by Ben Gilby (24/2/24)
Above: Poppy Payne in possession for Millwall Lionesses against Ashford United. Photo supplied by: Poppy Payne.
Impetus ’71 sponsored Millwall Lionesses defender Poppy Payne has hailed her team’s recovery from a challenging start to the season as the South London side look to push towards a place in the top four in the London and South-East Premier (tier five).
A run of four defeats in their opening six league games left the Lionesses in a tough place a quarter of the way through the tier-five season, but some changes behind the scenes plus a determination from the playing squad to put things right led to Millwall showing the club’s traditional fighting spirit to come good.
“I think despite a few huge changes this season with managers coming and going we have stuck together as a team. We have also had a good run in a lot of the cups, which have included a place in the Third Round of the FA Cup and a semi-final tie in the Capital Cup awaits too, so that’s kept team morale high.”
“The start of the season was definitely the most challenging with so many changes from the previous season. We had a new manager as well as a whole new team joining us, along with some of our senior long-serving players being out with injuries, and as a team, we seemed to find it difficult to adapt.
“At first, we were all gutted and felt like we had been given up on following the tough start to the season. However, Adam Rowland and Alex Russell, our current managers, stuck by us and stepped into that role with some much positivity and a great relationship with every player that our mindsets quickly changed. After just one game of them in charge we were on a winning streak.”
That winning streak saw Millwall win seven successive matches, scoring 47 goals, and conceding just four in the process. Whilst the South Londoners are, realistically too far behind to mount a promotion push, a top-four place is more than within their reach. Payne is clear what her team need to do to meet that target.
“Consistency is a big one for us, we need to be consistent in our commitment to the team as well as trying to push ourselves week in, week out, to compete as best as we can against the other teams in our league. It is a very competitive league, with not much in it ability-wise between the top and bottom of the league.”
The coming weeks see the team’s push for silverware continue with a Capital Cup tie against a very strong AFC Wimbledon side who are looking to gain promotion to tier three. The Impetus 71 sponsored defender though believes her side are more than capable of challenging the Dons.
“As a team, we have definitely thrived when faced with a cup game this season. We are coming up against a very good and well-experienced side, so it will definitely be a challenge, but one we are looking forward to.”
With seven league games to go in the league, Payne believes there’s still plenty to aim for.
“Hopefully it will consist of winning more league games than we did in the first half. Finishing the league within the top four and getting to the final of the League Cup. All of these are achievable if we work hard together.
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