Stand-in skipper Kyra Robertson says it will be really special to lead out Ipswich Town Women when they face Plymouth Argyle at Portman Road on Sunday afternoon (KO 2pm).
Robertson is currently wearing the armband after club captain Maria Boswell suffered a knee injury in the recent 1-0 defeat to Hashtag United, the promotion-chasing Blues’ only league defeat this season.
"Definitely something really special for me,” she said. "My mascot is going to be my younger sister, that’s something my family will be very proud of.
"Obviously I’m gutted for Boz not being able to contribute to the occasion but I’d like to think I can walk in her footsteps and be the leader that the team needs in the game and be the role model to put my foot forward and they can follow in my path and we can put a good performance together.
"My family are big Town fans, so it brings another element of it being special and probably something that they’d never have expected, to see their younger sister playing on the pitch that they go and watch the men’s team play on every week.
"Definitely really nice. The club as a whole is just really behind us, so it’s really nice to have the support and to get the opportunity to play here is something I relish.”
The 22-year-old, who grew up in Great Yarmouth, made her first trip to Portman Road when she was almost a babe in arms.
"Thinking back, my mum always says it was when I was two, so I was really young!” she laughed. "I think I sat up in the stands and she said I was glued to the game, I wasn’t distracted and I really enjoyed it.”
The midfielder, who has been with Town since 2021, fondly recalls last year’s first ever women’s league game at Portman Road, in which the Blues defeated Chatham Town 5-0.
"It was a great day,” she said. "Wasn’t fully sure on what to expect in terms of the crowd etc, but I know this town really supports the club as a whole, it’s not just the men’s team, it’s not just the glamorous fixtures they play every week.
"At Felixstowe we get a good crowd, so I knew that in some capacity that would be replicated and I think it was just before the game we were sat in the changing room getting ready and [chairman and CEO] Mark Ashton came in and broke the news that we’d hit 10,000 and all of us, we couldn’t really believe it, if I’m honest.
"And then walking out, we could hear the crowd and it was amazing, and to top it off with the 5-0 win as well was something we were really happy with.”
She remembers that 10,000-plus crowd making themselves heard in the early stages of the match.
"When Pesk [Sophie Peskett] was driving down the wing, as she does every week, all you could hear was everyone getting on their feet, getting behind her and I think it was a good start for us and it really helped us going forward.
"I think we were quite a young squad at the time, a lot of players under the age of 20, so to come out and still be able to execute the game plan and really put a good account of ourselves out to the fanbase and everyone watching was something we were really happy with and something we’d like to do again this time.”
It’s hoped that this year’s attendance will be nearer to 15,000 than last year’s 10,000 with more than 9,000 tickets having already been sold.
"I think there’s no pressure on the crowd, we’ll see on the day what happens. We’ve sold a lot already, which we’re really happy about,” Robertson added.
"I think last year it really took off in the last week and we could expect the same. But I think the position we’re in in the league, looking to capitalise on the opportunity of earning three points will be our main focus.”
Robertson was pleased she and her teammates were able to inspire youngsters with last March’s display with fewer footballing female role models when she was growing up.
"It’s definitely something I’m really proud of, last year being the trailblazers, it was really nice to be the first ones to do it,” she continued.
"Looking at my childhood, there wasn’t so much support in the women’s game, something which over the years has really built, especially at this club it’s something that I think is so equal. We’re treated exactly the same as everyone else around the training ground, which some other clubs aren’t as lucky to have.
"To inspire the younger generation is really nice. There aren’t many women’s players I would have looked at when I was younger, it probably would have been a male player, so to be the player for younger girls [to look up to] it’s really nice and I hope we can carry on doing that moving forward.
"I was a Manchester United fan and one of the players that inspired me would be Cristiano Ronaldo, just looking at work ethic alone, that’s probably one of the reasons why he is the best in the world, or one of.”
While skipper Boswell, with whom Robertson and forward Peskett share a house, misses out on leading the team out due to her injury, her understudy says the full-back will still play a role.
"I’m gutted for her that she won’t be able to be involved this week but I know as the captain she’s really behind us and she’ll do everything she can on the day and preparing in the week to get behind the girls and make sure we know we’re supported by her,” Robertson said.
"I live with her and Pesk and we’re just trying to keep her in good spirits and hopefully get her back as soon as possible.
"She’s known for being very good at winning the toss, so every week before the game, on the day, I ask her to call heads or tails. That’s something I’ve given her, I think maybe it makes her feel a bit more involved as well.
"And also maybe I don’t want to lose it myself, so I still put the pressure on her and she’s won both of them so far.”
Town go into the match second in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division, three points behind Hashtag but with two games in hand on the Essex side.
Plymouth are second-bottom of the table with the Blues having won 5-1 at Home Park earlier in the season.
However, despite the sides battling at different ends of the table, Robertson says the Pilgrims won’t be underestimated.
"I think they’re a team we can’t take lightly, recently they’ve picked up better results than maybe at the start of the season and new management coming in as well, so potentially might play a different way,” she said.
"I think in previously years it’s been a fixture we would expect to win, but I think with the division growing and becoming more competitive, there’s never a week you can go in and expect the three points without really working for them.
"We’ll apply the same principles that we do every week and hope to put a good account of ourselves out and hopefully that will earn us the three points.”
Tickets for Sunday’s match are available here.