Kaminski: It’s cruel to come away with nothing
Crystal Palace Women head coach Laura Kaminski expressed both pride and frustration after her side’s agonising 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Speaking after the match, Kaminski highlighted her team’s response in the second half, after going 2-0 down early in the game.
She said: “I think today you can safely say that was a very good second-half display.
"At half-time, the players took on the information we gave them, and as soon as the whistle blew for the restart, they put in a performance that we’re really, really proud of.”
She praised her players for their composure and execution, adding: “They did everything I asked them to do. People came on and impacted the game in a calm, controlled manner, not just all guns blazing, which was exactly what we needed.
"But once again, we were punished in the dying moments, and we’ve got to defend those situations better.”
Reflecting on the missed opportunities in the first half, Kaminski said: “We had a couple of great chances early on, and we didn’t take them. If we had, the game could have been a totally different story.
"It’s frustrating because we’ve been in that position before, but the second-half reaction showed just how far we’ve come as a group.”
She also drew comparisons to the opening-day defeat to Spurs, highlighting how much progress the team has made since then.
“The first game of the season, we lost 4-0. That was a rude awakening into the WSL. Today, we took a quality side like Spurs right to the death.
"It’s cruel to come away with nothing, but that’s football. We’ve got to believe we’ll put sides on the other end of that as the season progresses.”
Finally, Kaminski reserved praise for the supporters who came in numbers to support the team, despite the challenging conditions.
She said: “It’s freezing cold, but families and children came out to support us.
"Palace have fantastic fans, and Sutton is becoming a real home base for us. We’re proud of the performance, but we need to turn these into points.”
Kaminski and the team will now turn their attention to Brighton & Hove Albion away, with tickets still available for that fixture here!