Dan McNamara gave his reflections after his Wolves Women side were beaetn 6-0 by WSL side Brighton on Wednesday night.
Despite a hopeful first half performance, the WSL outfit ultimately proved too strong for The Old Gold in the Subway Players’ Cup.
McNamara was full of praise for the travelling side, who set the example of the quality gap between the top two leagues.
Overall assessment of the game
“I'm proud of the players because I thought they had a right go in certain moments, but I think it just confirms how big that gap is getting between WSL and even WSL2.
“I thought there were moments where it was frightening to watch from the side, so I don't know what it was like to be in the mix of it. The way they moved the ball, their rotations, their movement off the ball.
“If I reflect back to the Man United team that were here two or three years ago, they're [Brighton] well beyond what we come up against that day, and they (Manchester United) were good.
“There's plenty for us to work on, we knew that. Tonight's not going to define our season, it's one of them. You've got to take your medicine, learn from it and be ready to go again.”
On lessons to be taken
“As I said, the best team I've ever faced. I think they were outstanding. But as I said, I am proud of the girls, I am proud they gave it a right-good go.
“We nearly get in at 1-0 at half-time. I think it was about 90 seconds away from getting in at 1-0. Then they put one in the top corner.
“And then I thought some bright sparks off the bench. Great to see Tara O'Hanlon back on the pitch. I thought she showed some good stuff in the 10-12 minutes she was on.
“So, yes, loads of learning. Disappointment, absolutely. But as I said, you've got to clap Brighton on to the bus and move on to the next. We move on to the next one on Sunday.”
Looking ahead to Bristol City
“I think the big thing for me now is you've got to see a reaction on Sunday. We've conceded 10 goals in two games. That's not a stat that I want us to get used to.
“It's been a long week, with a three-game week. We'll get back in on Friday, and we'll really put some work into that side of our game.
“I think tonight we created some chances. We've got good players on the pitch who’ll show quality in certain moments and threaten the goal.
“We're not defending our goal frame well enough at the minute and that shows with the amount of goals that we've conceded, so we've got to put that right before we move on any further."
