Youth has been prevalent throughout the start of the Oxford United Women’s 2022/23 campaign.
J Gray* has taken the number 14 shirt for the season, and having just gained some excellent GCSE results, is being thrown into the deep end in the Southern Premier Division. She has swum and the young defender has been a part of a defence who are yet to concede in the campaign, playing 45 minutes on Sunday against Portsmouth and then a full 90 in the 3-0 victory over London Bees on Tuesday night.
How has it been making the step up so quickly?
“It’s been really exciting. First and foremost the team put in a really good performance and its obviously the start of the season we’ve wanted, but for me personally it’s been amazing.
“It’s an incredible experience to get in on, especially with the strength in the squad that there is. I am taking every training session and every minute I get on the pitch to improve and learn from the other members of the team around me.”
“I’ve been at the club for a long time watching Lauren (Haynes) be the skipper the whole time so it’s now amazing to get to play and learn from her, as well as the experienced players that have joined this summer.
“I’ve been here since I was ten and my whole experience here has been really well supported by the staff from the academy and the development squad, and then in the first team, they’ve all helped me and have all worked together to show the success of the system that we have here.
“Hopefully it’s another promotion push for the squad and hopefully I can play a part in any way possible. As I said before, it’s a really strong squad and I believe that we have the ability and belief to make it this year.”
The U’s look to continue their strong start when they take on Cheltenham Town Ladies this Sunday at Court Place Farm
Tickets are available on the day and a warm welcome is always guaranteed.
*GDPR rules mean we cannot list the full name.