Everton captain Megan Finnigan has described her long road back from injury as a “rollercoaster” but insists she feels “ready” after almost two years on the sidelines.
The 28-year-old made her return in Everton Women’s midweek cup win over Birmingham City, her first competitive appearance in 602 days after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. She then featured as a substitute in the Women’s Super League Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield on Sunday.
Finding form and trusting herself
After the game, Finnigan gave an honest assessment of where she believes she is in her return to fitness. “It's been a rollercoaster, and I think a lot of people presume that when you are back the journey's over but, if anything, I think you've got another bit to go because it's all about finding yourself again, finding your form, trusting yourself,” she said.
“Wednesday night, for me, was great because it gave me confidence that I am ready. I feel ready. I just need opportunities to be able to show that - and consistency. I'm just happy to be back among the squad and trying to compete for a place. It's been a long time.”
Derby defeat at Anfield
The 2-0 loss was a blow to Scott Phelan’s side, who went into the game off the back of three consecutive wins. Everton had beaten Liverpool in all six of their previous visits to Anfield but fell to goals from Beata Olsson and Cornelia Kapocs in a game dominated by the hosts.
Finnigan acknowledged the better side won. “In fairness to them, they deserved to win. We were, in my opinion, second best to everything,” she said. “I always say, I don't really feel like these derbies are about who's gonna play the best football, it's about who wants it more, who shows more desire and passion, and I didn’t think we did that enough and probably showed them a bit too much respect at times, which allowed them to gain control. It is really disappointing because we've got such a good record here, well we had until today. It’s really disappointing, of course.”
Lack of belief in decision-making
In his post-match comments, Phelan said the timing of Olsson’s opener, which came after just three minutes, was a setback his side struggled to overcome and said he felt there had been a lack of belief from his players in the match.
Asked whether she agreed, Finnigan said: “I didn't feel it before the game. I think elements of our performance would suggest that because even though they went 1-0 up quite early on, we still were in the game, and I think we actually could have been 1-1 at half-time, we had a really good chance. I think it was mainly a lack of belief in our decision-making, in our pressing, I think we were just a little bit too indecisive. We weren't really going, but we weren't really sitting, so it just allowed them to play through us at times and we made them look really good. I think in these games you have just got to commit to your actions and do it with conviction.”
