Gemma Evans hopeful of Conti Cup final upset against Chelsea on Sunday
Newport, Wales, UK. 22nd Oct, 2020. Gemma Evans of Wales in action against the Faroe Islands. Wales v Faroe Islands in UEFA Women's Euro Qualifying at Rodney Parade on the 22nd October 2020. Credit: Lewis Mitchell/YCPD
Gemma Evans believes that Bristol City Women are heading into Sunday’s Continental Cup final against Chelsea full of confidence.
The Robins secured their place in the final with a 1-0 victory over Leicester City last month.
Since Matt Beard was appointed interim boss in January, Bristol City have seen a drastic up-turn in from.
Their improvement on the pitch was encapsulated with a massive 3-2 win over Reading in the Women’s Super League on Monday.
“Monday has given us loads of confidence going into the game,” Evans told Robins TV.
“We obviously know Chelsea is a very big test and we will be the underdogs, but we take that in our stride and look forward to it.
“I think the girls showed so much fight. Training paid off if I’m honest – all week we were going through it and the girls showed great determination and I think it’s a result we deserved.
“We can perform together; we’ve got other people scoring for us, it’s not just Ebs (Ebony Salmon) now who we relied on quite a lot, and it shows we have a good gel in the team, and we are all performing, so Sunday should be interesting.”
The Robins have already faced Chelsea twice this season in the league, losing 14-0 across both games.
This will be the first-ever Conti Cup final and they’ll be hoping to cause a massive upset against the current champions.
“I think as a player you dream of winning medals and trophies,” she added. “We’ve had a great cup run, we’ve scored goals, we’ve kept cleans sheets and we’ve changed players around and they’ve performed.
“It shows we have depth in our squad. It’s what you dream of as a player, to get to a cup final and hopefully we can upset the mix.
“I think we’ve got to be relaxed and believe in us. We’ve shown we’ve got a great fight in the team.
“We’ve got people coming in and they’re filling the boots of the starters which shows we have depth and I think we can play football, enjoy ourselves, the scene and the occasion.”
In the absence of Jas Matthews, who is out with injury for the remainder of the season, Evans was named as the send-in captain.
“I am gutted for Jas, they are massive boots to fill – she’s a massive character for us and a through-and-through leader,” She said.
“I’m privileged to step up take the role for the team, but I will do my best to try and live up to Jas’ standards.”
Evans will be facing her international teammate Sophie Ingle in the final at Vicarage Road.
Ingle wasn’t part of the Chelsea squad that traveled to Monza, Italy for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash with Atletico Madrid.
She was suspended for the game having been sent off in the first leg at Kingsmeadow. It gave the Wales captain, who is a key member of Emma Hayes’ side a rare game off meaning she heads into the final fresh.
