Tractor Girls midfielder and lifelong Town fan Eloise King says helping the Blues to promotion this season would be “so special” to her ahead of Sunday’s crucial top-v-second clash with Oxford United at the AGL Arena in Felixstowe (KO 2pm).
Joe Sheehan’s team, who have won their last seven matches, host the U’s sitting top of the table, two points clear, but with Oxford having two games in hand, although with one of their remaining fixtures at Watford, who are in third and still retaining faint title hopes of their own.
The winners of the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division will face their Northern counterparts in a play-off for a place in the Barclays Championship.
"I think it’s come at a really good time for us,” King told TWTD. "We’re in really good form. Players are banging in the goals, people are hitting top form individually as well and we’re playing well as a team.
"I think it’s come at a great time. We’re well prepared for it and we’re really excited for the occasion.”
Town got off to a slow start this season, losing their first two fixtures but since then have lost only once more in the league.
Was there a hangover from the end of last season when the Blues missed out on top spot and eventually finished third?
"Potentially,” King considered. "But I think another reason could be that we lost Paige [Peake, who joined Southampton] and Lucy [Egan, who was suspended], we lost our defensive unit really, so we had to bring in players like Boz [Maria Boswell] and Megan [Wearing], who’s a young player, to go in the back three.
"They had to get used to that. We had players playing in positions they weren’t familiar with, so it was always going to take a little bit of time to get going.
"But we’re in really good shape now, we’re all familiar with our roles and responsibilities on the pitch, we’ve all played together for quite a while now. We are playing some really nice stuff and winning as well, which is always a bonus.”
Reflecting on the situation at the same stage a year ago, she added: "At this point last season, we couldn’t win the league but now we’ve got something to play for, it’s so much better.
"We’re all pushing really hard toward this end of the season to do as much as we can on and off the pitch to try and put us in the best position possible to get us into that play-off final and promoted.
"It’s a great feeling and one we thrive off of because we know expectations are high, pressure’s high but it’s something that we enjoy being involved in.”
Like Town, Oxford go into the match on an impressive run of form having won their last five games.
"I think Oxford are a team who are really highly rated in this league,” King continued. "We’ve always had tough tests against them especially last year.
"But I think we’re due to beat them this season, so hopefully we can do that on Sunday. They are a good team with a lot of good players, well established, so it will be a tough test.
"A team we have got respect for and we can’t take lightly, but at the same time we still back ourselves.”
In October, the teams drew 1-1 in Oxford at a time King says the Blues were still finding their feet.
"I thought created a lot of chances and probably should have come out with the three points,” she recalled.
"Earlier on the season, like I said, when we were a new team as such, I think going away to Oxford and taking a point, we probably would have taken that at that point in time.
"Not a bad result but we probably could have taken all three from them, but we can’t be too harsh on ourselves because it was a good point away from home.”
Regarding the role Hornets could play in the end-of-season shake-up, she added: "Watford have got Oxford on April 12th, which is my birthday, so I’ll be making a little birthday wish there!
"It’s tight up there. We have got to win all our games. It’s pressure but it’s a position we’d rather be in than not have anything to play for. It’s something we thrive off of.
"We’ve got to win all our games and hopefully Oxford will slip up again and then we’ll get our chance to get in the play-offs.”
Big games have become increasingly common for Joe Sheehan’s side over the last few years, from the top-of-the-table clashes with Southampton last season to the FA Cup ties with Premier League Manchester City and West Ham.
"I think the more you play in the bigger games, the more relaxed you feel when you have to play in them again,” King said.
"We are a young team but we’ve been exposed to so much so young. People could look and think we might be nervous because we’re young but we’ve experienced it all before.
"We used to it and it’s something we thrive off as well because we’ve played in so many. We’re all looking forward to it, it should be a really good occasion.”
In terms of her personal form, she added: "I’m plugging away every day at training with the team, enjoying it as well. It’s a new position for me this season in more of a deeper role that I feel suits me better, one I can play quite freely in as well.
"I’m enjoying it, I think that’s the main thing. With confidence and being able to perform well, you have to play freely and play with confidence, so I’m looking forward to it.”
King says the Blues’ support will have a part to play on Sunday with the club hoping for a big turnout.
"They’ve been exceptional this season,” she said. "We’ve really noticed a change and it’s great when you’re on the pitch and you can hear them, playing the drum, singing, it really helps you get motivated.
"In the last minutes in the game if you know you need to score a goal and you’ve got the fans backing you, it’s a really good feeling.”
Boss Sheehan, who today was named the FAWNL Premier Division Manager of the Month for March, celebrated his 100th game in charge of the Blues last weekend and King paid tribute.
"I’ve known Joe for quite a while now,” she continued. "He was with me at my last club, Essex RTC. We get on well, he’s a good young coach who has aspirations to go to the top. It’s good to be on the journey with him.”
King hails from Sudbury and says that having been a Town fan before she was a player, a title win and promotion to the Championship would mean an awful lot to her.
"It’s something that’s so special,” she said. "I didn’t even dream about it. I knew I wanted to play for Ipswich when I was younger, but to win a title and get promoted, it’s just another level.
"It would mean so much to me on a personal note supporting Ipswich my whole life, it would probably be the highlight of my career so far.”
When did she first visit Portman Road? "I reckon I was about four! I remember players like Carlos Edwards, Pablo Couñago, players I used to watch and almost be obsessed with because I wanted to be like them and play for Ipswich and play at Portman Road, which hopefully I will do one day.”
That could happen next season with the new hybrid, harder-wearing pitch being installed over the summer.
"I’ve played for Ipswich for quite a while now and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and if we can do that next year it will be amazing,” she said.
"It’s always been a dream that I’ve wanted to play on the Portman Road pitch.”