Lambourne and Hines stay with United for second WSL2 Season
Oxford United Women are pleased to announce that goalkeeper Demi Lambourne and midfielder Kayleigh Hines will remain at the club for the 2015 FA Women’s Super League 2 season after the club took up its option to extend their contracts by a year.
Hines signed for the club ahead of United’s WSL debut last season after previous successful spells with Reading and Millburn Magic in the USA. She established herself as a vital first team player, scoring three times, and said she is looking forward to building on a solid debut season.
“I’m obviously delighted to extend my contract with Oxford,” said Hines. “Last season was a challenging year for all involved, but I was grateful to be a part of it and I’m very happy to be continuing the WSL journey with the club into next season and hopefully many more to come.”
18-year-old Lambourne impressed hugely in her first season in senior football after progressing from United’s successful youth side the previous year. She went on to make 18 WSL 2 appearances for the U’s as well as earning call-ups to England under-19 training camps. Lambourne is looking forward to continuing her development at Oxford:
“It’s really good to stay at the club for another year, because I really enjoyed playing last year and I’m looking forward to the chance to continue that. I didn’t expect to play much at the start of last season, but obviously Hannah Cox’s injury meant that I got the chance and it was good for me. It’ll be nice to go back and play next season, but I’m not expecting to be first choice, I just want to work hard and prove myself.”
General Manager Richard Blackmore said he was pleased to secure two important players as United look ahead to their second WSL 2 season in 2015.
He said: “As part of our ongoing strategic plan and our aim to develop home-grown players, it is important we keep a good core group of players together, which Demi and Kayleigh are the start of. We are also working hard at the moment to add two or three new players in key positions to keep that core group developing.”
Manager Les Taylor added: “Kayleigh is a strong performer and will have benefitted from her debut year in WSL 2. She made 22 appearances and was extremely consistent, having sustained an ankle injury early in the season. As we progress and look to develop home-grown players, Kayleigh has the experience and professionalism needed to help bring through the younger players. There is still a lot more to come from Kayleigh, and I am looking forward to working with her next season.
“Demi is a home-grown player who is still very much learning about the game and her performances improved throughout the season. Demi`s displays earned her a call-up to the England under-19 squad and the reports back have been excellent.
“Both players will have learned a lot from last season and we at Oxford United are delighted to have them in their squad”
Season Tickets are on sale for the WSL2 2015 season and cost just £25 for adults, £10 for concessions. Click HERE for further details