Fishlock: We're hungry again

Melbourne City interim coach and midfielder Jess Fishlock says the playing group has regained desire in the past fortnight and acknowledges they had a form blip during the season.

City were handed their first ever loss in Round 6 and failed to win a game until a fortnight ago downing Brisbane Roar 3-1 at home.

City then had a subsequent 2-0 away win in Coffs Harbour last week and will look to take down Canberra United in the nation’s capital on Sunday night.

The Welsh international said the playing group was now focused on the task at hand after the club had a six-game winless streak.

And the club are now just two games away of potentially defending their 2016 championship crown.

“I think the last few weeks, the last month, we’ve really got our handle and desire back,” Fishlock said.

“The girls have done really well and to get the results we’ve got… not to just get the results that we’ve got but to play the way we’ve played and have the performances we’ve had the last couple of weeks.

“It’s been really encouraging and positive so we had a blip no doubt about that but what the girls have done to turn that around has been really brilliant.”

Sunday’s anticipated clash was originally scheduled for 2pm, before the A-League clash between Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United.

The FFA released a statement on Friday afternoon declaring the game will now be played at 8pm, after the men when it was predicted temperatures could soar as high as 37c at GIO Stadium.

Fishlock said on Friday morning, she did not believe it would be rescheduled at the time and spoke of the difficulties playing in the heat. But she felt it could have nullified Canberra United’s pace.

Former teammate Lisa De Vanna could potentially play as she was key in City’s championship win last season.

De Vanna in action for new club Canberra United

“I’m excited to come up against Canberra, I think it’s going to be a great game. Lisa is a good signing for them, but I think she sums up Canberra, they’re full of pace,” she said.

“If you can deal with that then that’s Canberra really, I’m not excited to meet up with any individuals, just Canberra as a group.”

City men’s coach John van’t Schip resigned from the club to attend to his then ill, now late father back in Holland.

Former women’s head coach Joe Montemurro has since stepped into the role of interim assistant coach in the A-League team.

Despite the unexpected rotations, she said it did have some positive impacts on the squad.

“The way this season has panned out, it was what it was. We had people in roles, what happened with the resignation of John van’t Schip really hit the whole city group in that way,” she said.

“We got our stuff together, PK (Women’s assistant coach Patrick Kisnorbo) has come in and what’s changed has changed. I think it’s actually had a really positive affect on the group because we’ve started from scratch and started again.

“We weren’t getting great results in that time, it could have gone one way or the other. We could’ve imploded as a group or we could’ve got together and started really moving in a positive way and credit to the girls, because that’s what they did.