'So important': Everything Mel Reay said on Keira Ramshaw retirement, future plans and Sunderland form

Sunderland Women continued their outstanding start to the campaign last week, running out 3-1 winners over Reading at Eppleton.

They're back in action at Lewes on Sunday, and The Echo caught up with Mel Reay to reflect on the campaign so far and the retirement of club legend Keira Ramshaw.

Here's everything that was said..

On a disappointing first half against Reading but a crucial win, and three players scoring their first of the season...

It was a really important result.

It wasn't quite the performance that we hoped to produce but it's ultimately a results business and we got the three points.

I didn't have to say too much at half time, they were all problem solving as soon as I went in there. I was disappointed that we didn't get on the ball and make things happen, but the players knew that they had underperformed even though they were 1-0 up. The challenge was to go out in the second half and be better and put the game to bed, and that's what we managed to do - though we were disappointed to lose the clean sheet.

We're delighted for all three of the scorers. Ellen was unlucky in midweek against Sheffield United, she hit the bar and said after the game that she felt like it was coming. It wasn't an easy finish on the volley and she took it really well.

Liz has been working really hard, doing lots of extra bits in training, and hopefully that will be the first of many. Then Katie Kitching.... what a goal, I think that's what she is about. She's a runner and if you give her that much space she will punish anyone, but what a composed finish because when you travel that far, you can easily smash it over the bar.

On the importance of set pieces, after another two goals last weekend...

It's something that we keep telling the players, that the majority of the goals in this league are scored from set pieces.

You've seen how important it is that we've scored from a few, it's made the difference in close games. Steph [Libbey] spends a lot of time on a Saturday going through all the set pieces, making sure they know their roles and all those little bits of movement, and when to stay in your position as well.

They're doing their jobs and at the moment and we're getting the rewards.

On Sunday's trip to Lewes...

They've had a big turnover of players so they're probably in a bit of a rebuild themselves.

They find themselves towards the bottom which is unfamiliar for them so it's going to be a really tough game. It's a very long trip for us in the storm on Saturday. It's going to be a tough game and one of the things we've spoken about this week is that when you're up at the top and unbeaten, you're there to be shot at. People want to be the first team to beat Sunderland and we have to carry that, so we have to be at it every time we step on the pitch because we want to remain undefeated for as long as possible.

On Keira Ramshaw's retirement due to injury...

I said in the statement last week that Keira is the most important player ever to pull on the red-and-white shirt for the women's team.

It's such a shame she couldn't go out the way she wanted to.

She tried her best, she's a warrior. She wanted to keep going and tape the ankle up but the last minutes she had in pre season, she was in absolute agony afterwards. It's not nice to see.

It's been difficult for Keira, for a long period of time because she's not really played properly for a year and a half.

I'd hope that she's been through the roughest patch now, because I know she was worried about the announcement and I know she'd been asked a lot about why she wasn't playing, and she didn't really have the answers.

It took her a while to come round to the decision as it would be with anyone, so we've had a lot of time with Keira in terms of getting the timing right.

It was heartbreaking for everyone involved in the team. For someone like Keira, who is red-and-white through and through and would literally run through a brick wall for the badge. I know everyone says that but in this case she literally would do that, she was willing to tape her ankle up and run through the pain and play for the badge. But it would have had an impact later in her life, and we didn't want her life away from football to be impacted.

I was devastated for her, but we want to keep her in and around the team. The stories she can tell about the history of this team are so important, and the new players have to understand what it means to represent this football club: Keira absolutely epitomises that.

On the next steps for Keira Ramshaw after her retirement...

Keira is still under contract until the end of the season so she'll be around as any other player would.

Ultimately, she has to decide what avenue she wants to go down, whether that be having a look at coaching badges which she can do through the PFA who are there to support her as well.

It's soon for her to pin down what she wants to do, but whatever that is we will support her.

Keira is very close with Courtney Lock, who runs our academy.

They are best friends so she is really keen to start learning from Courtney and start educating our younger players. We're there to support Keira and if she wants to be involved in any capacity, I'm pretty sure we can make that happen.