Livingston full-back Sharon Hughes-Lee believes a new team bus for away days has helped the Lionesses find another gear on the park.
The SWF Championship side will make the long trip north to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Sunday in a Scottish Cup third round clash.
They’ll being making the journey together on a bus provided by Stephen Glover, managing director of the club’s main sponsor Phoenix Drilling Limited, and Harry Ferguson Traveline.
And Hughes-Lee believes the time spent together as a squad before matches has played its part in recent results.
Speaking to the Courier, she said: “Stephen Glover has been tremendous for the club. The team spirit was always there but now he’s helped put a bus on for away days, it’s gone up a level.
“Being able to travel to games all together has been brilliant because it gives you that time as a team that you didn’t have before when we were all travelling to games by ourselves.
“It all helps with the team spirit. Maybe some of the younger players have nerves before games it helps ease that and obviously travelling home together after we’ve won is brilliant.
“We went up to Dundee last week to play Dryburgh and we were all buzzing on the way back.”
She's under no illusions, of course, that they will need to prove their worth on the park on Sunday however - but she’s confident they’ll prevail if they keep playing the way they have of late.
She commented: “We know it’s going to be a really challenging game because both games against them have been tough. They’ll come at us but if we keep playing football the way we have in recent weeks and do what’s got us results then we can be confident.
“But it’s cup football and anything can happen. The league is obviously the priority but a cup run would be brilliant.”
Hughes-Lee bagged her first goal of the campaign in last weekend’s 5-0 win against Dryburgh Athletic - with five different players finding the net - and while she is pleased to see the goals being shared amongst the squad, she’s not too sure her name will be on the scoresheet again this term.
She commented: “Five different goalscorers is brilliant. To have a few players in the squad who can chip in with goals is crucial because you don’t want the pressure to be fully on the strikers.
“They need help from the rest of the squad and we’ve got that - although I’m not sure I’ll be scoring any more.”
She added: “I was really delighted for Eve Sommerville to get her goal. We both came off the bench at the same time and I gave her a wee pep talk beforehand.
“She’s one of the youngest players in the squad and I’m the oldest. I told her I’ve not got many years left in me and she’ll be jumping into my boots soon then I was able to get her assist for her goal.
“I was absolutely buzzing for her. Hopefully that will give her a huge confidence boost.”
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