DURHAM WOMEN captain Sarah Wilson insists that while her team fully expect Bristol City to come out with all guns blazing in tomorrow's promotion showdown, they are more than ready for the challenge that awaits.
The Wildcats, currently sitting in fourth in WSL 2, travel to Bristol knowing a win is a must if they are to keep their promotion hopes alive, with their opponents knocking on the door of a quickfire return to the top flight after their relegation from WSL 1 last season.
The teams battled out a stalemate when Bristol – currently second – travelled to the North-East earlier in the year, but with more at stake, Wilson expects it to be a fiery affair at the Stoke Gifford Stadium.
But the centre back insists it’s advantage Durham as the business end of the season gets underway.
“Confidence is really high in the camp,” she said. “Everyone knows the importance of the game and the effect the result could have on the league, but we’re staying focused and concentrating on our own game.
“We’re sitting just out of the way in fourth and there is a lot of pressure on other teams. This weekend is crucial to us all but we’re hanging back and letting other teams worry about it, and we’ll do our own thing.
“We’ve had a brilliant run of form coming into the game against Bristol, we know what we can do and it’s really important we keep focused.
“It’s going to be a huge game. Bristol are one of the best teams in the league and the type of football they play is fantastic.
“Last time we played, the game could have gone either way. They completely pinned us back in the first half, but then we came into our own in the second so it could go either way this weekend, that’s what makes it so exciting.”
With just goal difference keeping Bristol off the top spot in WSL 2, they are only too aware of the importance of tomorrow’s game, particularly with first and third-placed Yeovil and Everton facing off on Sunday.
And for Vixens defender Grace McCatty, Bristol's home support is going to be key if they are to get the result they crave.
“It will be a tight game. We drew when we played earlier in the season and all you have to do is look at the table and you can see that three points separate the top four,” she said.
“But hopefully we can do enough to swing this one in our favour. When we played them the first time we found them to be very well organised and we couldn’t find a way through their defence.
“We are under no illusions about how hard it is going to be but I back my team.
“Our home ground has been a fortress this season. The fans have to take some credit for that, they have been fantastic, and so I would urge them to come out in force for the last game this weekend.”
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