After a successful debut season in charge of Coventry City Ladies manager Craig Nicholls has every reason to be full of optimism ahead of the upcoming 2014/15 campaign.
The Sky Blues kick off their FA Women's Premier League North campaign on Sunday, having won the Southern equivalent in magnificent style last season.
A remarkable sequence of results on their way to success included a 15-game unbeaten run in the league where they were victorious in 14 of their 20 league games before clinching the title away at Portsmouth.
Nicholls' side also won the Birmingham County FA Cup for the third consecutive season, progressed to the semi final of the FA Premier League Cup and gave a very good account of themselves in front of the BBC cameras in a narrow 5th Round defeat to Super League side Notts County at Meadow Lane in the FA Womens Cup.
“Obviously last season was a great one for us, and that is credit to everyone involved with the club,” said Nicholls.
“I am truly excited for the new season. People are saying how different it will be for us this term because it’s another league but myself and my assistant Joe Robinson came in blind last season so it’s almost like starting again. We obviously want to be competitive in every game next season and I fully believe we are capable of being just that. There are some tough teams in the division, for example league winners Sheffield, but believe me when I say we are ready for the challenge.”
Preparations have gone smoothly over the summer for Nicholls with his side winning a pre-season tournament in Leicester at the end of July.
And he is happy to have kept the majority of the squad together.
“I am really pleased with the fitness levels of the squad and it looks like they have been ticking over so to speak during the off season. We have lost a couple of players buthave also made a couple of quality additions,providing strength in depth and competition for places.”
The manager also admitted he sees the FA Cup next season as a stage to showcase what kind of footballing team the Sky Blues are.
“We have ambitions of playing in the Women’s Super League and I believe wehave already demonstrated our ability to be competitive and deliver at that level,” Nicholls added.
“We have shown we are capable and from a personal level I just want to keep improving as a manager and if all goes well then hopefully I can move on with Coventry in to the WSL.”
The Sky Blues kick off their new campaign away at Sheffield FC on Sunday August 24th and their first home game at the Ricoh Arena will be against Preston on September 28.