LFC WomenNatasha Dowie on her club record: 'I'm buzzing - I just love scoring goals'
Natasha Dowie was delighted to net her 20th goal in the Barclays Women's Super League for Liverpool FC Women.
The strike came during the Reds’ 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday, as Dowie scored her first goal since her return in January to help the team clinch a vital set of three points.
Free highlights: LFC Women 2-1 Man City
It made her the first player in the club’s history to achieve the feat of 20 WSL goals.
With Reading losing 5-0 to Aston Villa, the victory also saw Matt Beard’s side confirm their top-flight status for 2023-24.
Dowie opened the scoring at Prenton Park as she latched on to a backpass to calmly finish, with Missy Bo Kearns then firing home the winner after an equaliser from Lauren Hemp.
Read on as Dowie reflects on her goal and a big day for the team overall...
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On netting her first strike since returning to the club…
More than anything, just getting the win has made me so happy, especially against a team like Manchester City, who are fighting for a Champions League spot. It wasn’t like we just went 1-0 up and defended for our lives. I actually thought we played some really good football. We showed that against Chelsea as well midweek. Credit to the girls, we haven’t got a big squad and are short on numbers, but to produce the performance we did – especially after the game midweek and getting back late in the early hours of Thursday morning at 4am – is just brilliant and it shows the future of this club. It’s promising, it really is, and a lot of us actually haven’t played together. That’s probably the first time me and Katie Stengel have played up front as a two – it’s building partnerships.
But I’m buzzing, I’m not going to lie! I love scoring goals. I hit the bar against Leicester, then I got injured and I haven’t had too many opportunities in the last couple of games. I knew I had this record as well, so I just wanted to get it over the line and I’m so, so happy.
On the options now in the attacking area of the pitch…
I think we all complement each other really well. Shanice [van de Sanden] has lightning pace and she’s brilliant to bring on for the last 30 minutes to run at their defence. Leanne Kiernan is back in training now, Yana Daniels is still out, but I just feel there are more options now that the manager hasn’t had throughout the season. He has relied heavily on Stengel, but I think she has done a great job. It’s great we have that competition now. We all want each other to do well and I think that’s the beautiful thing about this team. We are such a close team and it’s just a pleasure to be involved in it.
On confirming their safety in the WSL…
It’s nice and I think we deserve it. I know I only came back in January, but the football the team has played, they deserve to be in this league again. Now it’s just about finishing this season as high as possible. This league is so hard, it’s not easy to survive, but we focus on Aston Villa next and then finish the season strongly at home against Manchester United.
On how much she has enjoyed being back at LFC Women…
Every time I put that Liverpool kit on, it brings a big smile on my face. Since I’ve been away, I’ve really missed it and I think I’ve realised how much I missed it. Playing in front of the fans, I feel like a kid again, I really do. I’ve got so much energy playing in this kit and playing in front of these fans. Good things happen, I’ve been working hard and that’s why I got my goal. It’s lovely to score in front of the home crowd, my partner and her family were here and it’s just nice to do it in front of the people I love.