Molly’s Mission (Molly Bartrip interview)

England Under-20 defender Molly Bartrip, a key part of Reading’s WSL 2 title win, describes a baptism of fire in the top flight where wins have been hard to come by. The tempo and physical side have taken adjusting to, she says, and things you get away with in WSL 2 you cannot get away with above it. She praises the club for exposing a core of home-grown British players – Lauren Bruton, Becky Jane, Emma Follis – to the top division, and calls it the closest club she has been at, with Helen Ward an inspiration who is also like her mum. Head coach Kelly Chambers, she notes, was back on the sidelines twelve days after giving birth.