Durham confident of bringing more and finishing higher says attacker Novak | OneFootball

Durham attacker Kaila Novak says that the team are confident of performing much better this season and finishing higher in the Barclays Women’s Championship table.

The Wildcats endured one of their most challenging seasons to date in the Barclays Women’s Championship in 2023/2024 with a long winless run not helping their cause in the second half of the campaign.

The summer has provided Durham with the opportunity to refresh and reset while four new faces have been brought in including Canadian youth international Novak. When speaking to WSL Full-Time, Novak said that Durham have put the hard work in during pre-season and that the team are very confident of achieving much more in 2024/2025.

“No team is going into the season with any other expectation than to win and be at the top of the table,” Novak said. “That’s what we are going in as.

“We have got some fresh faces and experienced players that have worked very hard in pre-season. Everybody is coming back as a new player in some way, shape or form because they’re either a brand new player or rebranding who they are as a player compared to last season.

“Every single player has put the work in because we want to finish higher than we did last year. Compared to last year, we definitely think that we are going to bring more and finish higher, we just know it; we believe in ourselves and as a unit.”

Despite being the newest member of the Durham squad, Novak knows exactly what is required of her this season. She says that club captain Sarah Wilson and other long-serving players have set the tone.

She said “It’s very clear on this team that nobody is going to let anyone slack off. We all hold each other to a very high standard, especially the captain and seniors of this team.

“They hold us to a very high standard. Nobody is going to be like that lone sheep, they’ve taken me in like family. They set the standard the moment that I came through the door but they set it in such a positive way that I just want to be my best for them and they want to be their best for me.

“It’s a very cohesive environment here.”

Given the financial resources elsewhere in the Barclays Women’s Championship, Durham are so often viewed as underdogs. The team’s unique identity has helped them succeed in the past and Novak says that she will add further stamina and passion to the group.

She said “We as a team recognise that we are seen as underdogs. That just lights a fire beneath us; we all want to hustle, finish higher than we did last season and win a championship.

“For me, I just want to add my work ethic, my physicality and my fitness. As a Canadian and American player, I do have that fitness and stamina to go to the last whistle and beyond. I think I’m really going to bring that work ethic.

“I’m also going to bring a lot of passion. I’m really happy to be on the field again and just playing. It’s playing with heart that I’m going to bring.”

Novak is one of four summer signings at Durham, all of which are attacking players. The wide-forward says that the attacking unit have connected well in pre-season and that Durham will be dangerous in the final third when the campaign gets underway.

She said “It’s been absolutely fantastic. I think Carly [Johns] has an incredible reputation with what she achieved last season being one of the top scorers [in the league]. She’s absolutely phenomenal.

“I think we are gelling well with that forward-winger partnership and each position across the field. I think we are really gelling, not just with the work that we are doing on the field, but off the field. We really are treating each other like a family, we spend a lot of time with each other.

“With all of the new forwards, we have a hunger to score, prove that we belong in this league and that we can achieve great things. I think the forwards are going to smash it this season.”

Durham kick-off the new Barclays Women’s Championship season with a fixture against Sheffield United at Maiden Castle on Sunday. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.