By Lloyd Webb
What a season it has been for Casey Stoney.
The defender made history with England’s Lionesses as they reached the World Cup semi final in Canada in June before she was recognised for her services to football with an MBE.
But it did not stop there. Since then, she has been voted as the Player of the Season by the Arsenal Ladies Supporters' Club for her commanding displays at the heart of the Gunners’ defence.
"What she is really good at is playing to her strengths such as helping others around her"
Casey Stoney
The 33-year-old capped off the campaign in style when she played a major role in Arsenal’s unbeaten run to the Continental Cup final, where Jordan Nobbs' brace and Chioma Ubogagu’s late goal sealed a record fourth triumph.
Stoney was ever-present in Pedro Martinez Losa’s side this year and was particularly impressive in the 1-0 win against Manchester City in the Continental Cup semi-final.
In her second spell with the club, the England international's experience has not only helped her team but also has set a good example to the younger players coming through the ranks.
WHAT THEY SAID
“She has been, since I arrived a the club, a role model for all the younger players. She has been a character to train and she is very ambitious. She is a hard worker and every day she brings the right mentality. She is one of the basic foundations of the team to improve defensively and to help the young players to learn what is means to be professional.”
Pedro Martinez Losa
“I think for the Supporters' Club to name her Player of the Season shows that she has been solid in the back four. She is also a leader that helps others around her - you have seen this with the amount of games she has played this season. I have been lucky enough to play alongside Casey for a number of years, when she was at Arsenal in her first spell and for England. What she is really good at is playing to her strengths such as helping others around her and using her experience.”
Alex Scott
BEST PERFORMANCES
v Notts County, November 1
The defender captained Arsenal to a record fourth Continental Cup triumph as they beat Notts County 3-0. A clean sheet in such a vital game rounded off a fine season for Stoney.
v Manchester City, April 20
Stoney was particularly impressive in the Continental Cup semi-final against Manchester City. The England international helped her side to an important shut out as the Gunners saw out a slender 1-0 victory.
v Millwall, August 30
The England international captained the side as they beat Millwall Lionesses 4-0 in the Continental Cup. Dan Carter, Chloe Kelly, Rachel Yankey and Dominique Janssen were all on target for the Gunners.
Casey Stoney
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
