Post-Match Reaction With Sara Hilton

"All in all, I’m very proud of the players today. We adapted our playing style completely to diminish Hull’s style of play. Hull like to keep possession of the ball and play through the thirds of the pitch. We were happy to let them have the ball, particularly within their defensive third and we remained compact and tight. As they looked to play it through our midfield unit did a great job of pressing them tight and winning the ball back. On occasions where our midfield unit wasn’t successful our defensive unit stepped up and defended extremely well".

"At half time I was looking forward to see if Hull would adapt their style of play to counteract our defensive mid block. Fortunately for us this wasn’t the case and we continued to press them tight centrally and remain compact within each unit and protect the space in between the units. Yes, Hull did have opportunities to convert some chances however they failed to do so. We had minimal chances in the final third but ensured we took our chances when they presented themselves, one of which was a fantastic goal".

"The tactical objectives and game plan I set prior to the game was something that’s quite alien to our own style of play and identity. I cannot commend the players enough today for putting those objectives in to action on the pitch and executing them two-fold. There are always things we can take away from the game and I think the distances between our centre forward and the remaining players on a counter attack is something we can look to build upon".

"Overall, I’m proud of how my players conducted themselves today. They showed great sportsmanship and camaraderie which, no matter the technical and tactical abilities, is the foundation of any club that wants to progress at this level and Crewe Alexandra Ladies were a credit to themselves and the club today".

"We push on to next Sunday where we face Mossley Hill Ladies. I’m looking forward to getting back to our own tactical identity and challenging both individuals and units to reap the rewards of their hard work".

Updated 20:45 - 1 Sep 2019 by James Brown