AFC Bournemouth
For Chloe Newton, joining the club towards the back end of 2020 looked to be perfect timing, with the country hoping they’d seen off the last of a global pandemic.
However, after making her debut in December’s FA Cup defeat to Southampton, a new tier system was brought in across the UK and grassroots football stopped once again.
That meant no fixtures and no training for three-and-a-half months, as well as the opportunity to bond with new team-mates completely gone.
Yet the striker remained positive and focused, ready to kickstart her Cherries career as soon as the chance came about.
Speaking with afcb.co.uk, she talked through the last six months from her perspective.
“Ever since I joined, it’s been really good,” began Newton.
“From the moment I went to the first training session, everyone really welcomed me and from then I knew what the target was for the rest of the season.
“That was to get promotion and to tackle that next level.
“Because of that, it meant that the Subsidiary Cup, which was created at the end of the season, wasn’t just something to fill the time, it was competitive.
“We knew we had to win every game to make a statement.
“I’ve played in that league before so, going into it, I know the competition that we’ll be up against. I think if we put the work in over summer, I can see us going far.”
Newton, who joined the Cherries from Southampton, is now relishing the regular sessions, with Steve Cuss’ side now training three times a week preparing for the step up.
She went on to explain how her experience in the National League could be beneficial to the rest of the squad.
“It’s been really good to be back for pre-season.
“Everyone is really excited and we know what we’ve got to do in the next few weeks to get to where we want to be, so it’s good!
“The goal has to be to win the National League and get as far as we can in the FA Cup, that’d be the dream.
“The FA Cup is a great competition and we learned from our experiences last season. We went out to my old team, Southampton, who are a great side and we know what we need to do to compete with them now.”
Having had her fair share of injuries, Newton has never been more determined.
She admitted that the 2021/22 season is the perfect opportunity for her to kick on with her football career and put all previous setbacks behind her.
“Last season, my main target was just to get back playing.
“I had a period of time at Southampton where I was out for eight months with an ankle injury and then we had the pandemic!
“So I didn’t get much gametime and my goal last season was just to get back fit and get a feel of being back on the pitch.
“This season, I want to reach that level and try to be the top goalscorer in the National League. That’s what I would like and that’s what my target will be, just to do the best for the club.
“Luckily now, the ankle feels good. I had a good physio programme and my old club, so I’ve built on that and am still using bits of that to help me.”
Thank you for your support
Bournemouth University for being our main girls and women's team sponsor, and iPRO and Vitality for supporting the womens' programme.
