‘We go again next week’ – Southampton will move on from derby frustration says Purfield | OneFootball

Southampton captain Jemma Purfield says that the team will move on from Saturday’s frustrating goalless draw with Portsmouth.

The Saints couldn’t find the all-important winning goal as their winless run was extended to nine games at St Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton last won a Barclays Women’s Championship game in November when they secured a 1-0 victory at Charlton Athletic. The Saints have since gone on a run of five league draws and four losses. When commenting on Southampton’s latest result, captain Purfield said that the team simply have to move on and put focus on the next game.

“We’re a little frustrated,” Purfield said. “At the end of the day, we’re professionals and we want to win games, so for us, not winning is annoying.

“We wanted to get another three points but we are where we are, we won’t let the frustration boil over, we go again next week.”

Both Southampton and Portsmouth failed to convert a number of chances in the game. Saints goalkeeper Fran Stenson caught the eye by making a string of impressive saves, something that was acknowledged by teammate Purfield.

She said “She’s fantastic. Fran’s done that all year, she keeps us in the game in big moments. She stays switched on even if she’s not needed for long periods of the game, so absolute credit to her, day in, day out.”

Despite another frustrating result, Purfield acknowledged the positives that her side were able to take from the game at both ends of the pitch.

She said “I think obviously a clean sheet is a big one. We didn’t keep a clean sheet last week, so it’s an improvement from that. I think the chances that we’re creating is also a positive one. We’ve got to keep creating them to score them, so there are loads of positives to take and we will make sure we look at them. We’ll improve on the other little bits and go again.”

Purfield offered praise to the fans with an impressive 5,666 turning out at St Mary’s Stadium for the derby clash.

She said “The fans are incredible and they make the derby special. We wanted to get the three points, not only for ourselves but for them more than anything.

“They’ve been here all season long; we hear them loud and proud and we look forward to hopefully welcoming them back under the lights against London City.”

Southampton return to Barclays Women’s Championship action on Saturday when they travel to Blackburn Rovers.