After romping to a third title in a row last season, manager Mick Mulhern insists Sunderland will aim to be even stronger ahead of their debut FA WSL season.
The Lady Black Cats’ third successive triumph in The FA Women’s Premier League National Division last year came with just one defeat.
Mulhern, who has been at the helm for over 14 years, admits a League Cup semi-final defeat to Leeds United was the only regret of another excellent campaign.
And with a different challenge on the horizon, he believes a fear of losing will keep driving the team on to new heights.
He said: "Last year’s highs were winning the league for the third time and I suppose the low was losing the League Cup semi-final, though we had several players injured and one was away with England.
"The Cup was one of our primary aims heading into the season and we wanted to do well in it.
"We also did well in The FA Women’s Cup, losing to Liverpool who are a top team. The ladies were bitterly disappointed.
"The season before we lost two league games so that makes it only three league defeats in three years.
"We’ve been doing OK but it’s never nice to lose when you have that winning mentality. We never play for draws, we play to win games.
"I work quite hard with the players on that winning mentality and they have the same hopes and expectations that I have.
"I wouldn’t want any players in the squad who thought about anything else but winning really."
While Beth Mead lit up the goalscoring charts last year with 30 goals in 28 league games the team only conceded 16 which, according to Mulhern, shows there are no weak links in Sunderland’s chain of success.
But he reserved a special mention for 17-year-old midfielder Abbey Joice, who initially struggled to find her self-belief before rounding off the year in storming style.
Mulhern added: "We brought her here last summer to develop in our reserves and within a few months she was in the first team squad.
"I know she was a bit intimidated by that at first, she didn’t think she was good enough but we played her in the right games early on.
"We blooded her in the League Cup and she came on really well. She progressed so well that she got player of the match against Liverpool in The FA Cup."
He continued: "It’s about the team ethic. Everyone played their part and it would be unfair to single people out.
"Beth [Mead] takes the plaudits because she was the goalscorer but from our goalkeeper Rachael Laws, who had a good year, to our skipper Steph Bannon who is solid at the back, our standards were high."
