Durham forward Johns excited to battle for North East bragging rights | OneFootball

Durham forward Carly Johns admits that she is excited for the North East derby battles in the Barclays Women’s Championship this season.

The Wildcats face a three-way fight to be the North East’s number one professional side. After enjoying a strong rivalry with A690 neighbours Sunderland in recent seasons, Durham will also face Newcastle United this year following the Tynesiders’ FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division title success in 2023/2024.

When speaking in a Barclays Women’s Championship media event, Durham forward Johns admitted that she is excited for the big derby games against Sunderland and Newcastle United this season.

“It’s really good [for the North East],” Johns said. “The competitive side of things is amazing, it’s what we want to see more of in the Championship. I’m really happy to see all of the clubs up here contributing to a competitive league.

“The girls have made it pretty clear that Newcastle and Sunderland are our main rivals this season. I’m really looking forward to those games.”

Johns joined Durham earlier this summer off the back of a spell with former Barclays Women’s Championship club Watford. The forward netted in both matches against Durham last season and she was quick to remind her new teammates of that fact.

She said “When I first joined, I said ‘Hi, I’m Carly’ and they said ‘Oh yeah, we know all about you’.

“We joke around quite a bit. I say that my best memory was scoring on my debut [for Watford against Durham] last season, so the girls laugh about that.”

Johns netted an impressive eight goals in 22 league outings for Watford last season and she has her eyes set upon beating that tally with Durham this year.

“I back myself to help out the team as much as possible, that’s my job as a number nine,” the forward said. “I’m really looking forward to being able to do that and getting that opportunity.

“We will see how things go but I do want to beat the number [of goals] from last season.”

Durham struggled for wins in the second half of last season and eventually ended the campaign in ninth position. Johns believes that The Wildcats have the players to challenge higher up the table but consistency is key.

She said “The talent is definitely there, it’s just the fine margins in games. It could be as little as missing a chance to get the result.

“The main thing is consistency, especially in this league. You have to be on top and consistent with how you play.”

Durham kick-off the new Barclays Women’s Championship season with a fixture against Sheffield United at Maiden Castle on Sunday 8 September 2024. Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased by clicking here.