Catherine Brown is back and raring to go following her cameo against Wanderers.
It’s taken seven rounds for Catherine Brown to set foot on a football field in anger this season but, having featured for the first time in the Westfield W-League in last weekend’s 4-1 success over Western Sydney Wanderers, the amiable defender is looking to make up for lost time.
In late September, Brown suddenly succumbed to sickness during pre-season and agonisingly had to withdraw from all games and trainings. “We don’t know what I got we thought it was a chest infection but it was a lot heavier than that,” Brown said. “I would go to training and I thought I was going to faint or I would catch myself just before I fainted, that happened a few times.”
Walking in the dark physically and having already clocking up 23 appearances for Canberra United, the 21-year-old was placed in a position where she wasn’t going to be selected for the squad, something of which had never happened before.
“It is really tough to see the girls going away and you’re not. Being sick has put me in this position and being left behind was tough.”
Brown is now back at training and is feeling more confident than ever especially after her ten minutes cameo against Western Sydney Wanderers at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford where a United victory moved them to second place on the table.
“I got back on the pitch for the first time on the weekend and it was an awesome feeling to be back,” Brown said. “I am now hoping to be able to kick on and push for a starting spot but competition for positions is fierce and I will have to be at my best to break into the team.”
As a result of the four to five week recovery and time away from the field, Brown’s fitness for the Westfield W-League put her behind the rest and Dower’s Canberra United squad is stronger than ever, with positions limited.
“I remember thinking straight up ‘this season is a write off’ and almost prepped myself for the worst. It’s frustrating to be told no ‘go home and don’t train,’ ‘don’t come and see your friends,’ but I definitely needed to be told that,” Brown recalls. “One of my strong points is that I’m physically big and strong but I like to think I bring more of a presence to the back line; I talk a lot and pride myself on communication. I love to hit 50m long balls but I can play short and working on long balls on my right foot.”
The bright defender is now looking forward to the home run of games and focusing on what she can bring to the team and also, the tail end of the 2015/2016 Westfield W-League season, as United push for finals.
Canberra United are back on a home stretch at McKellar Park and will take on Brisbane Roar FC Women on Saturday 5th December 2015, 3:00pm.
