Newcastle United midfielder Katie Bradley says she joined the club to win back-to-back promotions and is relishing the 'chaos' of the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland this weekend.
Bradley helped Charlton Athletic win promotion to the Women's Super League (WSL) last season, but made the move to Newcastle over the summer, where the club has started the WSL 2 campaign with a perfect record of five wins from five games.
Why Bradley Chose Newcastle
Speaking exclusively to Chronicle Live at the Cochrane Park training base, Bradley explained the decision to swap the top flight for WSL 2 was an easy one when Newcastle came calling.
"I'm loving it," she said. "All the girls are great. The standard of football is good and I enjoy living in Newcastle. There's a lot going on, lots of places to go and visit, so it's nice and I'm enjoying it."
"I feel like [joining] Newcastle [you] don't need much convincing. Obviously it's a huge club worldwide and the location as well. It's nice to be back up north. I think ultimately just the playing style was something that really attracted me to it. Playing a little bit higher up and showing more of my attacking capabilities, which I know I can give a lot more than what I have done in previous seasons."
Bradley also cited the club's long-term ambitions, including the stated goal of consistently competing for the WSL title by 2030, as part of the attraction.
"I think [the club's] long-term goals. I know Newcastle are more than capable of going up this year and that is our main goal. Obviously focusing one game at a time, but I think if we do get promoted, we will stay up there. I think we've got the capabilities to do that and the infrastructure. But yeah, I think it's a very attractive club, attractive playing style and it's just something that I wanted to be a part of."
Derby Day Expectations
Newcastle host Sunderland at the Gateshead International Stadium on Sunday in their second League Cup game. Sunderland currently sit second in the WSL 2 standings, two points behind the Magpies.
Bradley, who came through the youth systems of Manchester United and Manchester City before playing college football in the USA with UCF, expects a lively atmosphere.
"I think it's a game that everyone wants to play in," she said. "Obviously, I've heard the atmosphere is just chaos. There is all the outside noise. It's going to be a great game but it is just another game at the end of the day. It is something that I'm really looking forward to and hopefully we get a lot of fans there and they bring the noise."
Bradley praised manager Tanya Oxtoby's 'calm presence' in dealing with the high emotions of the derby, and believes the squad's depth is a key strength.
"We've just got threats from everywhere on the pitch. So we've not just got one person scoring. If one team puts a marker down on someone and tries to stop them, we've got threats from elsewhere. And the depth that we have is something that I probably haven't experienced as much before. And that competition for places, it just pushes everyone to always be on that edge, which I think is really good at striving for excellence."
Ultimately, the 24-year-old hopes to add a second successive promotion to her CV.
"Ultimately we want to get promoted and I've got experience doing that with Charlton last year, which hopefully I can help if we get into some rocky patches, which is bound to happen with the season being so long."
Newcastle women's team take on Sunderland at the Gateshead International Stadium, with the action getting under way at 2pm.
