Chloe Atkinson eagerly looking forward to the new season with Cork City WFC

Pacy, skilful, grit and determined are just some of the words to describe Cork City WFC's number 15 this season.

Nineteen year-old Chloe Atkinson from Mayfield has been a stand out player in pre-season and one expects huge things from her over the coming months. 

While a lot of last season was spent coming off the bench, the pacy winger has come back from a knee Injury and is determined more than ever to cement her place in Danny Murphys starting line up.

Having done well during the pre season games, Atkinson is raring to go and she believes the team will be a different outfit this season as she looks forward to the season kicking off on March 9th at home to Peamount.

"Preseason has been really positive, myself and the girls are working hard on and off the pitch and hopefully that hard work will come to fruition in the coming weeks," said Atkinson. 

"We had a good few friendly games during the last few weeks which has a lot of positives and thus it has created a good buzz at training. 

"Along with our new signings it has really brought a new freshness to the squad and I can’t wait to see them play for City. 

"We are preparing for hopefully a successful season, and I can’t wait for the first game to kick off."

Murphy took the unusual approach not to play any National league women's team in pre season, a decision Atkinson believes was the correct one.

"Other than not being able to gage where the rest of the league is at the moment, I think it was great playing just the boys' teams. 

"Playing only boys has forced us to adapt to a slightly faster pace and has allowed us to work together in games and get a better understanding of the players around us on the pitch which is vital. 

"I think this can only benefit us greatly for this season.

"I hope to play my best for the team and have a positive impact on our results both offensively and defensively whenever needed. 

"Whether it’s supplying assists or scoring important goals I hope to play a key role in this team's success this season.

"Last season didn’t go as we wished but I think there was a lot to learn, and it has allowed us to look back and see what needs to be done differently this year. 

"All of the staff this season are really committed to setting a high standard as are all the players. 

"This pre-season Fionn has joined as our analyst and since he arrived, he has been communicating with all the squad on our individual performances, which allows us to reflect individually and as a team on what we need to improve on for the season to reach the higher standard.

"The squad are a great bunch of girls and while the results we got last season really didn’t reflect what we were doing in training, I know this season will be different. 

"The new signings are definitely great additions to the squad, they are strengthening our squad even more and I’m sure they will have a big impact on our results this season.

"With the new signings it’s difficult to say what the starting team is going to look like but hopefully, my performances in the friendly matches and training are enough to be considered for the starting 11. 

"I have been working hard in preseason as all the girls have been. I have done a lot more gym work than I would have done last season and I think that will definitely help me this season. 

"I was a regular end-of-game sub which was difficult considering the score lines last season. I was always coming on to a battle which I loved but during pre-season I have enjoyed getting more game time as it gives me a bigger opportunity to fully impact the game."

The former Wilton player dislocated and fractured her knee towards the end of last season. While it was a big blow to her at the time, she showed maturity beyond her years as she tackled rehab with the mindset of been back fitter and stronger this season, and that she certainly has done.

"Last season against Galway I dislocated and fractured my knee in a tackle. It was five months before I got to play again. 

"I used MTU College gym twice a week once I was cleared by the doctor for my rehab given to me by Cork City physio Eileen. 

"I’m glad to say I’m now fully fit and feel stronger than before this injury happened thanks to Eileen and I can’t wait to get going."