‘It would be unreal to be able to lift the trophy, but we’ve got a job to do’, says Manchester City’s Alanna Kennedy
ALANNA KENNEDY says being sidelined by an Achilles injury earlier this season was a frustrating period.
Now the tenacious Manchester City defender wants to help her side become WSL champions for the first time in eight years.
The end of this season could result in the WSL leaders fulfilling their dream of winning the title for the first time since 2016.
Before their final two games the Manchester side have been in formidable form, winning 14 of their last 15 league fixtures since November 12th.
However Arsenal, who they play this afternoon, won their last top-flight duel 2-1 in November.
Six points separate Taylor from the second-placed Blues who host Bristol this evening and have a game in hand.
With Chelsea having lost to Liverpool midweek, the league leaders are now closer to a title-winning triumph for the first time under Gareth Taylor.
And Kennedy, who has won top-flight trophies in Australia and the United States, hopes to do so for the first time in England.
The defender said: “It’s been a goal of mine on an individual front but also as a collective.
“For as long as I’ve been here, we’ve had a frustrating couple of seasons, and there’s so much potential.
“I feel this season it’s all coming to fruition and we’ve still got a job to do.
“But it would just be an unreal feeling to be able to lift the trophy, especially with this group of girls.”
Following an August 2021 City move as a free agent following her departure from Tottenham in May that year, Kennedy has at times seen her playing time disrupted by injury.
A shoulder fracture in September 2022 delayed her start to the WSL season back then.
And the defender’s return to the pitch in December that year was derailed by a calf niggle which later turned out to be a tendon problem at the back of her knee.
Part of this season has seen Kennedy sidelined for just over eight weeks by an Achilles problem.
An injury that forced her withdrawal in the 46th-minute of a City win against Aston Villa last December.
It was not until this February that the talented centre-back made her comeback with a solid shift during City’s 1-0 Conti Cup quarters defeat of Tottenham.
Reflecting on her injury spell and return to action, Kennedy added: “As a player you always want to be on the pitch and in those moments.
“But I think we’ve done a really good job of making sure that everyone feels just as important, whether you are on the pitch or whether you aren’t.
“I think the girls who haven’t played as much as well have also played a huge role in that.
“Even during my time off, out through injury, you still feel valued and that there’s something you can bring to help from the bench as well.
“It was a frustrating period, but I’m happy to be back in the squad and be able to contribute on the pitch.”
Kennedy’s return has coincided with a storming run of nine wins from 11 games for Man City across all competitions.
A run that has seen just five goals slip past their battle-hardened defence.
Four points from their two remaining WSL fixtures this season would see the team win the title for the second time in their history.
Kennedy reckons this would be the icing on the cake following the two seasons where City have finished third and fourth.
The Australia ace, who has made 15 WSL appearances this term, said: “We badly want to be able to have something to show for the performances we’ve put in over the last few years.
“I guess our mentality has been a lot stronger this season following those missed opportunities.
“We’ve had that shared experience in the past of something that you don’t want to feel again.
“Hopefully, this season is our time.”