Sunderland Women head coach Mel Reay praises progress of side after derby win over Newcastle United
Sunderland Women head coach Mel Reay praised the progress her side and the club as a whole has made, writes Harvey Hinkler.
Sunderland Women’s head coach Mel Reay praised the progress her side and the club as a whole has made since last season following an away win at bitter rivals Newcastle United in the Subway Players Cup.
A Katie Kitching finish in the opening stages of the second half was enough for the Black Cats to earn their first cup win of the season and a first win over Newcastle since their promotion to the second tier in 2024. In the four prior meetings, Newcastle had walked away the victors on three occasions as well as scoring late to rescue a point at the Stadium of Light in March.
This derby day victory following the season’s first international break underlines a magnificent start to Reay’s 10th season in charge as head coach, and Reay was mightily impressed with the performance following nine changes from Sunderland’s last league game.
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“I was delighted with the performance and the result, obviously. We had a fantastic start to the season which was interrupted by an international break, and the players have only been back since Friday so the players who have remained have worked really hard for this moment and I thought we were the better team overall in the 90 minutes,” Reay said. The international break was a frustrating gap for a Sunderland team with momentum on their side, however it provided much needed time for some players to regain fitness and get back up to speed.
Marissa Sheva started her first game of the season at the Gateshead International Stadium after picking up crucial minutes with the Republic of Ireland in their bid to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
On Sheva’s return to the side Reay said: “We’ve got a huge squad and players have to have their moment to show what they’re about. Maz had an injury in pre-season and has been playing a bit of catch-up, so it was an ideal opportunity to get her through the 90 minutes so she’s in contention for Ipswich next weekend.”
A Noa Schumacher penalty save midway through the second half helped Sunderland over the line after the goalkeeper was judged to have fouled Jordan Nobbs.
“I thought it was a dubious penalty, mind,” Reay said. “I thought Noa got the ball completely, so a little bit of karma there that she’s actually made the save. Great save, really low down in the corner which suits an athletic goalkeeper like Noa Schumacher so I’m delighted she’s had this moment.”
It must have felt like a long time coming for Lasses fans to finally get one over on Newcastle, and Reay acknowledged the wait and steps that have been taken to make Sunderland a competitive force this season.
“I think it’s probably been frustrating for our fans over the last couple of years, but we’re a different team now in a different era with a different ownership. The team has grown and using the whole squad like we have today and coming out on top we’ve got to continue the momentum for sure until we hit them again at the Stadium of Light.”