Katie Johnson insists she is hungry for success with Wolves Women this season after signing a contract extension to remain at the club for the next 12 months.
The defender was one of the first women’s first-team players to sign terms with Wolves in a historic move last year, and although she received offers to move away from the club and into the WSL2 this summer, Johnson admits the positivity surrounding Dan McNamara’s group right now, together with the pride of helping the club she’s supported her whole life into a professional league, convinced her to put pen-to-paper once again.
On signing a contract extension
“It’s really exciting. With the new promotion spot opening up, there’s a real excitement around the club at the minute. Everyone sees it as a big opportunity, especially after the news we received at the end of the season, and the way it’s turned around now and the positivity that’s shining on the team, it’s a good opportunity for us to finally put the club where we want to put it – in WSL2.
“Having my family down here, having grown up with this club, if I was to play in WSL2, I want to do it with this club. I had a couple of offers, including one from a bit further up [the divisions], but it just didn’t seem right.
“It wouldn’t feel the same if I went elsewhere and achieved something with another club. I want to get this club where we want it to be, where all of the group want it to be. I’ve got a job here, my family here, and the club means a lot to me, so all of this has kept me enticed for another 12 months to see where we can push this club.”
On the positivity and belief in the group
“As disappointing as the end of last season was, I think that adversity has actually now helped to push everything in the right direction. It shouldn’t have happened, but now this is happening and the positivity that is on the team, hopefully it keeps going in that direction, we keep getting the backing of the club and the positivity out of it.
“A lot of key players have signed on again, as well as Macca, and that was key to it. I had a good chat with him about it and he told me the conversations he’s been having with the club convinced him and that he was ready to push on and do it, so seeing that belief from him was crucial.
“The relationship we’ve developed over the past few years, and with him at the front of it, leading the pack and ready to instil that belief in us, showing that hunger he always has – that was a big factor to it. There’s definitely a belief and positivity around again, you can see that with the people who are committing, and we all believe that with the group we’ve got, plus a few exciting additions, we can get the club to where we want it to be.”
On the advantages of being part-time
“It gives you that stability, which is something that I’ve always thrived off. The fact they’ve included more of the girls this summer on contracts, it just gives you that sense of everything starting to go in the right direction and towards a professional environment, which we do want to get to eventually.
“Last year was obviously exciting for myself, Morph and Tammi to be the first three together, but I think it also excited the group as well and the girls took it as quite a positive move, so now with there being an increase in those contracts – you can see the players that we’ve secured already, it just allows people security in that we’ve got 12 months now to absolutely hit the ground running and see what we can all do together.”
On reaching 100 senior appearances
“I always dreamed of it. It was always one of my family’s goals to get me into the first-team. It was difficult and there were a few years where I was on the edge and it wasn’t really working out, and then I went out on loan, came back, and really started to kick on.
“It’s been amazing ever since and to reach 100 appearances was a really big milestone for me to hit last season. It was really important to have my family there to celebrate it with me as well because it was tough getting through the RTC, my parents took me to all the games and it wasn’t always pretty, there were loads of muddy pitches, so to now be like playing on Telford week in, week out, sometimes it’s a bit of a pinch me moment.
“To celebrate that 100th appearance with my parents on the lovely pitch at Telford was really nice.”
On pushing for promotion this season
“If we could achieve promotion, it would be amazing. It would be what many people have dreamed of, especially me, to get the club to that place and it would be amazing to lift the trophy.
“It was always the outcome that we set out a good few years ago and we’ve nearly crossed the line a few times since then, but we’ve got a really big chance. For me, it’s only a matter of time as we all believe we can really do it this season, and then hopefully turn into a full-time professional outfit with that potential after we get promoted.
“If we were to do that and my job was to play for Wolves and wear the badge every day – because I wear it with such pride – it would definitely be a dream come true.”
