This Week's Opposition: Durham Women

Kirsty Roxanne takes a closer look at Portsmouth's matchday 2 opponents in the Barclays Women's Championship.

The Blues’ opening day in the Championship didn’t go to plan as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

24 minutes was all it took for Charlton to take a 3-0 lead, however a positive second half gave Jay Sadler’s side the boost they needed to head into their inaugural home league fixture.

The next side they face is Durham - Kick-off at Westleigh Park on Saturday the 14th of September is 2pm!

MANAGER

The head coach of Durham is Adam Furness.

Across his career as a vastly-experienced coach, Furness has worked with an elite female talent pathway in England and has undertaken a variety of managerial and player development-focused roles.

Having worked with the club on an interim basis towards the end of the last campaign, Furness took on the role as 1st team head coach ahead of this season.

ONE TO WATCH

Our one to watch is Durham Cestria product Lily Crosthwaite.

Crosthwaite made her senior debut in the 2020/21 season and has since become a regular presence in the 1st team fold, now approaching 100 appearances for the club.

Although the forward didn’t score last season, she did create plenty of goalscoring opportunities from the right wing.

TOP SCORER

There are currently 2 top goalscorers for Durham after their victory on the opening day.

Central midfielder Mollie Lambert scored the 1st goal. She started her professional career at Newcastle United where she was named captain for the 2016/17 season.

Lambert scored twice in 8 games before November 2016, which was when she departed to join FA Women’s Super League outfit and rivals Sunderland.

At Sunderland, her 1st goal came in a 13-0 FA Cup 4th Round win over Brighouse Town, where Lambert netted a 15 minute hat-trick in the 2nd half.

In July 2020, Lambert moved to Durham where last season she scored 2 goals from 22 appearances. She wears the number 4 shirt.

The 2nd goal on opening day came from new signing Carly Johns.

Johns made her breakthrough at Oxford United where she scored 52 goals in 76 appearances as the club continued to challenge at the top of the FA Women’s National League - Southern Premier Division.

The striker’s best return came when she scored 20 goals in the 2022/23 season, earning Johns the league’s Golden Boot award.

The 21-year-old played for Watford last season, scoring 9 goals in all competitions. Her 8 league goals made her one of the Championship’s top scorers in the 2023/24 season. Johns wears the number 9 shirt for Durham.

CURRENT FORM

Durham are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and are looking to build on a 9th-placed finish from last season,

Furness’ side started this campaign with a 2-1 win on opening day against Sheffield United.

They currently sit 3rd in the table compared to the Blues who occupy 10th.

Durham and Pompey haven’t faced each other since 2014, when the Blues were victorious 2-1 in the Women’s FA Cup.

Can Pompey pick up their first league win of the season this weekend at Westleigh Park?

Jake Smith will provide full reaction to Saturday's Barclays Women's Championship encounter between Portsmouth and Durham on Monday (September 16th) evening's instalment of The Football Hour on Express FM. On air from 6pm!