Wanderers Liberty A-League captain Amy Harrison on this Sunday’s match against Wellington.
The Wander Women will not only be fighting for three points, but also the Sister Cities Shield which will be in contention at this Sunday’s fixture.
Formalised close to 40 years ago, the sister cities agreement between Blacktown City in Western Sydney and Porirua in Wellington was established to promote cultural and commercial ties between the two cities.
“I think it’s a really good initiative. You wouldn’t think that there’s a connection between two different countries, let alone two cities so I think it’s cool,” said Harrison.
“It’s always nice to win something as well not just a game.”
This season marks the first time Harrison has worn the captain’s armband for the club with the midfielder placing an importance on a full-team mentality in which everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.
“I believe in making sure that every single player, no matter who they are – a starter or a sub, making sure that they’re all playing a role.
“Making sure that they’re believing in themselves and putting their best foot forward.
“If individually we can all be the best then that helps the team.
“So my role is really making sure that everyone is believing in themselves, knowing their roles, knowing our plan and just making sure we’re all working as a collective.”
Harrison and the Wander Women have had a full week to prepare for Sunday afternoon’s fixture against Wellington and have focused heavily on their defensive structure.
“(We’ve focused on) defensive structure first and foremost. It’s a really important part of football. If you defend well, you’ve basically got yourself a point,” explained Harrison.
“Then on the reverse side of that, it’s about how to turn attack from that defensive structure so that’s been a real big focus.
“Just getting everyone on the same page, that’s the most important thing in football.
“When you’re all on the same page, learning the same goals, then you get the same results so that’s been the most important thing so far.”
Sunday’s opponent, Wellington, also come into the match after a disappointing defeat in their opening round to Melbourne City.
The Red & Black have plenty to build on after an impressive second half performance in the Sydney Derby and will be looking to repeat the result of their last meeting with Wellington which saw them snatch three points.
“I think (Wellington) took to City really well and a 1-0 result is a decent result for them,” said Harrison.
“We just need to trust our process and really execute what we’re working on.
“The second half (against Sydney) we executed our game plan really well, so to be able to do that when you’re up against the wall was a positive.
“This week is a new challenge, a new team so we’re really looking forward to it.”
