Renée delighted for debutants in win at Brighton

Renée Slegers said she was thrilled for our newest stars as Lisa Baum scored an incredible winning goal on her debut against Brighton.

Making her first appearance in the Women's Super League after moving from Leipzig this summer, the 19-year-old winger lashed into the net to give us the 1-0 victory at Broadfield Stadium.

Lisa was one of four new faces in the starting line-up, alongside Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle and Misa Rodriguez, who was forced into an early save to keep the score level.

After the match, Renée expressed her delight for the debutants and the whole squad as we picked up our first win at Brighton in three seasons.

"I'm so happy for all of them," Renée said. "I'm also happy for everyone else that the season has started, because this is what we've been working towards.

"Misa was amazing, her presence in goal was really good. She communicates from behind, she's always active, and she saves us, so she had a big impact.

"Then Lisa, she's a very young player, but she doesn't come across as that young. She's very mature in the way she thinks, the way she plays.

"She was really calm today, she's making her debut. It's not easy, she's young, we're starting her, but she scores that goal, a fantastic goal. I think she shows her skill and what she can do for us, and in front of the fans. So it was a special moment for her."

Lisa is one of eight new faces in N5 for the 26/27 campaign, and our manager thinks the whole squad has come together quickly, which can only be a positive as we battle across three competitions.

"We've been working really hard in pre-season, of course, on our football game model, how we want to bring that all together with different player strengths. But also off the pitch, connecting as a group, getting to know each other, understanding what we're a part of. The group has been amazing, so they've been investing a lot in themselves, in each other.

"It feels like this group has been together for much longer than five weeks. So that's a really good sign."

We had chances to add to the scoresheet but, in the end, saw out the match to pick up three points and a clean sheet.

Assessing the victory in Sussex, Slegers said: "The win is most important, so we get the three points. We know how hard it is, the WSL opener. I think I saw it in the other games as well, it can be quite chaotic, hectic.

"I think we controlled the game well, specifically spells in the first half. I think we spent quite some time without the ball, which we want to minimise. It was an okay performance; I think there were highs and lows.

We definitely can do more, want to do more and need to do more. But like I said, this being the opener, Brighton away, which is a difficult game. Getting the win over the line is something we've been talking about, keeping a clean sheet, so I'm happy with that."