Burr necessities

Kelsie Burrows says Cliftonville Ladies will not wilt under the weight of expectation – because it is the players themselves who drive those standards.

The Sports Direct Women’s Premiership Champions will bid to add the Premiership League Cup to the County Antrim Cup they lifted last month when they take on Sion Swifts Ladies in tonight’s Final at Stangmore Park, where Burrows expects to be met with a reaction from an opponent that suffered a rare loss at the weekend.

“I think a defeat makes everyone more dangerous because they always feel they have to redeem themselves,” she explains, “but with the winning streak that we are on, I feel that makes us even more dangerous to other teams.

“Everyone looks forward to a Cup Final but we are fully focused on Sion and we know what we expect from them and we are prepared, like any other game, to face them.”

Despite losing to the Strabane outfit in last year’s League Cup Final, Cliftonville are favourites to exact revenge and parade the silverware this evening – which brings a pressure that Burrows is only too willing to embrace.

“We have very high expectations for ourselves and from other people, so we expect to be challenging for trophies every year with the experience and players that we have,” adds the 22-year-old former Blackburn Rovers defender.

“We thrive off that challenge.”

Women’s Premiership League Cup Final
Thursday, Stangmore Park (7.45pm)
Adults: £5
Under-16s: Free