Netball Super League | Severn Stars Look to Translate Good Performances into First Home Win

Severn Stars’ Head Coach, Sam Bird, wants to convert some impressive performances in front of their fans into a winning result this time around as the team prepares for its first home game in two months.

Stars will be looking to build on back-to-back wins away when they face fourth placed Loughborough Lightning at the University of Worcester Arena this Saturday (April 28).

Bird said she was looking forward to it after four away fixtures in succession, which included the long journeys to Newcastle and Glasgow.

But she said that now the team needed to reflect the quality previously shown in front of their fans into points on the board.

In a tough start to the Vitality Netball Superleague season, Stars lost in the dying seconds by just one goal on two occasions, having led from the outset, to Manchester Thunder and then to Team Bath.

Though sixth-placed Stars, a joint franchise between the University of Worcester and University of Gloucestershire, are yet to record a home win, Bird said that previous good performances at home stood them in good stead.

“It feels like forever since we’ve had a home game and we have performed well at home up until now, being unlucky to lose two games by just one goal,” said Bird.

“We have performed well at home and I’m looking to replicate that home form and turn that into a win this week.”

The game will also be Stars player Jodie Gibson’s first opportunity to play in front of her home fans since she returned from the Commonwealth Games with a gold medal as part of victorious England squad.

Jodie Gibson said she anticipated another tough match against Lightning, adding that every match in the Superleague is a hard match.

“The level of netball across the UK is at an all time high and it’s so exciting for the spectators and us as well because going into games because you never know what the result is going to be,” she said.

“Following our game against Northumbria it’s been important for us to refocus this week in training so we can execute our game plan well on Saturday.”

She said she was also excited to share her gold medal success with all the fans who had supported her along the way.

For tickets to the match, which starts at 6pm, visit www.severnstars.co.uk.

Photo credit: Razorlight Imagery