Coach Focus: Mick Mulhern — Sunderland WFC

Sunderland’s long-serving manager reflects on a third consecutive FA Women’s Premier League title and looks ahead to FA WSL 2, which does not kick off until March 2014. Mick Mulhern says the league was always the main focus and that he deliberately stayed away from the club’s WSL bid to keep the players focused, praising a committed squad who travel, train through winter and are not paid. He notes that losing players to youth internationals hurts FAWPL clubs more than WSL sides, citing a League Cup semi-final defeat by Leeds with Beth Mead away. Julie Twaddle will run strength and conditioning before a December pre-season, and he expects a season or two to close the fitness gap. He is proud that Steph Houghton, Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze and Jordan Nobbs are in England’s squad.