ASHLEIGH NEVILLE says Charlton will be ambitious but sensible in their debut WSL campaign.
The Addicks earned promotion to the WSL at the end of last season after beating Leicester City on penalties in a play-off.
Head coach Karen Hills has so far signed eight players with the aim of staying up on the first attempt.
One of those players is WSL veteran Neville, who joined from Leicester in July.
The 33-year-old had spent just six months with Leicester after joining the Foxes from Tottenham at the start of the year, but left when things did not work out.
Now, she can’t wait to kick off the new campaign with her new team.
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Neville told SunSport: “It’s been really good, it’s been challenging which has been really nice to come in to know where the club want to be and what they’re aiming for.
“I’ve really enjoyed coming in, the girls are great, the staff are really good and they’ve done their homework and research on where the club need to be to compete at the highest level, which is great to see and all the girls are buying into that.
“This is my first pre-season that I’ve done apart from at Spurs, obviously Leicester I joined in January so there was no pre-season. So yeah, it’s a new thing for me.
“I’ve fitted in really well with the girls, they’re lovely and we’ve really hit it hard with games and fitness and football on the pitch and hopefully that will show when it comes to the first game.”
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WSL opening weekend fixtures
- 4th September – London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
- 5th September – Chelsea vs Aston Villa
- 6th September – Brighton vs Arsenal
- 6th September – Tottenham vs West Ham
- 6th September – Charlton vs Liverpool
- 6th September – Crystal Palace vs Everton
- 6th September – Manchester City vs Birmingham City
Neville believes this season will be the most competitive yet, with the WSL expanding to 14 teams and many of those having invested heavily in their squads – namely London City Lionesses, Arsenal, Chelsea and the full-back’s former club, Tottenham.
Charlton are mindful of what’s to come this term and will approach each game sensibly, according to the Spurs icon.
She continued: “Being new to the league, it’s trying to work out how the opposition are going to play. The WSL is, for me, the best women’s league to watch and play in and the football here is incredible.
“The pace of the game is only getting better with players coming in and younger players coming through.
“We’re a team that wants to play with the ball, very attacking, we’ve got some really good forward players that are fast and direct and great finishers.
“But I think we’re going to be very sensible in a sense of what we’re coming up against and assessing what other teams are going to do, because being in the WSL last year, a lot of teams now are very front-footed and aggressive with their press and I think we just need to be adaptable to that and know when to play and know also when the ball needs to be moved on from around certain areas.
“But we’re a team that wants to play with the ball and I’m excited for fans to come and watch and see that unfold.”
Neville’s move to Charlton saw her reunite with Hills, who signed her for Tottenham back in 2017.
The full-back kept in contact with the head coach following her departure from Spurs in 2020 and was approached by her about a move at the start of the summer.
“When I first spoke with her and my agent it was really nice just to have a catch up and just for her to explain what she wanted moving forward at the club and what she was looking to do,” Neville said.
“We both said it would be really exciting to work together again and it worked out that way which was really nice.”
The former Spurs defender has long admired Hills and praised her qualities both as a person and coach, adding: “She’s very honest and open and direct with things but on the pitch she’s very demanding which is great for me having a coach that wants more.
“She knows her players very well, she knows when she needs to push more and she knows when things need to settle a little bit.
“But she’s always wanting more from you, which is perfect. It’s challenging but it’s only going to make me better and it’s only going to make the team better.
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“So yeah, I like her work rate on the pitch and how demanding she is of players, knowing the quality that we can produce. If it’s not good enough then yeah, she wants better which is how it should be.”
Charlton kick off their WSL campaign against Liverpool on September 6.