Beth Mead admits Sunderland have surprised themselves with their form in FA WSL 1 but the striker says this weekend’s clash against reigning champions Liverpool will be a true test of their title credentials.
Sunderland, promoted from WSL 2 only last season, sit proudly at the summit of the top tier after nine games – the most impressive of which a 4-0 victory against fellow title rivals Chelsea in July.
Sunderland v Liverpool
The FAWSL 1
The Hetton Centre
6.30pm Saturday 8 August 2015
ticketstores.co.uk/fawsl
Mead has led the charge with 10 goals in nine league games, and the England Under-23s international says thoughts have turned towards a possible tilt at glory.
Yet standing in their way on Sunday are a side who know exactly what it takes to win the FA Women’s Super League with BT Sport, and Mead is looking forward to Saturday’s challenge.
“It’s all quite surreal at the moment, particularly winning against a team who were unbeaten in Chelsea,” said Mead.
“We were tipped for relegation at the start of the season and we’ve proved a point that we should be in this league and that it doesn’t take world-class players to get you there – though I think we’ve even surprised ourselves at how well we’ve done.
“Liverpool have not hit the heights of last season but they’ve got so much experience having won the title twice in a row. But we’ve got home advantage and are confident of the win.
“It’s hard not think about winning the title, you need to stay grounded and in our five games to go we’ve got tough away matches at Chelsea and Man City.”
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By contrast, Liverpool’s Martha Harris insists she has not been shocked by how well Sunderland have taken to life in WSL 1.
Much like last season, Liverpool have made a sluggish start to the season but a win this weekend could reignite a push for a third successive title.
The Reds find themselves nine points adrift of the league leaders, albeit with a game in hand, and England Under-23s defender Harris says there is no room for error at the Hetton Centre.
“For us, it’s a must-win game if we’re to keep in the title race,” she said. “Knowing what we did last season and how we made a late season surge to win the title, we’re taking faith from that.
“I’ve not been surprised at all by how well Sunderland have done this season, they have some quality players like Beth Mead who can really hurt you.
“They’ve adapted to the league really well and made a great start, and if they keep playing as well there’s no reason why they can’t last the distance.”
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