Beard: The 9-0 win had been coming
Liverpool Ladies manager Matt Beard has revealed he was not that surprised by seeing his team hit the goal trail in fine style with a 9-0 mauling of Doncaster Belles last weekend.
The victory saw the ladies strengthen their position at the top of the Women's Super League and with four games left they are fighting hard to win the title.
It is a remarkable transformation for a team that finished bottom of the table last season and Sunday's trip to Birmingham is another must-win game.
Reigning champions Arsenal are still the big threat with two games in hand, but Beard insists his team have to keep on winning if they are to achieve their championship dream.
Sunday's clash with Birmingham is at Stratford Town FC and kick-off is at 2pm BST.
First of all Matt, the 9-0 win at Doncaster last weekend...did you see that coming?
Not really and it was a funny night. We started really well and our first-half performance was top drawer. We passed the ball well, created a lot of chances and the biggest difference on the night was we took our chances and were ruthless in front of goal. That has been coming for a while with regards to the number of goals we scored.
You were 7-0 up at half-time. In your managerial career to date have you ever been involved in a half quite like that?
No. The goals that we scored were quality and the most pleasing thing was that we had six different goalscorers on the night. If you look at the goals we have scored this season, we have Natasha Dowie as the division's top scorer with Nicole Rolser in second place and that is pleasing.
That's 15 goals in just 17 appearances for Natasha this season after her hat-trick at Doncaster. What a signing she has been for you...
She has done well. Nicole takes a lot of credit and I told her at training the other night that her assists and the problems she causes teams has been unbelievable. She set up a goal for Natasha the other night and won a penalty. I knew what Natasha would do when we signed her. We do create a lot of chances and she has adapted her game slightly to the way we play and long may it continue. We are blessed with players that can create chances and we have players who can put the ball in the back of the net. I brought Katie Longhurst in to the squad during the transfer window and I was delighted to see her get a goal at Doncaster. She hasn't had as many minutes as she would have liked but she understands that she has got to be patient with the team playing as well as they are. Right way across the board we have goalscorers in this team and it shows how well we have done.
With Natasha being the league's top scorer surely an England recall can't be too far away?
You never know. Brent Hills has taken charge with Hope Powell having left so we'll see what he wants to do. All I know is Natasha has been fantastic for us. She has scored goals and has continued that in the second part of this season. I'm sure she will be at the forefront of his mind but you never know.
Birmingham away then next up on Sunday. You beat them 4-1 at home back in June so what are you expecting this time around?
Birmingham are a good side. They finished second in the league last season and they have also played in Europe, so it won't be an easy game. One thing you find with Birmingham is they are organised and hard working. They have some world-class players in their team so we will have to be at our best, so as long as we can take confidence from our performance at Doncaster then I'm confident we can produce and score goals again - but we have to stick to our game plan.
Four games to go in the race for the Super League title but you have to rely on Arsenal dropping a point or two along the way if you are to win this league...
It's out of our hands now and all we can do is win our matches. As long as we win, that will put pressure on Arsenal and that will put pressure on Bristol as they are still in it as well. If someone can manage to nick a few points off Arsenal along the way that would be fantastic, but we are proud of our achievements so far today. To be there or thereabouts at this stage is pleasing.
How much credit do the girls deserve this season because it's been a phenomenal turnaround in fortunes hasn't it?
The players have been fantastic. I've said it time and time again as you look at the two 4-3 wins against Bristol and Chelsea, that shows the character of the players. There's a lot of character within the group and their eagerness to learn and to improve is second to none. I'm pleased with what we have achieved so far and if we could win it that would be one heck of an achievement. To finish second and qualify for Europe would be just as good.
You away form has been fantastic hasn't it, with five wins out of six? What do you put that down to?
It's better than our home form. It worries me a bit our home form. I don't know whether it's the pitch we play on as it's an artificial surface. When we play on grass we zip the ball about and our play is really good and that's something we may have to look at. Away from home teams do have to come at us as well so maybe that is also a factor.
For you as a manager has the success this season more than justified your move to the club because to go from bottom of the league to top of the table has been nothing short of a remarkable transformation?
I'm really enjoying my time here. Me and my family have really settled up here and we are happy. On the training pitch the girls have been a pleasure to work with. Even though our recruitment process was difficult we managed to get the right character in. This is a fantastic club. Unless you are a fan or work here you don't know just big it is. The ethics and its morales are fantastic. I'm pleased with the job we have done so far but there is still lots of room for improvement. We need to improve our set-up and we are working hard to do that behind the scenes, so fingers crossed we can kick on and be one of the more dominant forces in the women's game for many years to come.
Click here for the latest news about the Liverpool Ladies, or visit their official website.