Aberdeen Women forward Louise Brown is ready to fight for her place and help her side push for a top-half finish as the SWPL 1 season nears its end.
Brown, who signed for the Dons in the summer, has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season – with 17 of those coming in the league.
But, after a spell where she did not get as many minutes as she would like, the forward has played in a decent run of games of late.
Brown has played in each of the last four fixtures, and was named in the starting XI twice – including the homecoming game against Rangers at Pittodrie.
She said: “I’m absolutely loving it. Maybe if I’d been asked a couple weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been enjoying it as much from not getting game time, but that’s just the challenge of football.
“Playing at a high level, like in SWPL 1, you’re always competing for your space – but it’s been great.
“I always try and give my all and work really hard, so playing regularly and getting that start at Pittodrie was a huge achievement.
“Getting more game time and scoring some more goals are my targets for the rest of the season.”
Earning a place in the starting line-up does come with its challenges, as Brown faces stiff competition from Aberdeen’s two other forwards, Bayley Hutchison and Hannah Stewart.
But Brown reckons that fighting for a place in the squad has only helped her progress as a player.
“There definitely is competition for places,” Brown added.
“At training and every game, you know that you have to give 100%, because they’re (co-managers Emma Hunter and Gavin Beith) watching on.
“You’ve got to fight for your place, which is good, because it helps you improve.
“I feel like I’ve improved a lot since I came to Aberdeen, because the training is more intense.
“I’ve noticed my passing has stepped up, and I’m a lot more confident than I was initially, so hopefully I just keep getting better.”
‘We know what we’re capable of’
With six games to go, it should be an exciting end to the season as the Dons have their sights set on a fifth-place finish in SWPL 1.
Aberdeen currently sit in that spot, two points above sixth and just six points behind Hibernian in fourth.
A top-half finish would be an impressive outcome for their first season back in the top-flight, but not one that Brown would be surprised at.
She explained: “I knew when I joined Aberdeen that it was such a good team.
“As soon as I came to training and started playing, I knew that we could get there.”
And, even when the Dons were in a poor run of form, Brown’s belief in the side never wavered.
She added: “We had a spell losing games and points that we shouldn’t have lost, but every team takes a little dip and it’s about how you build from that.
“You either crash and burn or pick yourself up – we picked ourselves up and started improving.
“We know what we’re capable of and we need to continue playing like that.”