She has been training with the men’s team for the past few weeks
Oxford United women’s player Beth Lumsden has been training with the men’s side as manager Karl Robinson has been without thirteen players during an injury crisis, as per The Mirror.
The midfielder has been training with the men’s first-team for the past few weeks after Robinson invited her to the training ground, with the U’s boss insisting that the former Charlton star “has fitted in really well.”
Lumsden – who also works in an estate agent business run by former Arsenal boss Vic Akers – suggested that it has ‘pushed her mentally’, but that it can only help her improve moving forwards.
She said: “It’s been such a good experience. I’ve done it for about three or four weeks now, once a week, there’s a session in the morning, followed by a gym session and an evening training session with the women as well.
“We were talking and Karl was there and he was really encouraging, he’s been brilliant. The men are a lot quicker, it’s not so much physically but it pushes you mentally to make decisions quicker and then I take that into games.
Top scorer Beth Lumsden has been gaining invaluable experience this week by joining the men’s side in training 💪
📺 Watch here: 👉 https://t.co/6nETxLbQGq
🟡🔵 #OUFC | #OUWFC https://t.co/Aks9MKVSbM
— Oxford United WFC (@OfficialOUWFC) November 12, 2021
“I’ve heard stories of women playing with the under-18s but I’ve never been offered this chance before. It’s been brilliant for me personally because we’re having a good season, chasing promotion and it can only help me improve.”
Oxford have endured a difficult period with a number of their players out injured, or unavailable for other reasons.
They have been without seven players through positive Covid-19 tests, three others have been isolating and three more out injured.
The U’s recently signed Birmingham goalkeeper Connal Trueman on an emergency loan before beating Fleetwood 3-1 on Tuesday night.
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