Notley 'Looking Forward' To Title Defence Challenge
Ellis Notley is looking forward to seeing a “big support” to back the team as Hibs Women kick-off the upcoming ScottishPower Women’s Premier League campaign at Meadowbank Stadium.
Grant Scott’s side will host Aberdeen on Sunday 17 August as the title holders look to begin their title defence with a home victory over Scott Booth’s outfit.
Vice-Captain Notley spoke to the media after the Hibees’ SWPL fixtures were released on Wednesday (25 June) morning and touched on her awareness of the quality of Hibs Women’s league opponents across the next season, showing no signs of complacency in the aftermath of May’s historic triumph.
“The opening game of the season is the first one I look for and it's nice to be at home for the first game against Aberdeen,” Notley said. “Going into the new season as champions, hopefully we can get a big support there to support us going into that opening fixture.
“I think no matter the run of games you're going to get, it's going to be a tough start. The league and the structure changes to the league is only going to help it make it more competitive. So there's not going to be any easy game.
“It's obviously going to be a tough ask to defend the title, but it's one that we'll be ready for, and one that we're looking forward to doing. It’s a challenge we will take with both hands. I think that just shows the growth of the women's game and the competitiveness within the league.”
Last season’s momentous league title win – Hibs Women’s first in 18 years – surprised a large number of experts and followers of the SWPL, with few giving the girls a chance against the three previous league champions based in Glasgow.
Asked about whether she believed the team could compete once more for the title, Notley pointed to the current squad – of which 17 remain from last season’s First Team squad – as a key reason for the team to challenge again.
“We've shown that we can be consistent throughout a league campaign and that was proven with us lifting the title on the final day of the season.
“We've got a broad spectrum of players in the team. We've got experienced and young players. We've got academy players that have been in and about the team.
“Having Kathleen [McGovern] and Eilidh [Adams] scoring the number of goals that they did, that's obviously helped. And for them to get personal recognition at an international level can only benefit them and in turn benefit us as a team.
“And then we've got young academy players coming through from the under-17s, who have thrived in the environment. Hopefully they can kick on, progress and improve through that.
“We've got a good range of personnel and different personalities and different playing experiences. We need to pull together in order to progress and hopefully achieve more.”