Goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins was made to be patient for her A-League debut but made the most of it with a number of quality saves in Adelaide United’s loss to Central Coast on Friday.
Jenkins returned to the club on a scholarship contract with the club, having previously signed with the Reds for the 2015/16 season.
The 25-year-old admitted to being nervous before the game, despite having previously sat on the bench numerous times, but the Adelaide City product made seven saves on debut, continually repelling the Mariners to keep her side in with a chance.
Jenkins was deputising for Annalee Grove, who was out under concussion protocols but could return for the side’s next match against Melbourne Victory on 4 November.
Speaking on Monday morning after training, she also discussed her relationship with Grove, the vocal crowd on Friday evening, and what the week looks like given the international break.
Claudia Jenkins on how she felt about her debut:
“I was a bit nervous going in, but it was a really cool experience. I think once the whistle blew, I felt really settled. And it’s nice that I have played with some of those girls for a long time. Everybody was really encouraging so it made me feel a bit better.
“I think after the first sort of big save I was like ‘Oh, okay. It’s all good’. I think once you get that initial save, you feel a bit more confident in your feet. And yeah, I did alright.”
Claudia Jenkins on her journey to an A-League debut:
“I think just the reality of a keeper, it is just one position on the field and you don’t tend to change your keeper unless there is an injury. I think it did mean a lot. I’ve been wanting to debut in this league for a really long time. I think as a keeper, you’ve just gotta be patient and keep working and eventually the process will happen. You get your chance or you don’t get your chance, and think it’s just it is what it is.”
Claudia Jenkins on her relationship with fellow ‘keeper Annalee Grove:
“I think it is nice how she has a lot of trust in me that if she does get injured or a concussion that I can step up and do the job. Once she’s back in she’s more than capable of doing everything she always does. I’m just happy I got my minutes finally.”
Claudia Jenkins on going down 2-1 to the Mariners:
“It was not the result we were looking for, obviously, and I think we really do need to work on the conceding of goals and scoring more goals. We just started a bit slow, and it cost us. They were a very good side and I think they definitely came out on top with that. But we’ve got to look to the future, put that behind us and keep moving.”
Claudia Jenkins on starting the season with two home games, and the vocal support at Cooopers Stadium:
“That was honestly the highlight (for me), having the debut at home with my parents and my family and friends, and just seeing how much the game has changed over the years and the crowd out there and the kids. It’s really quite lovely.”
Claudia Jenkins on how the side will prepare during the A-League women’s international break:
“I think we’ve just got to really keep the intensity up. I think going in from a loss and a draw at home, we really need to start looking for that first win. And I think it starts with the intensity at training so this week will be a hard week and even though we’ve got no game I think the intensity can’t drop and it needs to keep rising.
