Norwich City Women’s head coach Shaun Howes says it was heartbreaking for his team to lose to Stevenage on Sunday, despite being the better team for the majority of the match.
The Canaries lost the FA Women’s National League Division One South East match 2-1, despite creating the better chances and having the chance to take the lead in the second half through a penalty.
“If we had gone 2-1 up, I think we would have won the game comfortably, but missing the penalty gave them (Stevenage) a confidence boost to push on," said Shaun.
“They scored on the counterattack, which we should have defended better. After that, we created opportunities to have attempts at goal, but we were really good up to the penalty area and just didn’t create enough within the final third to give us real clearcut chances. However, we dominated the game and I think even their coach has said that we were the better team, and they got a little bit fortunate, but sometimes that is the luck you need.”
Speaking about improving that clinical edge going forward as Norwich City look to avoid relegation from the division with five games of the season to go, Shaun added: “We talk about belief all the time and I think it is just having that confidence to take it on yourself, have a go at goal, or make that forward run.
“It is being clever in what we do as well. Sometimes we try and complicate things too much. We should try and make it simple and easy for ourselves, but we over complicate it and potentially having an extra touch when we don’t need to. It is about making better decision and I think that will come with belief and confidence, but on the run we are on at the minute nothing seems to be going our way.
“In a season these things normally balance themselves out, but it just seems like everything is going against us. It is heartbreaking for the girls because they put so much effort into and got nothing out of it, which was really hard for them to take.
“The girls are a great bunch and, whatever happens, I am really proud of everything they have achieved and everything that they are doing and hopefully we will get a bit of luck and things will turn our way.”