Arsenal Women will open their WSL campaign against Reading at Meadow Park on Sunday, 6th September- immediately bringing them face to face with long-term Gunners Danielle Carter and Emma Mitchell. Carter joined the club as a teenager spending ten years at the club and scoring the winner against Chelsea in the 2016 FA Cup Final.
Mitch, meanwhile, joined the club from Essen in 2013 and she also joined the Royals this summer. The WSL opener will, unfortunately, be played behind closed doors as the pair return to their old stamping ground at Boreham Wood. Carter spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire about the immediate reunion.
“It’s an early reunion for us – but it’s all business now that I’m a Reading player! It’ll be nice to go and see the girls early on, but it’s just another game for us, where we’ll be looking to pick up an early three points.
“My loyalties were with Arsenal… but that’s obviously flipped now that I’m in a Reading shirt. In this league, we pretty much all know each other. They’ve had some new signings, and so have we. I think it’ll be a good game, in terms of both teams going at it.”
After 11 years, 184 appearances, 5 Conti Cups, 4 FA Cups, 3 FAWSL titles, 2 ACLs and 1 FA Premier League title… it is with the heaviest of hearts that my time at Arsenal has come to an end.
They say “I’m Arsenal till I die….” and today a massive part of me has died ?? pic.twitter.com/vjrGxKMK5g
— Danielle Carter (@DanielleCarter) June 25, 2020
Carter’s Arsenal contract expired during the summer and her Arsenal tenure came to a sad end after consecutive ACL injuries kept her out for the majority of the last two seasons. However, she is fit again now and hoping to utilise her multiple trophy winning experience to a squad that also boasts ex-Gunner Fara Williams.
“Hopefully I can bring my experience from playing in the WSL for so long at Arsenal, and all the knowledge I’ve got, to Reading. That will help us compete to get up there and challenge those top three.
“When I’m playing for Reading I’ll give 100%. I’m a winner – I want to win in every game, whatever kind of game it is. Hopefully I can be a fan-favourite and make everybody proud at the club.”
DC was one of my favourite players and was devastated after she had another ACL injury which subsequently led to her leaving Arsenal. I wish her the very best except when Reading play Arsenal. DC will always be a Gunner in my mind.
have no problem with her scoring a hattrick against us to show us that it was a mistake to let her go. Legend!
Dan was always a loyal servant to the club and has considerable talent but there will now always be that niggle in the back of everyone’s mind about how strong her knees really are. No matter what we think of her as a player, with Joe’s minimalist squad approach we cannot afford to be carrying long term injured players as we have done for the last couple of seasons so reluctantly I have to agree with the decision not to renew her contract. That doesn’t mean to say I’ll not be pleased for her if she knocks in a few… Read more »
I wonder if any Reading fans are sitting behind their keyboards going “I’m tired of us buying those that are surplus to requirements from bigger clubs we’re trying to beat!!!” *looking at the Willian news story from the other day*
How unfortunate that there won’t be any fans in the stadium to welcome her back with the applause that her career with us has surely earned her, regardless of what shirt she’s wearing.
But Willian isn’t surplus to requirements. Chelsea tried to keep him.
I know, it was more a reflection on how we often feel like the underdogs in a lot of these transfers on the men’s team, but the women continue to be at the very top of their game. And it’s a rare occasion when actual facts somehow influence the amount of moaning about our transfers on this glorious blog’s comments 🙂
Empty stadium for a WSL just goes to show what numpties the organising authorities are.They say they want to trial limited crowds at Premier League and Championship matches but I would have thought that WSL games were the ideal trial with only a few thousand fans in attendance at grounds with significantly higher capacities. There’s no need for a lottery to see who can and who cannot go and the crowd is small enough to see how managing them all in and out of the area could work before committing to larger gatherings. But then that would be logical thinking… Read more »
Women’s games will be used as a trial for getting crowds back into PL and Championship games.
Ten continuous years at one club is a great tribute to any player but particularly in the women’s game. Even our “legends” Scotty and Kelly had breaks of service. So when are we going to hear about testimonials for Dan and her “bestie” Jordan?
Once a gunner… Such a shame we won’t see this game. Does “behind closed doors” mean that FA player won’t cover it either?