“I can’t speak highly enough of the players” - Ewes come from behind to win at Pride Park

At half-time, Sam Griffiths knew she needed to do something. Playing at Pride Park for the first time in two-and-a-half years, her Ewes side were behind.

Sian Gibrill-Keating had nodded Hull City Ladies in front after getting on the end of a free kick midway through the first half. Not long after Derby captain Emily Joyce had headed against the bar from a corner at the other end, it was the golden chance that Hull had been begging for. On what was arguably the biggest occasion since their FA WNL Plate win in April of 2024, the Ewes were on the back foot.

The opening 25 minutes had been tough, as both sides struggled to adapt to playing in the space provided by the bigger Pride Park pitch. That trend continued to the break, with clear-cut chances few and far between, although striker Layla Kennerley was denied by a couple of strong Hull blocks.

“I was a little bit worried going in at half-time,” Griffiths told Rams Review. “I didn't think we started the game very well. I think there was a lot of emotions that got the better of players today. So, we knew we'd got to make some changes at half-time and it was how the players would react to that.”

There were “no tactical discussions”, but Griffiths “had some words” with her players in the break, and their reaction was stellar. The hosts came out fired up, with real vigour to their play. Tempo, up. Energy, up. And the crowd soon followed suit.

“I think you saw a totally different Derby team second half, which I can't speak highly enough of the players for that,” Griffiths added.

Substitutes Minnie Wilson and Georgia Stevens changed the game, bringing, “Heart, desire, a bit of energy, a bit of grit”, according to Griffiths. Stevens’ presence in the frontline saw Derby start winning their physical battles as she combined well with Wilson down the right. But it was a scorcher from the centre which restored parity.

After Eleanor Ashton was brought down 35 yards from goal, Stevens joined Becky May in standing over the free kick. Blasted from range, the not-so-dead ball span through the air, with the kiss off the crossbar a kiss of new life for the Pride Park crowd.

“I thought it would hit the crossbar, I thought it would bounce out, so I’ve got a bit lucky there” Stevens humbly told Rams TV. “I just get a feeling of whether I feel good enough to score, and I just had a good feeling, so thought, why not?

“Pretty happy with that.”

Let’s just say that Stevens was not the only one; I might have thrown the whole ‘no fans in the press box’ thing out of the window. Whoops. Pride Park will do well to see a sweeter strike all season, and it set the tone for the Ewes, who had just over half an hour to find a winner.

But it took just six minutes for Emily ‘salmon’ Joyce, as former Halifax striker Stevens christened her post-match, to do just that. With the number 17’s delivery having only been cleared as far as Jess Melrose on the right-hand side of the box, the right back was able to deftly lift a left-footed cross to the back post. In a new more advanced midfield role, there was the captain to send a diving header back across goal and into the bottom-right corner.

Griffiths explained: “Joycey is usually, well, she is a four, so she usually holds. So, in possession, she's the one that will sit in front of the back four and give us a bit of security. But this week, we wanted to get more players forward.

“We wanted to get more players in the box, and we know she's got the energy to do that. So, we've done some work on her arriving in the box. Would I have put my money on her arriving at the back post with a diving header? Probably not, but I'll take it.”

Joyce’s sentiments were similar, adding: “We said this week about getting me higher and then obviously Sam just said I don't think she expected me to score, but I'll take that.”

Now the crowd was buzzing. This was the Pride Park return the Ewes would have envisaged. Momentum firmly with them, Stevens went close to a second, while May also fired over the bar. While goalkeeper Lucy Jones and her defence had to remain switched on to deny Erin Nicholson twice and keep out a series of stoppage time corners.

The victory, Derby County Women’s first at Pride Park since 2022, sees them move up to seventh in the FA WNL Northern Premier Division ahead of Sunday’s trip to Boldmere St Michaels. But for Griffiths, this game was always about more than the result.

She said: “I've had a couple of comments [from fans] that it's the first women's game they've been to. They want to continue supporting us. That's the bigger picture for me as well.”

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Goals: Stevens 58’, Joyce 64’ | Gibrill-Keating 25’.

Derby County Women (4-3-3): Jones (GK); Melrose (Russell 89’), Sharrocks, Sparkes, Mason; May, Donnison (Wilson 46’), Joyce (C); Ashton (Norton 87’), Kennerley, O'Connor (Stevens 46’).

Unused Subs: Naismith (GK); Ward; Green.