Player Interview: Gilly Flaherty — Gilly the Heart in the Arsenal Defence

The Girls on the Ball team interview Arsenal’s central defender in a season disrupted by a three-point deduction. Gilly Flaherty says the squad knew before the Birmingham game and that spirits were high in training afterwards, and reckons two draws against Lincoln and Bristol cost them more than the punishment. She argues the league must go full-time rather than only two or three clubs training daily. With the title gone, retaining the Continental Cup matters more, and Europe can now only be reached by winning it. She is pleased with her own form and highlights three goals after two years without one. She works in a primary school three days a week, coaches Millwall under-13s and sells Herbalife. She competed in weightlifting, qualifying for the European Championships but missing them for an England camp.