Speaking to The Halfway Line following Newcastle’s 1-1 stalemate with London City Lionesses on the opening day of the Barclays Women’s Championship, Becky Langley said she had ‘mixed emotions’. Langley elaborated, “We are so competitive. We want to take all three [points], but I think we have come away with a solid point to build on.”

With nearly 500 international caps between the two starting sides, Langley was asked about the quality of the competition on display at Hayes Lane. She was full of praise for the spectacle that had unfolded, expressing “it felt really competitive. I thought the level was high, I thought the intensity, the speed in behind, from both teams was a real threat, and I thought we handled it well.”

Langley joked that “it might be a good time to play London City before they get into their groove” but more analytically assessed the stalemate as “two good sides who battled it out, and I think there wasn’t much between [them]. Margins are so small, I think of Shania [Hayles]’s second chance in the first half, it could have landed to us for 2-1. They’ve obviously hit the bar, and Pottsy [Charlotte Potts] made a great clearance off the line from [Isobel] Goodwin, so I think the margins are so tight and will be the whole season. So, we’ll use it as momentum and look to build on it“.

The whole sentiment behind her interview centred around ‘building‘ and using today’s game as momentum for the season ahead. It’s clear that whilst she was impressed by her sides shift out there, she has full confidence that this is just the beginning for the newly promoted Magpies.

With regards to the new signings her side has made ahead of their maiden season in the Championship, Langley was quick to credit the character of the new additions both on and off the field.

She said,”They are great girls. They’re such experienced players, and they bring such a calmness to the group.” When asked specifically about the depth added in the backline Langley was full of praise for ex-Chelsea defender Deanna Cooper and England International Demi Stokes, saying “I thought Deanna and Demi were phenomenal today, and thought Deanna handled their [London City] threat in behind really well, and Demi is phenomenal in terms of how she leads the group and the quality she brings on the pitch”.

With that said, Becky Langley said that she hopes to ensure that the effort of those who got Newcastle United to this position are not forgotten and she thanked those personally, prior to the game, who have been instrumental on their path to promotion. “The level has stepped up another notch, so we all understand the amount they’ve done to actually get the club here“. Langley reminds us that “they’re learning and growing with the programme, as I am myself”. She singles out the young forward Katie Barker, who is embarking on her fifth season donning the black and white, saying “going from tier 4 to tier 2, she was absolutely phenomenal“.

Newcastle will have to cover some distance this season, something they won’t be accustomed to just yet and Langley is conscious of the toll that will take, citing “the away fixtures are tough; the long travel, the time away from home“, but she hopes the chance to “make Kingston Park, our home pitch, a fortress” will provide the environment her team needs to deliver, potentially promotion winning, moments.

When asked to go back to her earlier point regarding the excitement of investment in both teams, Langley smiled when acknowledging that “it’s fantastic for women’s football, for both teams to have a financial and emotional investment“.

London City Lionesses owner, Michele Kang, was present in Bromley less than 24 hours after being in Washington DC to witness the last minute victory of Washington Spirit in the NWSL. Speaking on Kang, Langley expressed “It’s fantastic to see this level of investment in the Championship and hopefully other clubs follow suit. And we don’t see that big gap and actually the Championship starts really levelling up so that they are ready for the WSL jump“.

When asked about how much involvement she expects the owners of Newcastle to have with their women’s team, Becky was quick to credit the support of those around her prior to the season opener. “Our sporting director, Paul Mitchell, was at our session last week and had full confidence and belief in the team, and has been quite hands on since joining, his support alongside the CEO Darren Eales has been fantastic“.

Probed further on how their investment matches the ambitions of the players, Langley does not shy away from the fact “[they]are excited that we’re still pumping our energy into the women’s team and we want to get to the WSL as quickly as possible”.