Laura Berry: SWF award was a dream come true

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Flair, versatility and a keen eye on goal are simply few of the traits within the repertoire of talents that the K-park faithful have become accustomed to whilst watching Laura Berry leading the line. 

The striker burst into the Scottish Women’s Premier League, netting 8-goals in 12-appearances after joining the club on an initial season-long loan deal from Glasgow-outfit Rangers. A Champions League debut for the Gers followed, facing European titans Atletico de Madrid and Arsenal, but the youngster sought to continue her development elsewhere – returning to the club for her second consecutive loan deal.

Berry has quickly rediscovered her form this campaign, scoring seven-goals in eight-appearances, including four against newly-promoted SWPL2 champions Queens Park in only her second game. The international ranks haven’t fazed the forward, with Berry completing a first-half hat-trick against the Netherlands before scoring a double against Hungary the following week.

“I’ve loved my time at the club,” Berry noted.

“I really wanted to continue the progression of my own game, and my first stint at the club last season allowed me to make significant strides on the pitch. The coaching staff at the club work tirelessly to ensure progression on the pitch collectively as a squad, but they also are focused on developing yourself individually as a player.

“The squad are incredibly supportive, and have created a really positive environment fir young players to thrive. We have a really perfect balance of experienced and young players in the squad that has been fundamental to our performances on the pitch this season. I’ve been able to take what I’ve learned at the club to the Scotland youth squads and develop my standards on the international stage.”

Her impression on the Scottish footballing scene hasn’t gone unnoticed, with the 17-year-old forward receiving the Scottish Women’s Football Young Player of the Year award. The striker was nominated alongside Rossvale’s Sophie Ambrosini, Hearts’ Jessica Husband and Ross County’s Keira Syrjanen, but after initially being shortlisted by a supporters vote, Berry was awarded the ‘Young player of the year’ by a selected judging panel.

“It has been a dream come true,” Berry emphasised.

“It was an absolute honour and a privilege to be nominated in my first season of professional football, especially alongside so many talented players. Being recognised as the Young Player of the Year is a really proud milestone for myself and something that I haven’t taken for granted.

“It has been a whirlwind experience. I still feel relatively new to the league and fairly inexperienced at this level, but having my first full season under my belt and trying to replicate those performances this season as an established first-team player has been important to my development.

“Ultimately, my main focus is to support the team to success on the pitch, but individually as a player, I’m always looking to improve and add to my game, so to receive the recognition from the SWF is a real motivator for me to continue with the hard work both on and off the pitch.”

The women of steel remain firmly in the ascendency, as they chase their long-awaited and evaded ambition of a top-six finish in the Scottish Women’s Premier League table. Motherwell have maintained an advantage over their closest rivals Partick Thistle for much of the 2024/25 SWPL campaign, after a 1-1 stalemate in the last meeting between the sides.

Paul Brownlie’s side confidently secured their place in Round Four of the Scottish Cup, defeating SWPL2 side Rossvale with an assured seven-goal victory before closely-battling league leaders Rangers at a sub-zero K-Park. Despite not finding the target, Berry showcased her creativity, teeing up her teammates on three-occasions.

“The SWPL is a difficult league,” Berry explained.

“Part-time squads are facing opposition who are well-rested, training full-time, and solely focused on football. The challenges can be unpredictable, but as a squad, we’ve approached each game in a professional manner – training regularly with great attention to detail and always with an ambition to compete at the top-end of the table. We’ve proven how efficient and competitive we can be – losing by one-goal margins against both Rangers and Glasgow City demonstrated our standards, as we were capable and deserving of taking points in both of these matches.

“We’ve made it no secret that a top-six finish is our ambition this season, but we don’t focus too much on the league table. It can often sound like a cliche in football, but we are simply taking each game at a time, and the league table will take care of itself.”

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