Liam Gilbert’s Oxford United Women squad for the upcoming season continues to grow with the re-signings of Sophie Baker, Brogan Moore, Georgia Brown and Cheryl Williams.
Baker became the ninth player to re-commit to The U’s this week, adding almost five years of First Team experience to a promising squad for 2020/21, saying “Everyone is there for each other, whether it’s on or off the pitch. You can play with these players and know that the ability is there, but socially they’re all there for you as well.”
Scottish Under-19s Moore and Brown also committed their futures to The U’s this week with new contracts for the upcoming season. Scoring 10 times in 16 appearances in the last campaign, Moore said “Coming into a new team as a younger player it was quite hard to be in the starting eleven straight away, but I feel that I’ve progressed well and Liam has helped with that. Throughout the season he has given me tips and aims for myself which has helped a lot, so I feel that I’ve progressed quite well.
“Training is always good; there’s never really a bad session. The good coaching quality is helpful for my progression as a player.”
Likewise, tenacious box-to-box midfielder Brown commented on her experiences with United Women so far and how she looks to push on further next season upon signing her new deal.
“I’ve been at Cheltenham playing matches, which has helped me develop, but training with the Oxford First Team and playing with such talented players in training has helped me progress as well.
“There’s such good ambitions from the club and there is such a great group of players and staff that I can learn so much from, so hopefully that will help me develop throughout the season.
“I’d like to play a part in helping the club to achieve its ambitions of winning the league, but personally as a midfielder it’s always nice to get goals and assists throughout the season which can hopefully help towardsthe team goal.
The U's rounded off another week of announcements with the re-signing of attacker Williams. A highly influential player in The U’s' great form before the season’s early conclusion, Williams penned a new deal for the upcoming campaign and will prove to be a key asset to the squad.
“For me, being a more experienced player, I believe that this is one of the best environments as a whole – with regards to the willingness of the players and commitment of the staff. It was a no-brainer to sign a new deal; it wasn’t something that I had to really think about and I’m happy to stay.
“This is a club that is going in the right direction, it’s definitely moving forwards, and I think for the younger players like Carly [Johns], Brogan [Moore] or Rose [Kite] who has just signed, it’s a fantastic club to be at. There is so much support and the club’s just going in the right direction sofor young players here it’s massive.
“Hopefully, as an experienced player, I can help and guide the younger ones to make sure they realise what a great club it is to be at.”