Derby County Women are back in league action on Sunday afternoon when they head to Halifax FC (2pm kick-off).
dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you will need to know ahead of the FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division fixture.
The Last Time We Met...
The Ewes were forced to settle for a share of the spoils in an entertaining 3-3 draw against Halifax at the Don Amott Arena last month.
Derby had led 2-0 and 3-2 in the driving rain at the Don Amott Arena but were ultimately left with just a point to show for their efforts.
Forward Marli Rhodes-Andrews’ well-taken finishes had the Ewes two goals to the good at half-time but Halifax hit back to equalise through clinical strikes from Maddie Oliver and Katie Ramsden.
Rhodes-Andrews cooly slotted away Derby's third seconds after Halifax’s equaliser to complete her hat-trick, but the visitors hit back almost immediately too with Ellie White scoring from the penalty spot.
Derby pushed for a winner late on but they were unable to break down the Halifax backline as they recorded their first draw of the campaign in the league.
Manager's Thoughts...
Manager Sam Griffiths has demanded a ‘strong’ end to the season from her squad.
The Ewes have had a two-week break since their last outing against Nottingham Forest after the home encounter against Liverpool Feds was re-arranged owing to international call-ups.
After putting a huge amount of effort into claiming a 1-1 draw against local rivals Forest at Pride Park Stadium, Griffiths has admitted the gap between fixtures came at a good time for the Ewes.
Following time recharge the batteries, Griffiths wants her side to return to action in a positive frame of mind as they look to enjoy a positive conclusion to the campaign.
She said: “We’ve had time to reflect on a few things that we didn’t do particularly well against Forest.
“We needed some recovery time for the girls and I don’t think it was a bad thing not having a game last weekend.
“It was an opportunity for us to reset and recharge to go into the final stages of the season.”
She added: “We’ve got a lot to play for and we want to win as many games as possible over the next few weeks.
“It is important we finish strongly and the girls know there’s things like positions for next season up for grabs and this is in our thoughts a bit now.”
From The Dressing Room...
Midfielder Emily Joyce has admitted the Ewes’ players are still ‘kicking themselves’ at dropping points in their last meeting with Halifax in March.
Derby led for most of the match on home turf with forward Marli Rhodes-Andrews netting her first-ever career hat-trick.
Halifax, however, displayed great resilience and fought back to claim a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the pouring rain.
After picking up four points from their last two matches against AFC Fylde and Nottingham Forest, Joyce is confident the side are moving in the right direction as they look to climb the table in the closing weeks of the season.
She said: “We really should have won when we faced Halifax last time out.
“We were 2-0 and 3-2 up and we were kicking ourselves a bit that we didn’t win that one.
“We want to put on a good performance, like we did against Forest, and play the football we know we’re capable of.”
She added: “There’s a few levels we can still go through and to get three points at Halifax would be a big step in us climbing the table.”
Match Highlights...
Full highlights from Sunday's match will appear online on dcfc.co.uk following the final whistle.
