GILLINGHAM LADIES NEWS WITH JULIAN HART
ACADEMY STAR MAKES FIRST-TEAM DEBUT A starlet of Gillingham Football Club’s Regional Talent Club, goalkeeper Katie Startup made her senior debut in last Sunday’s FA Women’s Premier League Cup victory away at Southampton Saints Girls and Ladies F.C. Startup, 17, kept a clean sheet as Gillingham Ladies ran out 4-0 winners, thanks to a hat-trick from forward Amy Taylor and a goal from Katie Hardaker. Startup already has her plaudits: having previously been chosen to train in the England national squad camps held at St. George’s Park in Burton-upon-Trent, the Gills young keeper made her first international tournament bow this summer, appearing 60 THE GILLS
for England against Serbia at the UEFA Women’s Under 17s European Championship in Belarus. After making her domestic debut in the FA WPL Cup on Sunday for Gills Ladies, Startup spoke of her enjoyment and satisfaction in keeping a clean sheet. Perform “It was important for me to get my first game under my belt,” she said. “There’s always a sense of pressure to perform in your first appearance and you want to get off to a good start. So, to come away with a clean sheet, after a solid team performance, was the perfect start.
“I was lucky enough to have trained with the ladies squad a couple of times last season, and I was welcomed in straight away, so I already knew most of the team coming into the squad this season. Being only 17, coming into this experienced squad is a great learning opportunity that I’m relishing and one I’m already starting to take advantage of. You learn what to expect from the opposition, your team-mates, and what they expect of you. So this season, every moment will be a chance to learn and improve.” The transition from playing for the club’s Regional Talent Club (formerly the Centre of Excellence) to senior ladies football always provides a big www.gillinghamfootballclub.com