Louise Septs the standard

Congratulations to Louise McDaniel, who has been named September’s Sports Direct Women’s Premiership Player of the Month by the NI Football Writers’ Association.

The 26-year-old opened the month with a hat-trick in Cliftonville Ladies’ victory over Derry City Women at Brandywell Stadium and was also on target in a 3-1 home win against Lisburn Rangers – a result that effectively ensured the Reds would be League Champions.

Delighted to have secured a personal accolade alongside the Premiership crown, McDaniel is now firmly on countdown to the Women’s Irish Cup Final, when Cliftonville will bid to complete a trophy treble by winning the competition for the third year in a row.

“It was a nervous month,” she commented.

“It was touch and go for a while, but we got over the line in the end, which was a huge relief.

“We had a lot of injuries towards the end of the season, but our younger players stepped up and showed their potential.

“The women’s game is growing all the time, and you can see that the next generation is going to carry that forward.

“We still have one game to go, with the Women’s Cup Final against Glentoran on October 24 after the internationals, so there’s still plenty to play for.”