MX23RW : Saturday, September 11 01:38:58| >> :600:27151231:27151231:

Lucy Graham: 'Everton are a force to be reckoned with'

Lucy Graham: 'Everton are a force to be reckoned with'
© Reuters
The contest against holders City at Wembley will be a first final since 2014 for Everton.

Lucy Graham says Everton are "a real force to be reckoned with" and has stressed the self-belief they will take into Sunday's Women's FA Cup final against Manchester City.

The contest against holders City will be a first final since 2014 for the Toffees, whose last trophy came when they won the competition in 2010.

Everton's route to Sunday's showpiece included a 2-1 quarter-final victory last month over Women's Super League champions Chelsea, before winning 3-0 at Birmingham in the last four.

They have made an unbeaten start to the WSL season and currently lie second with 13 points from five games.

Meanwhile City – winners of six trophies from 2014 onwards, including two FA Cups – are fifth with eight points.

Graham, Everton's on-field captain who says she will have an "overwhelming sense of pride" when she leads the team out at Wembley on Sunday, told the PA news agency: "The feeling around the group is electric.

Graham (left) and her Everton team-mates have made an unbeaten start to their WSL campaign (Martin Rickett/PA).
Graham, left, and her Everton team-mates have made an unbeaten start to their WSL campaign (Martin Rickett/PA)

"Potentially we're going into the game as underdogs, based on the fact City have probably more experience in these kind of games.

"I'd say in terms of league form, it's on a knife edge. We've started the league campaign very well. City I'd say, for their standards, haven't started as strong as what they'd expect.

"The cohesion of this group is something I've never really experienced before in terms of positivity, winning mentality.

"We're a real force to be reckoned with and we're not satisfied with just getting to finals – we really believe we can go into these games and win them.

"Getting to finals is a priority but winning these games is the ultimate goal."

The 24-year-old Scotland midfielder joined Everton from Bristol City in 2019, reuniting her with boss Willie Kirk, who she had previously worked with at Hibernian.

Kirk has guided the Merseyside outfit from bottom of the WSL when he took charge in December 2018 to where they are now, via a sixth-placed finish last term.

Graham said of her fellow Scot: "I've known Willie for a long time. I think I first came into contact with him when I was 16, 17 maybe.

"He was the coach that took me to Hibs for the first time, and we've kind of come full circle which is a nice story.

"I've got a lot of respect and time for Willie. I think what he has built here so far shows really how he wants to do things.

"He has brought in some magnificent players. His signings and process are starting to bear fruit now."

Willie Kirk has been in charge at Everton since December 2018 (Anthony Devlin/PA).
Willie Kirk has been in charge at Everton since December 2018 (Anthony Devlin/PA).

She added: "I think that's definitely our goal for the next few seasons – how consistently can we push the boundaries in terms of top two, top three, potentially European football, finding ourselves in cup finals year after year."

Graham has also spoken about her mother, who she lost in 2017 and says she will be very much in her thoughts on Sunday.

"Football has always been my main focus, but she was always the driving force behind it when she was here, and she still remains the driving force, in terms of how hard I work, and my honesty and openness," Graham said.

"She'll be there watching, the best seat in the house. I'll definitely be thinking of her on Sunday."

ID:420578: cacheID:420578:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9634:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
Everton Ladies manager Willie Kirk pictured in November 3029
Read Next:
Wille Kirk: 'Izzy Christiansen will play a huge role in FA Cup final'
>

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Premier League
Championship
Scottish Premiership
La Liga
Serie A
Bundesliga
Ligue 1
Eredivisie
Primeira Liga
League One
League Two
National League
National League North
National League South
Scottish Championship
Scottish League One
Scottish League Two
Turkish Super Lig
Belgian Pro League
Greek Superleague
Swiss Super League
Russian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
Norwegian Eliteserien
Swedish Allsvenskan
Finnish Veikkausliiga
NIFL Premiership
League of Ireland Premier
Welsh Premier League
Belarusian Premier League
Segunda Division
Serie B
2.Bundesliga
Ligue 2
Major League Soccer
Brasileiro
Uruguayan Primera Division
Liga MX
J1 League
Premier League 2 - Div 1
Women's Super League
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Tottenham HotspurSpurs33003039
2West Ham UnitedWest Ham321010557
3Manchester UnitedMan Utd32107257
4Chelsea32106157
5Liverpool32106157
6Everton32107347
7Manchester CityMan City320110196
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton32014316
9Leicester CityLeicester320145-16
10Brentford31203125
11Aston Villa31115414
12Watford310235-23
13Southampton302146-22
14Crystal Palace302125-32
15Leeds UnitedLeeds302148-42
16Burnley301225-31
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle301248-41
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves300303-30
19Norwich CityNorwich3003110-90
20Arsenal300309-90
Olympic medal table header
CountryGold medalSilver MedalBronze MedalT
ChinaChina966051207
Great BritainGreat Britain413845124
United StatesUnited States373631104
Olympics flagParalympic Athletes from Russia363349118
NetherlandsNetherlands25171759

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!