Nobbs - It felt great to be back

Jordan Nobbs is delighted to be playing football for Arsenal Ladies again.

The England vice-captain made her first start in Thursday’s Continental Cup win against Reading since sustaining a hamstring injury at the Women’s World Cup in June,

Nobbs impressed during a lively 70 minutes at Meadow Park, and was voted player of the match by the home supporters.

“It’s just great to be back on the pitch,” the midfielder told Arsenal Player. “I had to flag at the end to let myself come off and get a breather, but I’m glad to be back fighting with the team, trying to play the best I can.

“It’s an extra confidence boost that the crowd thought I played well. The fans have been great all season so it’s good to give something back and I’m glad I put in a good performance for the team.

“Injuries are a nightmare but the one thing that it does is it drives you more and more. As soon as I got back on that pitch there was nothing I wanted to do more than show what I’m made of and get my place back in the team. Hopefully I did that against Reading.”

Vicky Losada also stepped up her rehabilitation from injury with 75 minutes and a goal in Thursday’s win, and Nobbs is relishing the competition for places in central midfield.

“We’ve been really unfortunate with injuries this season and I think it’s shown the strength and character in the team,” she said. “Now it’s just about us getting all of our players back fit.

“It was great to see me and Vicky back out there getting some minutes on the pitch. The more you’ve got people fighting for places, the stronger your team will get because everyone wants to be wearing an Arsenal shirt.”