Potter: We always wanted to be in this position
Crystal Palace Women's Manager Jo Potter said that despite promotion being out of their hands for the majority of the season, her squad always believed.
Speaking ahead of Palace's huge clash against Portsmouth on Saturday, Potter praised the mentality of her squad.
Goals from Annabel Blanchard and Ashleigh Weerden sealed a vital 2-1 win away at Sunderland on Sunday, confirming Palace's playoff spot at a minimum and also putting automatic promotion firmly within her team's control.
"We always wanted to be in a position to get automatic promotion, although it was never in our hands.
"We knew it may be a possibility if we can continue to do what we were doing, so we've managed to keep our end of the bargain so far.
"I'm really, really proud of the players for that, we're extremely happy that we've definitely secured at least third spot for now.
"There was a little celebration of that in the changing room [at the end of the Sunderland game], which is a huge thing, considering where we came from earlier in the season," Potter said.
After a stuttering start in the league, Potter's side have won 12 out the last 14 games to put themselves in with a chance of winning the title on the final day.
Potter spoke about the calmness amongst her squad and staff heading into the final game of the season.
She said: "Yeah, we might look calm. I don't know if I was feeling like that, especially in the second-half against Sunderland.
"We try to project as much calmness out to the players on the pitch because the players are at their best when they're calm, they're relaxed and they're confident.
"I think that goes for any team, you know. Every team and every player is going to be playing better when they're a little bit more relaxed.
"It is just about reminding the players to keep doing what they're doing well.
"They're keeping us calm at moments in time because they're projecting out that calmness and confidence, and it's really good to see.
"They're working extremely hard and they're doing exactly what we're asking them to do."
Her squad will be potentially in action for one final time on Saturday, as a win against relegated Portsmouth will confirm automatic promotion to the WSL.
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