The atmosphere surrounding Norwich City is undeniably uplifting, and this positivity is directly influencing the performance of the women's team, who are currently pursuing promotion within Division One South East. Head coach Andy Cook is harnessing this buoyant sentiment, which he believes is crucial to their ongoing campaign.
Under the guidance of Philippe Clement, the Canaries have experienced a revival on the pitch. Although they faced a frustrating 1-1 draw against Luton Town on Sunday—a match that denied them the chance to ascend to the top of the table—the overall mood within the squad remains optimistic. Their rivals, Fulham, also faltered, settling for a 2-2 draw against Dulwich Hamlet, keeping the title race competitive.
Reflecting on the current atmosphere at the club, Cook remarked, “Off the back of everything that's happening around the club at the moment, it's just wins and wins and wins and a little bit of success. We're really, really pleased with the momentum around the club. It's fantastic and we hope to continue that next week.”
Norwich initially took the lead with a debut goal from new signing Faith Harrison, marking an exciting start. However, the joy proved fleeting as Luton equalised late in the match. Another recent addition, Emily Wallace from AFC Wimbledon, made her first appearance for the Canaries, further highlighting the depth and potential within Cook's squad.
Cook commended both newcomers, stating, “Faith's obviously been here for a few weeks now and has had a couple of bits and a few little moments just before Christmas. She's been great and got her opportunity today because Holly (Kennard) has been ill, so we decided not to start Holly and give Faith the opportunity. She’s brilliant, got herself a goal. She needs to keep working, keep driving, making sure that she’s in the box to finish those chances because that’s what we brought her in for as a forward.”
He added, “Wallace has been great. She's a fantastic player, great person and everyone we spoke to spoke so highly of her. We're really happy that she's in and she did well today on a very tough surface.”
The match itself was a classic example of contrasting halves, as Cook characterised it. “First half I thought we dominated proceedings, probably could have been three or four up. We've got to look at how many people we can get in the box at times. We’ve got to have that desire to get in the box and score—there were a couple of great balls across the box from the wide players, from the full backs, and we just need to make sure we finish them really.”
The second half saw Luton rally, and Cook recognised the necessity for his team to adapt to the evolving dynamics of the match. “We needed to play the space a bit more, we needed to make sure that we were more concerned with playing the game that's in front of us and the pitch and the quality of the pitch and all those kind of things as well. So a bit of a tough one to take really because we felt we had a great first half, good half-time, and we needed to make sure that we see the game out at that point.”
As the Canaries prepare for their next match, the excitement and determination within the team are palpable. With the title race still very much alive, Norwich City Women are ready to make their mark.