Belles head coach Zoey Shaw says her side will be ready for the physical test that comes their way when they face FC United of Manchester on Sunday.
The Belles make the trip across the Pennines to Broadhurst Park to face the North West Regional Women’s Football League side in their fourth pre-season friendly, and Shaw says they have resorted to an alternative training method to prepare for the game.
“FC United will be a really tough test for us, they’re a good side that have been around for a while, they’re a strong outfit, very physical, so that’s something that we’ll have to work on, and that’s why I’ve had the girls doing a bit of rugby in training this week,” she said.
“Hopefully they’ll be able to respond to the test in the right way, I want them to be as physical back, obviously staying disciplined at the same time, but the training here will hopefully get them in the right frame of mind.
“Nothing changes for us no matter who the opposition is, we want every game to be the same for the girls, I think that’s what we have to instil in them as a staff, it doesn’t matter who you play, we have a certain way of playing and certain expectations.”
The Belles are now just two weeks away from their season opener against Leafield Athletic on Sunday August 18 at Rossington’s Oxford Street, and Shaw feels her side are chomping at the bit to get the 2019/20 campaign underway.
“The feedback has been great, they’re all coming away saying they’ve learnt lots of lessons, saying about where there are things we might need to work on to improve our game, they’re really upbeat about the way things have gone so far,” Shaw added.
“Everyone’s fit and they’re really excited to get the ball rolling now, you can feel it in the camp that the season isn’t too far away at all, there’s some nerves creeping in and a lot of questions being asked, but they’re all excited and raring to go.
“We’ve had a good pre-season so far, we have a great team here, the morale is fantastic, we’ve made some great additions to the side with lots of experience, and we’re all looking forward to getting going now.”
Belles season tickets are available for just £20 from the Club Doncaster Box Office. Purchase yours now by either visiting in-store at the Keepmoat Stadium, by calling on 01302 762576, or online at tickets.clubdoncaster.co.uk.