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We Want the Win for our Fans, says Captain, as Severn Stars Prepare for “Massive” Match

Severn Stars’ Captain, Laura Malcolm, said the team is determined to get a win in front of their home crowd to repay their fans, in what she described as a “massive” match against Surrey Storm.

Malcolm said that her side had to start “learning how to win” and that the players would be aiming to get their first points on the board this weekend, as much for the supporters as for the team itself.

She recognised the contribution that the crowd had paid in lifting the team’s performance during recent matches and the importance of that connection between the fans and team.

“You can’t even put into words how much the crowd’s support helps us,” she said. 

“It’s massively important to get a win this weekend and I want to get a win in front our home crowd because they deserve it as much as we do, coming here supporting us week in week out.  We want to get the win for those guys.”

Malcolm said the team, which is a joint franchise between the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Worcester, is hoping the fans will once again get behind them in Saturday’s (3 March) fixture against Surrey Storm.

“I think having a new franchise in this area means that these young girls have got somebody to look up to,” she added.  “You see all the girls staying for autographs at the end and I have had a message from someone saying how much they look up to us and they love watching us play.  That just makes it all worthwhile.  It makes us feel that we’re not just training for ourselves, but inspiring a young generation as well.”

Stars have had a tough start to the season, losing narrowly on two occasions and to some of last year’s top sides, including the reigning champions Wasps.

After a disappointing loss away to Benecos Mavericks last weekend (24 February), Stars responded with a strong performance against Team Bath, but just lost out by one goal in the final 10 seconds of a dramatic match. 

“The game against Bath was a really great response to a tough loss at the weekend and I think a lot of teams wouldn’t have expected us to do that so I’m really proud of the girls for that,” said Malcolm. “But we have just got to do it when it matters and start learning how to win.

“We need to get some points on the board and if we don’t get the points soon then we’re going to start slipping behind and we can’t let that happen.

“Accepting defeat is impossible, you can’t do it, so we have picked that game apart.  There were quite a few opportunities where we could have pushed on and where we fell short and allowed them to get back into the game and take the win.

“We hope we can take those opportunities this time around.”