Lucy Barraclough: “We’ve learned a lot from the first half of the season”

Women’s Under-19s defender Lucy Barraclough is targeting a stronger second half to the campaign after a season full of ‘highs and lows’ so far in the Professional Game Academy (PGA) League.

After finishing seventh in the first phase of the PGA League, our young side were placed into division two for the second phase of the competition and are currently placed in fifth after the first three games – including a win against Liverpool and draw with London City Lionesses before winning the subsequent penalty shootout for a bonus point.

The young defender, who joined us from Liverpool’s Academy in the summer of 2024, is just one of two players to have featured in every game this term and has started in 15 of 16 games this term, with four of those coming in the FA Women’s National League – a cup competition that saw our youngsters go toe-to-toe with senior opposition.

One of the more experienced players in the squad, Lucy wants to use the strong end to the campaign before the festive break as a platform for when they return in the new year – an away trip to Newcastle United on Wednesday 7 January.

“It’s been good so far,” she told us, reflecting on the season to date. “There have been highs and lows, but as a team we’ve really started to come together. We’ve learned a lot from the first half of the season, and hopefully we can take that into the second half.

“It’s been really beneficial,” Lucy added, when asked about facing senior sides in the cups. “Technically, I think we’re very good, but the physicality is completely different at senior level. Being able to perform under that pressure while still using your technical ability is a great learning experience.”

Competing in her second year in the Academy set-up, Lucy reflected on how much she has grown as a player since wearing the Lilywhite shirt and what the target is heading into the second half of the season.

“Last season, I started quite strongly as having Nick’s [Hardy] confidence in me really helped me improve, and I gained a lot of momentum by starting most games,” she added. “This season, I’m just trying to carry that forward and keep performing.

“We’ve been placed in the second division based on the first half of the season, and I think we can definitely aim to finish as high as possible. The Leicester City result was disappointing but we analysed it, reflected on it, and we came back with a good win against Liverpool and a good performance against London City Lionesses. If we carry that momentum forward, hopefully we’ll get positive results in the new year.”