LISBURN Rangers Women’s side could see themselves level on points with league leaders and title holders, Glentoran, with a victory against Larne Ladies in Friday’s Matchday 11 fixture of the Women’s Premiership.
Alistair Dickson’s newly promoted side are coming off a undefeated 2023 Women’s Championship campaign and continuing their impressive form on the biggest stage.
The squad are enjoying a remarkable spell of league form, winning three of their last five games and most recently achieving a commanding 6-1 league victory against Derry City.
Many supporters are wondering how this team, which has only been apart of the Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association League (NIWFA) since 2019, has managed to climb to the height of the sport in only five years.
Dickson credits the quality of coaching and the competitive culture within the club for their immense success.
“There were standards set and a culture created within the team, not only for the players but also by the players.”
“There’s an army of people behind everything, but the most specific thing that has helped us was the standard of coaching provided for the girls right throughout the leagues,” said Dickson.
“We always made sure to get competitive football. In between our leagues and even sometimes during our leagues, we went down south and played a lot of teams down there and entered all the cup competitions we could.”
The club has already received many accolades, including being named ‘Club of the Year’ at the Irish FA Grassroots Football Awards in 2022. Dickson has hailed a foundation of “standards and principles” for their continued growth.
“There was a standard of performance and principles established at a very early age and they just kept them going right throughout the leagues, so that when we did get to the Premiership it wasn’t going to be all new to us.”
“Obviously, it’s a more competitive league but by doing that and maintaining those standards then you’re getting into a league that hopefully isn’t as big a shock to you.”
The Lisburn-side have adapted well to the Premiership, scoring 26 goals in their eight games this campaign. The confidence of the players is evident as the Lisburn Rangers’ ladies have been displaying their skills on the pitch. Including 18-year-old midfielder, Faye Loughran, who holds an outstanding goalscoring record of five goals in only eight appearances.
The team’s unblemished Championship season last year has many anticipating great things for the 2024 season, however, Dickson’s side are not getting carried away.
“Since we won the Championship we have a lot of people asking us what are our expectations are.”
“We have spent five years trying to get here. We all know what our culture is within the club and what our standards of performance and principles are, so let’s go and enjoy it and continue to maintain them,” Dickson said.
“So we’ve never honestly set ourselves any goals or expectations like we’ve always just went in and said that our focus is clearly on us building on those performances that we have had up to now, especially with our first year (in the Premiership).”
Lisburn Rangers are showing no signs of slowing down after a dominant 7-0 victory against Mid-Ulster in the Irish Cup quarter-final and a title challenging league run as they enter their weekend fixture third in the league.
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A win against Larne Ladies at Stanley Park will put Dickson’s side on 24 points alongside current leaders Glentoran, however the Glens have amassed a significant goal difference of 49 in their campaign thus far, which will likely keep them in pole position.
Dickson insists that his squad are not focusing on the prospect of clinching the title on their Premiership debut.
“I don’t think anyone’s mentioned it, I hadn’t even thought about it, that that’s where it would put us.”
“It may be cliché, but honestly, we prepare for every game exactly the same, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. The coaching is no different in between games. So we’ll prepare for Friday in the same way we would for every game.” said Dickson.
“You know there’s another half a season. It took half a season to get there it could take half a season to get back down again. So we just we just focus on our performances and hopefully that that will stand by us. Especially in the first year it’s all about building on our performances.”
Local support from the fans has also impacted the atmosphere around the club as the team’s popularity continues to grow.
“We’re very grateful that we have had a lot of supporters and players that have been there from from day one. That support has become even bigger since we’ve been playing in the premiership. ”
Young players have proven to be the foundation of the squad’s success, with eight teenaged players featuring in the dominant women’s team, which has given a lot of inspiration to the club’s academy players.
“There is a buzz within the players and there’s a buzz within the Academy. Now our Academy players are coming to all the games and becoming more focused on their own game and on training.” said Dickson.
Lisburn Rangers will hope to treat their supporters to another imposing performance when they host Larne on Friday August 16 at 7.45pm in the Sport’s Direct Women’s Premiership.
Sport’s Direct Women’s Premiership Matchday 11 fixtures - Friday August 16 at 7.45pm
Lisburn Rangers vs Larne Ladies
Linfield vs Lisburn
Mid-Ulster vs Crusaders