HAYLEY SHARP believes Sunderland Ladies can finish top of their FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup group if they are bold from the off against North-East rivals Durham tomorrow.

The Black Cats have been placed in Group Two alongside cup holders Manchester City, back-to-back WSL 1 champions Liverpool, WSL 2 pace-setters Doncaster Rovers Belles, as well as Everton and the Wildcats.

Despite the difficulty of the group, Sharp believes her team, lying third in the WSL 1 table, can advance at the top of the pile and should lay down a marker for the competition when they make the short trip to New Ferens Park.

“In every game we want to do the best we can, so this competition is important to us,” said Sharp. “We want to make sure we stay up, but we have to look to the cup and see it as a positive, it’s just as important to us.

“Our group is tough, we’ve Manchester City and Liverpool to play, but if we stick to our game plan then I don’t see a reason why we cannot finish top of the group.

“Playing Durham will be like a home game for us, because it’s easily the shortest journey we will make this season. It’s a nice one to start off.

“They know us well and we know them well, we know their strengths and weaknesses.

“Natalie Gutteridge has just left us for Durham, so we know all about what she can do. We are aware of what they can do. But it is important that we concentrate on ourselves.”

The FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup has been expanded this year to include a quarter-final stage, granting teams from each of the three groups a greater chance to progress.

That should ensure some titanic contests and Durham defender Lauren Jordinson is relishing the chance to pit her wits against the cream of the women’s game.

“We always know it is going to be a tough test playing against the WSL 1 sides,” said Jordinson. “Last season was a good challenge for the side, and you always step up and learn when you’re playing against some of the best players in the country who have international experience.

“There’s a steep learning curve in the competition, and whatever happens we’ve got to take the positives away from playing together as a team at that level.

“It’s more about that for us, even if some of the results don’t go our way. Growing up a lot of the girls we will come up against were our role models, so to get the chance to play against them is in itself quite an experience.

“Playing against Sunderland is always exciting too because it’s a local derby and there is always that added desire to win playing in those.

“It will be a good game. We know plenty about them from last year, we’ll be up for it, and they were the biggest crowds we played in front of last year.”

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