Fans latching onto passion and effort of Watford Women

That’s the view of forward Bianca Baptiste, who arrived at the club last summer from Crystal Palace and has watched attendances and interest in Watford Women grow as the season has gone on.

Having scored lots of goals at a higher level for both the Eagles and Tottenham, Baptiste has bagged eight this season and claimed a further 14 assists.

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She is ready to play her part in attempting to get Watford back to the Championship when they face Nottingham Forest in the final at Stadium MK tomorrow (1pm).

Ticket sales for Watford fans passed the 1,000-mark at the start of the week, and it looks like there could be double that cheering the Golden Girls on by kick-off.

Baptiste said the players love the rapport with the fans, and feels the numbers have grown because of the commitment the squad have shown all season.

“We get a regular group of fans who come to our home games, and they are lovely, a great bunch and we show them our thanks by clapping them and doing pictures and that. We want them to know how grateful we are,” she said.

“And then we go and play on the big pitch at Vicarage Road and there’s more than a thousand people there, which shows that the fans of Watford want to support us.

“It’s like the people of Watford have said ‘you know what, you’re doing us proud and you’re doing the badge proud’.

“I think that’s what it comes down to. We are playing for the badge and for each other, but we’re also playing for the fans and everyone who comes to support us.”

Recently, Baptiste has found herself playing in a slightly different position, and feels she can cause Forest problems on Saturday.

“Wing back is a little bit of a change and something I’m getting used to, but in my mind I need to make Forest worry more about me,” said the 31-year-old.

“I did it against Portsmouth and although I didn’t score, I worked my backside off and did my attacking and defending work.

“For me, that is what being a wing back is all about. I want to do what I can to help my team and win the game.

“Playing on a bigger pitch and a nice surface will be good. The link-up play we’ve developed on the right side is great: the way we pass and move between defence and midfield, the way we can read each other and know what’s going to happen.

“In a game, if I see Anne Meiwald move over, then I see Sophie McLean cover and I know I’m ok to do my thing. If I don’t see Sophie, then I know I have to sit in a bit.

“We have that relationship as players and it’s really good.”

Baptiste said that with great training led by head coach Damon Lathrope, the team have improved and evolved over the season.

“When we first started the season we worked hard on our technique and made sure we were a team that passed the ball out from the back.

“We wanted to be a team that isn’t scared to play football.

“At the other end of the pitch we were getting the strikers to press, but teams were playing around us and using the keeper to go through the press.

“But we worked on that in training and we now know how to make the press more effective.

“When I hear Damon shout certain things, me and the other girls know what he means and we start working on the patterns and the ways to drive the opposition back.”

Anyone who was at Vicarage Road last month to see the 2-1 win over Oxford United will have seen Baptiste hit an absolute screamer from distance – after a sublime ball from Annie Rossiter – to equalise.

“It’s probably one of the best goals in my career,” she smiled.

“It was the best moment. We knew we had to win that game and for me to help my team by getting on the scoresheet was a great feeling.

“To strike a ball like that, I was literally gobsmacked myself!

“When I hit it, the connection felt so good I thought it could go in. But the ball was going wide, and then all of a sudden because I hit it with a bit of spin it took a turn and swerved into the top corner.

“If you see my celebration it takes a second for it to sink in that it’s gone in, then I run away to the crowd.

“I was thinking about a knee-slide but I didn’t. If it had been the second goal then I might have, but because it was only the equaliser I thought I’d have my little celebration and then get back to business.”

Talking of business, ask Baptiste about Saturday’s opponents Forest – who beat Watford 3-2 in the League Cup Final a few weeks ago – and she speaks very confidently about taking care of things in the play-off rematch.

“They are a good team who are physical. They have players we know could possibly hurt us,” she said.

“But if we turn up and do things the way we know we can, I have no doubt that we’ll win.”

You can pay on the day at the main ticket office at Stadium MK tomorrow. Tickets for the play-off final are £5 for adults, £2.50 for Under-16s and Over-65s, and free for Under-10's.