‘I’m really enjoying it here’ – Kirby reflects on Brighton debut

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Fran Kirby says that she is enjoying life at her new club.

The 31-year-old made her competitive debut for The Seagulls in yesterday’s 4-0 victory over Everton at Broadfield Stadium.

Kirby netted a second half penalty on her maiden appearance as Brighton & Hove Albion chalked up an impressive win.

When speaking to the media after the match, Kirby hailed her new club’s start to the season, but acknowledged that there is still room for improvement as the campaign progresses. 

“We’re not naive, we know that these things take time,” Kirby said. “With a new manager, a lot of new faces, we need time for it to gel. Today, you can see that it worked really well but the season is a long season, it’s not one game. We have a tough game next week, so we have to make sure that we recover well and do everything right. Even though we won the game 4-0, you can see where we still need to improve and where we can get better.

“The most exciting thing about this group is that we know that we can go to another level. Hopefully, we can build into the season and do really well in the league.”

Kirby went on to discuss head coach Dario Vidošić’s playing style. She explained that players are allowed to express themselves and take risks.

She said “He wants us to take moments, he wants us to take risks and he wants us to control the game as much as possible. He wants us to be brave and not be scared of making mistakes and I think you could see that today; even when people turn the ball over, we still continue to try and play that way. That’s the only way you’re going to improve and get better with your style of play. He’s definitely drilling us into it and I think sometimes, you also need to be told to just keep trying it because you can shy away.”

Kirby’s first Brighton & Hove Albion goal capped-off the perfect debut. The midfielder admitted that she was pleased to score whilst commenting that she is really enjoying life as a Seagull.

She stated “Obviously, it’s really nice to score on your debut and get yourself off the mark.

“I’m really happy to play the majority of the game as well. It’s the first time in a long time other than pre-season to get that many minutes in the WSL, so I’m really happy with that. I’m really happy with the way that the game has gone and I’m really enjoying it here. Hopefully, people can see that in my performances.”

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Japanese international forward Kiko Seike became the first player in Barclays Women’s Super League history to score a hat-trick on her debut and Kirby was full of praise for her teammate.

She said “She’s a fantastic player. You could see when she first came in the kind of player she is. She’s very direct, she wants to score goals, she wants to get in the box and you need those players if you’re going to score goals in this league.

“We’re really happy to have her and I’m delighted for her today to get off the mark with a hat-trick. You can see her qualities from a mile away and it’s fantastic to play with.

“She works hard, she wants to learn, she wants to improve and if she keeps scoring goals like that, I’m sure everyone will be happy with her.”

Brighton & Hove Albion return to Barclays Women’s Super League action when they travel to Manchester City next Sunday.