchard said: “I knew Brooke [Aspin] and Lexi [Potter] already so it was nice to have some familiar faces, but I already feel really settled in. I was a bit [homesick] last week but now that the season has started I am just excited and ready to go, so I am focused on that.“
Palace attracted attention for their attacking prowess last season, scoring 55 goals, but will expect to see much less of the ball when they face the elite of English football. Pritchard, however, recognises that her style of play suits this well.
She said: “As an attacker I always want to go forward but being at City the past six months, I learned a lot about keeping the ball and keeping possession. I am just doing my best for the team, hopefully just scoring some goals and being a threat in behind.”
She will look to build on a successful summer, where she was the second highest scorer in the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship for England, hitting four goals.
Pritchard added: “I really enjoyed my time at the Euros and it was good to get some more goals having not played during the end of the season last year. I had some time off when we got back from the Euros and then got back into it. I’m ready to go.”
Playing in the WSL will bring Palace plenty of chances to expand their brand and attract more fans to their matches. Pritchard, who will wear the number 12 shirt for Palace, cannot wait to see the support.
She said: “I’m really excited to have all the fans backing us. The WSL is a massive league so hopefully we can get more and more fans supporting us at the games.”
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