In the hotseat for this week’s one-on-one interview, we have Gills Ladies striker Natalie Crinean.

What position do you play?

I play centre forward, but am always willing to try new positions.

Tell us about your footballing career so far.

I’m a ‘has been’ at 18! I was involved in the England U17 setup for a while and played in the U17 World Cup Qualifiers for England, but unfortunately got injured just before the World Cup. But playing for the Gills has been by far the most enjoyable season I’ve had so far.

What are your footballing ambitions as a player?

Simple really. I just want to enjoy my football. If I enjoy it, everything else will fall into place.

You’re involved with coaching at Gillingham Football Club. Tell us a bit about that.

When I joined Gillingham I mentioned to Ian (Varley) that I really wanted to get involved in coaching. So I was offered the opportunity to get involved coaching Gillingham’s U14 girls and it’s been so good. The girls I work with are great, really co-operative and are keen to learn. They’re a pleasure to work with.

You’re one of the players who gets a lot of the headlines as you score a lot of goals. Tell us about one of your teammates who perhaps doesn’t get the headlines they deserve?

I think that because we score a lot of goals, the forward players get a lot of the credit, but I can honestly say that our back four are sooo consistent. I think they all do their job to near perfection every week. And in midfield I think Deanna Cooper is the most hard working player I have ever played with. She’ll give 100% every game without a doubt.

Picture the scene – you’re picking teams, playground style, and you’re one of the captains. Which one of your Gills Ladies team-mates would you pick first, and why?

Ah, that’s a tricky one. Can I pick three? [Go on, then - Si] OK, I would pick Bex Lyon, because she’s such a great team player and I’d also pick Deanna Cooper for her phenomenal work rate. [That's great Nat, what about the third one? - Si]

Who do you support and why? Do you get to see them play much?

I support Glasgow Rangers – because my parents support them – but I also like Man United.

Who are your footballing heroes and why?

I always liked Andy Johnson because he’s a real grafter, but I love Fernando Torres. A complete legend!

What are your career ambitions?

I want to complete my coaching badges – all of them – because I want to be a football legend, simples! It would be great to be the first woman manager in the Premier League. Yeah, I like the sound of that!

In our latest one-on-one interview, we chatted with Gills right back Whitney Judd, who told us about how she deals with bigger players, shares her love for West Ham, and reveals which of her teammates falls over when just walking around a football pitch!

What position do you play?

I play Right Back

Tell us about your footballing career so far.

Well to be quite honest it’s been nothing special! But its definitely going to change this year!

I was at Gills U15s and U16s and then I came up to the First Team and have played for them for four years now! I’ve also played for Kent last season. I went for trials at West Ham and got through but decided I wanted to stay at Gillingham Ladies because of the girls.

We couldn’t help noticing you’re probably the smallest player in the team. How do you deal with playing against players much bigger than you?

I knew something about my size was going to come up in this interview!
Basically how I deal with everyone by just trying to get in a few strong challenges so they know I’m not that easy to get past. I also try and make them play on the floor so I can try and beat them with my pace.

Picture the scene – you’re picking teams, playground style, and you’re one of the captains. Which one of your Gills Ladies team-mates would you pick first, and why?

I’d probably pick little Kate (Foster) because she puts her body in front of all the challenges. That way it saves me from doing it! If Kate wasn’t there I’d probably pick Dee (Deanna Cooper) because she just doesn’t stop running!

Who do you support and why? Do you get to see them play much?

I support the mighty West Ham! I go up there quite regularly with my brothers and my dad. You can’t beat the atmosphere at Upton Park, especially when they are singing “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” just before kick off. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

What are your football and career ambitions?

Just to try and get into the highest league that I can with Gillingham and see what happens from there!

Spill the beans on one of your teammates and tell us what they’re like.

I’ll go for Leanne Stevens. This girl is just a complete and utter looney! At training last Tuesday we were walking around and somehow she managed to just fall over! She can be really funny as well! She’s a crank if you ask me!

Tell us a bit about what you do outside of football – weekends, hobbies, interests etc.

Well most of the time I’m working but if I’m not at work then I just go out with my mates! If I’m not doing anything I usually take my little brother or nephew out for a kickabout but my little brother shows me up!

This week we caught up with Gills Ladies striker Charlotte Abbott, who told us about her experiences in football so far, shared her ambitions for the future and tried to explain her allegiance to Manchester United!

What position do you play?

Striker. Not that I can score at the moment!

Tell us about your footballing career so far.

I used to play in goal when I was about eight for a local boys’ side but I quit because I didn’t like the fact the ball was getting kicked at me!

I then joined Gillingham Centre of Excellence U12’s and found it too hard, which probably shows why I am so lazy now! I then played a few seasons for Castle Colts before returning to the Centre of Excellence at U16 but more prepared this time.

I then had a few offers from different clubs but Ian (Varley) managed to persuade me to join up with the Ladies, and I am pleased I did!

I spent three years playing for Kent Schools FA and despite the stupid amount of money we had to pay it was a great three years! We won the South East Essex Cup Final and also travelled to America on tour, which was one of the best experiences ever. We narrowly lost in the final to South Coast Storm from Florida. What a holiday!

You’re one of the younger players in the squad, what’s it like playing against much older players, compared to playing for your school team/Kent Schools etc?

I have definitely noticed a big step up from the Centre of Excellence. Everyone is at a different level to what I was used to when playing against people my own age. The pace of the game is much quicker and also the strength of opposition is greater.

I prefer playing against older players because it is more of a challenge to play against, and with, people with a lot more experience than me. I have noticed the difference in my football since I have moved up from the Centre of Excellence!

Picture the scene – you’re picking teams, playground style, and you’re one of the captains. Which one of your Gills Ladies team-mates would you pick first, and why?

Well I would say the ‘superstars’ but on this occasion it has to be Kate Foster! I have known Kate for a long time and she is quality! Also I would have to pick her because I can’t play against her. Every time we do we end up taking each other out!

I’ve heard training is usually pretty lively. Tell us a bit about that.

Training is always lively! All the girls love a bit of banter but then again who doesn’t!

On a Tuesday we have a 6 a side tournament at the end, just a bit of fun but then it soon turns competitive. There is usually some cheating going on with people changing the amount of points they have, not mentioning any names Terri Reynolds! Thursday is more serious as we concentrate on the weekend’s game ahead but we all still have a good laugh.

You’re a Manchester United fan. Why?!

Haha typical! First of all I would just like to clear up that I am not a glory hunter! My uncle has always supported United and I was very close to him when I was younger and he used to take me to the games and I just became hooked and have supported them ever since. My dad wasn’t overly happy about this as he is a Chelsea fan and my brother is a Spurs fan, so it’s always eventful in my house on matchdays!

When I can I go to watch United play with my uncle but I usually have other commitments and it’s a bit of a trek, but I have been lucky enough to not only watch them play in the Premiership but in two FA Cup Semi Finals. The first was when we beat Newcastle at the Millennium Stadium, and the second was against Everton last season at Wembley but we won’t talk about the result on that one!

Man United are full of quality players, and I would just like to add that Gillingham have signed our youngster Febian Brandy on loan, so maybe now they might start winning! Good lad!

What are your ambitions for when you leave school?

Well I cannot wait to leave school! I haven’t quite made up my mind yet what I want to do. I am either going to go to university, probably Manchester because its far away and then I can get a season ticket at United! My other option is to apply for a scholarship in America to play football. I am hoping to eventually do both but I just got to decide in what order!

Spill the beans on one of your teammates and tell us what they’re like.

I’m going to have to pick Jess Nunn. She is a quality goalkeeper but also one of the funniest girls I know and always makes me laugh. She comes out with some of the most stupid and random comments but you have got to love her for it!

I always remember the time at Centre of Excellence and we were playing Brighton away, Jess spent the first half hour of the trip being pulled down a hill by all the girls, this was just before they pulled me down and broke my wrist, thanks for that one Lauren Harris!

When it came to the match Jess wouldn’t let the referee start the game because there was a bee in her area, which was very funny! Jess must have a thing with animals – a bee last season and a dead pigeon this season. Disappointed I missed the dead pigeon incident though.

Tell us a bit about what you do outside of football – weekends, hobbies, interests etc.

I don’t really have a lot of free time outside of football because my days are spent at school, not that I do a lot there! In the evenings if I do not have training I am usually either at the gym or sitting on the laptop!

On a Monday I help out at Gillingham Centre of Excellence for our ressies’ captain Kimi Bolden with her U10s team and then I stick around for the U14s and U16s training session. I usually end up joining in with the sessions instead of helping and whenever I am not doing anything everyone likes to crack the joke that I have been dropped from the U10’s team!

At the weekends I am usually hanging around in town with mates and although I love a good party my Saturday nights have been taken over by the X Factor, I love it!

This week we chatted with Gills Ladies midfielder Charlotte Thurston, who told us about her footballing career so far, shared her plans for the future and lifted the lid on some serious training-ground cheating!

What position do you play?

I play centre midfield. I tend to play more of a holding/defensive role, but when I get the opportunity to bomb forward I’ll grab it with open arms!

Tell us about your footballing career so far

There’s quite a few, I’ve played football since the age of about eight or nine years old. Swale Magpies was the first ever local club I played for then they merged with Sheerness East when we hit the ladies league level. I played there until the age of 16, but whilst there I played for Gillingham Centre of Excellence for a year, and also Charlton Centre of Excellence! Whilst also playing for these teams I played for Kent SFA as well.

Then I decided I wanted a bit more from my football and went across to Crystal Palace and then a couple of years ago I came to Gills, and had to leave due to work commitments after just one season. I didn’t play for about 18 months but I missed football massively and decided that becoming a blue again was a great move!

You’ve been involved with the first team and the reserves this season. What’s it like playing for the two different sides?

I enjoy playing for both teams exactly the same! The banter in the ressies and firsts is unbelievable, and you’re accepted no matter what team you get selected for, whether I get chosen to represent the first team or the reserves I’ll give everything I’ve got. Obviously like every girl playing for Gillingham Ladies, aspires to play for the 1st team, and I’m exactly the same, but until I have the opportunity to represent the first team again, I’ll keep giving 110% every game for the reserves!

Women’s football struggles to get funding and exposure, what are your thoughts about that?

I think it is a total disgrace. It’s always been an issue whilst representing every club I’ve played for and I don’t think its fair in the slightest!

My parents have had to fork out so much money for me to play football in the past, and my dad still pays for me to play now! I don’t think it’s fair at all, if you have a talent you should be able to showcase it and make a living out of it just like blokes do.

We happily pay to play football as it has always been that way, but having the financial backing and facilities the same as the men do would bring ladies football even higher up the spectrum of successful sports that England can showcase. It’s not fair that there is SO much money in mens football, I mean, is any player really worth £65million? Think of the money that they could put into Ladies Football. Think of what a ladies club could even do with £10,000! We can’t even get sponsorship for tracksuits this year as things are so tight in the economic climate.

It makes me so angry thinking about the cars, clothes and houses these men can afford to buy when ladies are working full time jobs, training full time and putting in even more effort than them to juggle both to make a name for themselves!

Who do you support and why?

I support Liverpool! Its a hard job supporting those Red Men!.. I support them because my dad does, its that simple!

As well as being teammates, it looks like you’re quite a good group of friends as well. Do you guys often socialise together away from football?

Yeah, whenever we can we get everyone together! Its always eventful! Obviously theres been alot of new signings this year, and I’m one of them!.. so us “newbies” as we were named had to take part in a very embarrassing initiation ceremony! Whether its a night out in Maidstone, BBQ’s or even just chilling round each other’s houses with a healthy take away and X-Factor it’s always hilarious!

Do you have a nickname?

I’ve got a couple! The boring one is Charz! Kirstie Goodall is going to love me trying to explain this one! “Jenny” or “Shec” or “Schecter” are the general names I hear screamed at me whilst on the pitch, because apparently I look like a character out of the series The L Word! If you type her name into Google, you’ll clearly see I do not look like her at all! But apparently its not just her looks, I act like her too! She plays a complete psycho in the programme, so according to the Gills girls I’m a bit of a psycho! Oh, and Leanne Stevens calls me “Benny”, because I did have long hair at one point, but then I got it cut short so I’m Jenny with a bob, therefore I’m Benny! Weird bunch of girls aren’t they?!

Spill the beans on two of your teammates and tell us what they’re like.

Hmmm…I can only think of one I want to expose…Terri! She’s a complete and utter cheat! Do not believe a word that comes out of her mouth at training on a Tuesday! Basically, we play six- or seven-a-side and somehow, no matter what team Terri is in, they always manage to get nine points, which allows them to qualify for the final! Even if they lose two or three games, she magically counts up more points than everyone else! But we’ve worked her out now, so she won’t ever get away with it again!

What do you do for a living, and what would your dream job be?

I’ve got a pretty boring job! I work in a shoe shop, but I’m a typical girl – I love my shoes! I have around 200 pairs and that’s not over exaggerating! Next year, fingers crossed, I’ll be living the dream. Hopefully I’m going to America to complete a football scholarship while training to be a teacher. I’ve always wanted to be a PE teacher, but never really got round to pursuing it, but “time’s a ticking” and I’m not getting any younger!

Tell us a bit about what you do outside of football – weekends, hobbies, interests etc.

Is there such thing as a life outside of football?! I love spending time with my friends. Got a love for clothes and shoes, that’s why I have no money! You’ll either find me at the cinema, shopping in Bluewater/Canterbury, spending time with my God-daughter, or dancing the night away on a Friday night! I love spending time with my little brother Ben too. He’ll hate me saying this as he’s 12 years old, but he’ll always be my little baby!

The first in a new series of exclusive interviews with the Gills squad, we catch up with midfield playmaker Danni Farmer, who tells us how she’s enjoying life at the Gills, how she spends her time when she’s not playing and shares her hopes for the future.

How have you settled in at Gillingham after your move from Charlton?

I have settled in really well and am really enjoying my football again. The girls are great and made me feel welcome straight away.

Tell us a bit about the camaraderie within the squad. What’s training like?

I love a bit of banter and there is certainly loads of it at Gillingham, especially in training. There is a bit of a battle at the moment between me and Les Kay as to who has got the best jokes. I’m winning though!

Training is really good. Thursdays are a bit more serious and are concentrated on getting us prepared for the weekend but Tuesdays we do six-a-side tournaments, which can get really competitive. Some players do try to cheat, though, mentioning no names…Terri!

You’ve played Premier League football while with Charlton. Based on your time at Gillingham so far, how far does the current team need to progress to get to that level?

Obviously a lot of the players I played with at Charlton had played at the top level of women’s football and had a great deal of experience which comes with time really.

I think we are heading the right direction; we are doing well at the moment and are looking to get promoted so it’s important that we continue progressing slowly and make sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves.

Tell us a bit about what you do outside of football – job, weekends, hobbies, interests etc.

Outside of football my time is taken up by work really. I am a PE teacher at New Line Learning Academy during the day. Some of the older lads ask me about how we got on at the weekend but most of them aren’t really interested! Then after school I coach for a company called Soccer Elite FA.

Other than that I like to shop a lot and chill out with friends. I’m obsessed with X-Factor. John and Edward to win!

You got a good win on Sunday at Cambridge. How did you feel the match went?

I think we did enough to win the game. I was not really a performance to remember but we still managed to score five and win comfortably without getting out of second gear.

You’ve got Lewes coming up at the weekend. Tell us a bit about them, and how you’ll be preparing, both as a team and as an individual?

Well obviously they are the only team to take points off us this season. We gave away two avoidable goals early on last time and then struggled to score throughout the rest of the game even though we dominated throughout.

That result really hurt us so we will be looking to make amends on Sunday. Personally I’ll just be focussing on getting in a good performance and hopefully winning the game.

What are your hopes and expectations for this season and beyond?

Our short term goal is to get promoted. That is what has been set as a target for us and we are doing well so far, so we need to keep winning and picking up points.

If this season’s target of promotion is achieved I feel that there’s no reason why we can’t continue and become a well established team in the Southern Premier League and beyond that possibly get promoted to the FA Women’s Premier League.