Club News
Varley delighted with 2009
Published by Gillingham Ladies Media on December 23, 2009
Gillingham Ladies manager Ian Varley spoke exclusively to the Gillingham Ladies Official Website and shared his views on the season so far.
“I’ve been absolutely delighted with the first half of the season,” he said.
“We have been far and away the best team in our league and if we carry on playing like we have done then hopefully we’ll end the season as champions.”
Varley and Director of Football Martin Andrews worked hard in the summer to attract quality players to the club and their efforts have paid off, with the side performing superbly in 2009.
“Promotion is a must and I’m expecting the girls to look after themselves properly over Christmas and New Year as we have some massive games at the start of 2010,” Varley explained.
“To be honest I don’t understand why the women’s game has a break over Christmas while the men carry on through. Again I feel it’s another example of how the women’s game isn’t considered a priority.”
The Gills men’s team will be training during the Christmas holiday period and the Ladies will be doing the same, with Varley keen to make sure momentum isn’t lost during the festive period.
“We will continue to train as much as possible during the Christmas and New Year break and hopefully continue where we left off in the first half of the season.”
Gillingham’s improvement has not gone unnoticed with the local and national media, as well as the FA themselves, featuring Gillingham Ladies during 2009. It’s something Varley wants to build on in 2010.
“A lot of people are surprised about how far we’ve come in such a short space of time but I knew we had a team capable of competing in our league and progressing in the FA Cup,” he said.
“To score 101 goals and concede only 12 so far this season is an outstanding achievement and the girls deserve all the praise they have been getting.
“Myself and the girls know we’ve won nothing yet and we’re going to have to continue to work extremely hard to make sure this season is the most successful one in the club’s history.”
Finally, Varley asked us to pass on a message to everyone who has supported or helped the team this season.
“I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for your great support in 2009 and hopefully we’ll see you again in 2010!”