'Have a go': Mel Reay's message as Sunderland prepare for stern Liverpool test

Having brought Matt Beard back to the club this summer Liverpool have lost just one game this season, and currently lead the table with an impressive 20 points from nine games.

Even more impressive is their defensive record.

They have conceded just four times this season in the league, and not since September 26th.

Reay says it will be a big test against a professional outfit, but says her side are capable of getting a result on home turf.

“They’re a good side and they’ve had some cracking results,” Reay said.

“Winning is infectious and you get that momentum; we all know that.

“They’ve got some fantastic players and two former Sunderland players in Rachael Laws and Rachel Furness, who I’m sure can’t wait to come back.

‘We acknowledge they’ve got good players and had some good results, but we’ll focus on ourselves and our roles and responsibilities on the night.

“We want to have a go.

“We’re not just going to sit back and let them dominate, we want to excite our home fans but we’ll do it in a way that’s not erratic.

“There’ll be a gameplan to follow and it’s an exciting opportunity, to play against one of the top teams and against some of the best players at the level.

“They’re a full-time set up so there’s going to be some differences straight away in terms of, they’re full-time athletes and we all know the benefits you can get from that.

“But don’t underestimate us, we’re a hungry team who are on a mission to stay in this division and to try and get points from every game we play, and fingers crossed there’s an upset on Saturday night.

“It’ll be a tough game but we’re desperate to get back on that pitch after the Watford game.”

A draw with Watford last Sunday left Sunderland still well placed in their bid to cement their Championship status, but with mixed emotions.

Reay’s side had good chances to win the game late on and re-establish a ten-point gap to the league’s other promoted side, who currently sit second bottom.

Reay was encouraged by some of the results of a slight shift in attacking style, but says finding the perfect balance is always an ongoing process.

A ten-point cushion to the bottom is a strong place to be.

“The initial emotion in the aftermath of the game is disappointment, because the opportunities we had in the latter stages of the game were really good ones,” Reay said.

"But you reflect, watch back, speak about it as a group, Watford had some really good chances themselves.

“A point is a point, especially on the road, so you look to take the positives and move on.

“We set up slightly different in the way we wanted to play on the ball which was good, but with that then comes the risk that there’s gaps behind you, and Watford exploited that.

“It’s a fine balance, and on any given week we know we can tinker that so we can try to get something from every game.”

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