Amber-Keegan Stobbs named Women's Sela Player of the Month for December | OneFootball

A short two-game month kicked off with a victory against Middlesbrough Women in the Women's FA Cup, and wrapped up with an eight-goal thriller against Manchester United Women in the Women's League Cup.

Speaking as she collected the Sela Player of the Month trophy, Stobbs highlighted that performances in December will continue to have a long-term benefit on the team.

"It's been an important month and progress in the Women's FA Cup has been a nice way to round off a great year for us," she said. "On top of that, there's definitely positives we can take from the game against Manchester United.

"We're still a very young team so experiences against WSL (Women's Super League) sides will benefit everyone. It was a tough test but we gave a good account of ourselves. These are the kind of games that let you measure yourself up against the top teams: it's good to see that we can compete."

The lifelong Magpies fan continued to shine throughout December despite the winter break, by leading teammates to a number of community focused events throughout the festive period, including the annual Newcastle United Foundation Dinner and Christmas hospital visits.

"I think it can really help to lift spirits and build relationships," she added. "More importantly, it highlights what's important: the community and the work that the club does.

"The club is not just about us kicking balls around and hoping to be an inspiration, we learn massively from these experiences and it's always a privilege for us to get out into the community."

While picking up the final Sela Player of the Month award of the calendar year, the 32-year-old took the opportunity to set her sights on 2025.

"After the break, we'll take each game as it comes, keep our heads down and work hard," she said. "We’re looking forward to creating more memories together, on and off the pitch, but the main goal is to simply make the club and the fans proud.

"I think that we can be proud of what we have achieved this year as a team. We knew that it was going to be a challenge but we've proven that we're here to compete.

"On a personal level, I'm proud to round off the year by picking up this award."