Looking ahead to the second of the Football Ferns’ two-game series against Canada, head coach Jitka Klimková is clear on the fixes needed for improvements to be seen by her side.

“We need to really trust our shape. And then if the ball is coming to us, we need to put the pressure on. And that was missing because our shape was exploited. So that's something we need to fix.

“We want to play a little bit more - we want to play out more, not just long.

“We want to start from our defensive third to the middle third, we want to combine, we want to connect. We had those kinds of moments during the game. We could see it, but the best part of the game was when we really kept the ball for one minute, we connected minimum 15 passes together, and we actually finishing the final third. And that's the way how we want to play. That's the new face of the Ferns.”

One of the focuses for the Canada series for Klimková and the Football Ferns is giving young players the opportunity for a taste of international football, as she looks to broaden and build depth in the player base. Sunday’s game saw three debuts in Ava Collins, Amelia Abbott and Jacqui Hand, while Hannah Blake made her return to the field in a Ferns shirt.

One of the Ferns’ new faces, Ava Collins, who will be hoping to get the opportunity to double her caps tally today, reflected on the moment she made her debut on Sunday (NZT).

“It was pretty surreal. Coming up against some of these players that I've watched for years was a bit of a fan girl moment. But honestly, when you get out there, it was just another game of football. You've got to kind of think of it like that. I tried to give my all, and I know I've got a lot of things I can work on as well, so I’m just going to keep learning and keep trying to get better every day.”

Collins, who earnt the penalty scored by Percival when her heels were clipped while chasing a ball into the box, drew praise from Klimková:

“When Ava stepped on the field, she was the loudest one asking for the ball, demanding the ball. That’s the way we want to be proactive on the field. So credit to her performance.”

The Football Ferns take on Canada today at Stade Saputo in Montreal for the second of a two-game series against the newly crowned Olympic champions. Tune in to Sky Sport 7 from 12.30pm for coverage.

Article added: Wednesday 27 October 2021