Derby County Women registered their first win in five league outings with a 2-1 home success on home turf against AFC Fylde on Sunday afternoon.
Leading goalscorer Amy Sims opened the scoring early in the second half to put Derby on their way and club captain Hannah Ward netted her first goal of the campaign shortly afterwards.
Fylde got a late goal back from the penalty spot through Sasha Rowe, but the Ewes deservedly picked up all three points in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division at the Don Amott Arena.
Derby's next league fixture will see them host East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest at Pride Park Stadium on Easter Sunday (2pm kick-off).
“Getting The Win Was The Most Important Thing” - Griffiths
Manager Sam Griffiths admitted getting three points on the board was ‘the most important thing’.
After picking up three defeats and a single draw from their previous league outings, the Derby boss was eager to see the side return to winning ways as soon as possible.
She demanded a reaction from her players after their 2-0 loss to Stoke City earlier this month and, on the whole, she got one.
With an East Midlands derby on the horizon against Nottingham Forest on Easter Sunday, Griffiths felt it was important to restore some confidence to the group.
She said: “The result was what we were looking for, but the performance we can still improve on.
“The most important thing was getting back on track and picking up three points.
“We wanted to put a performance in to build on leading into the Forest game next weekend and we saw some good moments, as well as some where we can improve.
“We know where we are at right now and what we must work harder at. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction for us and we needed the result for our confidence.”
She added: “We got two good goals and saw some smiling faces as well, which is great ahead of a big week of training leading into the Forest game.”
“It Was Nice To Contribute To The Win!” - Ward
Club Captain Hannah Ward was delighted to play her part in a crucial victory on home turf.
Ward, who celebrated her 31st birthday last week, netted her first goal of the season to put the Ewes two goals to the good early in the second half.
She produced a Player of the Match performance to help Derby pick up their first league win in just over a month.
Ward said: “It feels good to win after the last few weeks’ results; we needed that.
“We still need to improve on some areas of our play, but the main thing was getting a little bit of confidence back in the team.
“We worked on a few things in training going into this one and we knew that when we stepped over the white line, it was down to us as players with our intensity and hard work.
“It was a squad performance and that was what we needed. We’ve got some big games left now to try and end the season well.”
On her goal, she added: “I don’t get to score very often, but it was very nice to get one.
“I don’t take playing for the club for granted, it is a privilege. To pull the shirt on is amazing and get minutes, never mind scoring. It was nice to contribute, and I probably milked it a little bit!”