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Wilkinson: 'We have to be ruthless'
Written by Joseph Nelson
Newcastle United Women midfielder Sharna Wilkinson sees Sunday's FA Women's National League (FAWNL) Cup quarter-final at AFC Fylde Women as the perfect opportunity for the Magpies to get back to winning ways, following last weekend's narrow 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest Women in the league.
Becky Langley's team fell to their first FAWNL Northern Premier Division loss in the dying moments at Kingston Park, but Wilkinson maintains that the setback will not be allowed to impact upcoming matches for Newcastle - starting this Sunday.
"I think it is about being vulnerable and knowing where things went wrong and taking accountability," she said, "but at the same time, not using that against one another because we are a team and a group collective. When you lose sight of that, you start to take losses into the next week.
"It is a new focus this week and a new opposition. We take every week as it comes and you have just got to get the Forest game out of sight now and learn from it. As a group, we are not going to let it affect future performances."
The last time the Magpies faced Fylde was in December, when Langley's team won 11-3 at Kingston Park in the league.
Newcastle have already won this term at Kellamergh Park too, emerging as 4-0 victors in their opening league match of the campaign in September.
But despite United's record against Sunday's hosts in 2023/24, Wilkinson says the Magpies will not be taking them lightly.
"I think we need to approach the game ruthlessly and give every team respect," she said.
"We are all players wanting to do the same thing but it is about being ruthless and having that mindset of wanting to win every game. Whether that is 1-0, 2-0, or 5-0, it's still a win.
"Treating every team the same is when the best outcomes are achieved because we start to play the best football consistently."
Cup matches also represent an opportunity for Langley to potentially rotate her team, with Wilkinson one of those who will be vying for a starting berth.
"At the end of the day, it is why we have a big squad - to rotate and show we do have a lot of talented players in the group," she said.
"I would trust any of the players I play with every day to do a job against most teams we play because we have that trust in each other.
"Our priority is the league, but it is also to win every game, and these matches could be a good opportunity for those who haven't had much time to build their confidence."
"I think it is about being vulnerable and knowing where things went wrong and taking accountability, but at the same time, not using that against one another because we are a team and a group collective."