Mel Reay on the keys to Sunderland's hugely encouraging week - and why they face toughest test yet

So to be heading into the final leg with a crucial league win and three important points in the Conti Cup group stages under their belt is already an excellent return.

After ending Charlton Athletic’s 100% record on home turf last weekend, a rotated side produced some excellent football to seal a 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.

“It's been a big week for us,” Reay says.

“It was a tough start travelling to Charlton, they always are when you travel that far.

“We then travelled to Blackburn in good spirits, wanting to put in another good shift and keep that momentum going, because we knew it was going to be a long and tough week for us physically.

“We were absolutely delighted with the performance we put in.”

It was also, as Reay says with a laugh, quite an unusual one.

Reay has always placed a significant emphasis on defensive organisation and never more so than this season, when the ultimate goal is to consolidate in a new division.

But the cup game allowed Sunderland to show a side of their game that is building with time, a greater fluidity seen particularly in the first halves against Charlton and Durham of late.

“It was a great game for the neutral, I think, end to end,” Reay says.

“Unusual for us! It was quite an open game, with lots of chances for both teams. We mixed the pack up a bit as well, and it was a great performance.

“I think it was a different type of game, with it being a cup game.

“I'm good mates with Gemma [Donnelly] who runs Blackburn and she said she really enjoyed watching it as well! I think a league game might have been a little bit more impact.

“We embraced the opportunity to get on the ball I think, to go forward and take a few more risks. We had opportunities to score a lot more and we probably could have put the game to bed a lot earlier.”

It’s something Reay expects to see more of, as confidence grows and partnerships settle.

“We spoke about it last night in our review, we're still new to the league, still learning,” Reay said.

“We're only seven, eight games in and all these other teams are a lot more experienced at the level.

“Every game we are getting better, learning a bit more about each other.

“Every opponent is that little bit different, with that little bit different way of playing.

“We're gaining confidence on the ball and developing partnerships on the field still, getting that understanding of what each other is going to do in the final third.

“That's the hardest thing probably in football, scoring the goal, but we're really happy with the stats off the back of the Blackburn game, dominating possession, ten shots with seven on target.

“It was a really good performance going into Sunday's game.”

The Championship remains a league of incredibly fine margins, only two of Sunderland’s games so far settled by more than a single goal.

Last weekend was a perfect example of that, Sunderland worthy of their first half lead but having to dig deep to protect it late on.

Set pieces are a huge part of any team’s armoury, and so Reay knows the importance of the form of her two centre backs.

Both Grace McCatty and Charlotte Potts have been in superb form, at both ends of the pitch.

“Grace has been joking last night that she's joint top goalscorer with her two now, that puts a bit of pressure on the others to get some more goals!” Reay says.

“We're delighted they're chipping in, that's what we want.

“They can't wait for set pieces to get themselves up the pitch, and they're a real asset for us.

“The majority of the goals in the Championship come from set pieces, so to pick up good points you've got to be good in both boxes.

“You've got to be organised, get set up properly in out and possession.

“You've got to make sure you don't concede cheap goals because we know how hard it is to score at the other end.

“We've had some great deliveries so I'm delighted we're getting on the end of them as well.”

Minimal recovery time and work commitments off the back of that Blackburn win means Reay sees the visit of London City Lionesses as potentially their toughest test of the season to date.

The Lionesses saw their good form dented by defeat to Durham last week, but it was a narrow game in which their general play impressed against the league leaders.

“It'll be a huge game, I think it will be the toughest game so far this season on the back of two games this season,” Reay says.

“They're a good team with real good attackers who we need to try and keep quiet if we're to get something out of the game.

“We got back at 2am on Friday and then it was back on Friday night for recovery.

“But we're winning, and that gives everything a different vibe. The players are excited and the games can't come quick enough because they want to keep the momentum going.

“They've got experienced players and they took Durham all the way. Again, Durham's goal came from a set piece as we spoke about. That can win you games.

“They're well organised and the carrot is there for us that if we can win, we go above them in the league.

“We know it's close margins and it's just taking it game by game for us.

“But it will top off a fantastic week if we can take three points.”

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