‘The first game is very important’ – Everton’s Payne hoping for solid start to the season

Everton defender Heather Payne says that the club are hoping for a stronger start to the season this year.

The Blue Girls kick-off the 2024/2025 Barclays Women’s Super League campaign with a fixture at big-spending Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Everton lost three of their opening four league matches last season and midfielder Payne says that the club want to have a better start this year.

“The first game is very important, you want to pick up points straight away,” Payne said when speaking in a Barclays Women’s Super League media event. “I think we have confidence in ourselves and we can do well this season.

“Last year, we didn’t get off to the best start, so hopefully, we can do better this year. Brighton away will be a tough game but we are really looking forward to it.”

Everton collected just seven of their 23 points at home last season. Payne doesn’t know the exact reason why The Blue Girls struggled at Walton Hall Park but were so strong on their travels.

She said “Home games are meant to be an advantage but I don’t know what it was, we were just unlucky I guess. It doesn’t matter where you play, you want to get a win. There was no real reason why we didn’t do as well at home, it was just the way it went. 

“We are aiming to start the season better at Walton Hall Park and hopefully, we can hit the ground running there.”

Payne joined Everton last summer after ending her college career in the United States. Reflecting on her first year on Merseyside, Payne said that she was pleased with her performances. She was also impressed with how the team dug deep when juggling an injury crisis.

She said “We were unlucky with all of the injuries but on a personal level, I was quite happy with my first season at Everton. I did well to hit the ground running coming into a new league. Unfortunately, I got injured myself at the end of the season.

“As a team in general, we handled the situation quite well, everyone was quite adaptable. Looking forward to this season, we are just hoping for more consistency. If we can have everyone healthy, we can have a good season.”

Everton’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon.