It was a tough start to the season for the Illawarra Stingrays but coach Steve Gordon said the cards were finally falling into place following their 2-0 win against Blacktown on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The victory for Gordon's side at Macedonia Park was crucial for a number of reasons. It was the first time this season that the team has gone back-to-back, following their away win the week prior against Football NSW Institute.
Read more: Spencer relishing his next Flame chapter
A double from Stingrays stalwart Michelle Carney was enough to separate the two sides as the Stingrays jumped up the ladder to equal eighth after lingering down the bottom for the opening months of the season.
The side welcomed back A-League Women star Chloe Middleton as well as Japanese import Sakura Nojima for Blacktown's visit and Gordon said that they made the world of difference.
"Having Chloe and Sakura back gave us that little bit extra, especially on the ball," he said.
"Sakura's great in the middle of the park and we created a lot of chances off her. It was tricky conditions being cold and windy.
"We had a very good first half. The girls really played well and scored early which was great. It was a good team goal by playing out from the back that Carney scored.
"It was just pleasing. It has been a long-time, something like a year and a half since the girls have gone back-to-back. So it's been quite a while. It was excellent seeing reserve grade get up 3-0 as well so it was a great day for the club in terms of club championship points with two wins and two clean sheets in the seniors."
The positive news keeps on coming for the Stingrays, with a number of experienced players set to return to the side across the coming weeks, which will only bolster the squad as a whole.
"Sarina [Bolden] is on international duty but she will be back in the next two weeks," Gordon added.
"Danika Matos is back in two weeks. We've obviously got young Meg Roden from Canberra who is coming, she's about two or three weeks away and then speedy Canberra winger Sasha Grove is also keen to come and play.
Read more: After derby win, how far can Sydney FC go?
The task does get harder for the Stingrays in their next fixture however.
The side will travel away on Sunday evening to take on leaders APIA - who are yet to lose a match and sit seven points clear at the top of the table.
Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.