Sydney FC’s W League side rose to second place with a 4-1 win over Newcastle Jets at Adamstown Oval.
Sydney FC-s W League side rose to second place with a 4-1 win over Newcastle Jets at Adamstown Oval.
Capped 125 times by the Matildas, midfielder Heather Garriock is a crucial cog in the Sydney FC system and integral to Sky Blue ambitions of finishing atop the table come seasons end.
Garriock was very pleased by the win, especially after the defeat by Canberra United the week previous.
Drawing comparisons, Garriock said, “It was a completely different game. Canberra outplayed us in the first half, as did Newcastle last weekend. We-re definitely struggling with out first half performances.”
“But in both games, we-ve totally outplayed them in the second half. The biggest difference was that this week we finished our chances, whereas we didn-t against Canberra,” she added.
Garriock, along with Sarah Walsh, Thea Slatyer and Caitlin Foord, was on the scoresheet against Newcastle, but she says there is still plenty to come in terms of her own personal performance.
“I-ve had a slow start to the season. I was coming back from injury, which made things difficult. Every week can get better, I-m not playing my best football but I will hopefully be back at my peak soon”, she admitted.
Garriock has, however, been impressed by a number of her teammates. “Caitlin Foord is having a huge impact off the bench. Estelle Johnson was outstanding last week and our goalkeeper Allison Lipsher has really kept us in some games,” she commented.
The mood in the camp is positive, despite a mixed start to the season. Garriock credits this to the coaching of Alen Stajic.
“It-s been really positive, even if we-ve lost. Alen (Stajic) thought the match against Canberra had been our best so far, even though we went down,” she said.
“There are some exciting times coming up. Lheena Khamis is back from Denmark today, Caitlin Foord will probably get a few starts in the coming weeks and Kyah Simon will also be back,” she added.
The W League side have the weekend off, with their next fixture against Adelaide United on November 26. Garriock said that it would be a good chance to refresh the bodies and minds of the squad.
“It-s nice to have a bit of a rest. It-s a chance to regroup and refocus and kick on for the rest of the season,” she said.
It is a season that promises much for the W League squad and the experienced Garriock is central to their hopes.
