Working alongside Kieran McKenna benefited Southampton FC’s player

Paige Peake formerly worked with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna before becoming a major component in Southampton FC Women’s defence.

McKenna is, of course, one of the managers attempting to prevent Southampton’s men’s team from returning to the Premier League.

This puts Peake in a strange situation. “He is great,” the 21-year-old confesses when asked how the Northern Irish coach is to work with.

“He is extremely intelligent. He has a great understanding of the game and is also quite friendly.”

Peake signed professional terms with part-time Ipswich Women in 2021 and began working as a performance analyst for the Men’s First Team.

This is where she met McKenna, who took over after Paul Cook left. When McKenna arrived from Manchester United, he requested that training sessions be filmed using a drone, which Peake fulfilled.

She would also study the Tractor Boy’s opponents to see patterns in how they scored and conceded goals. Prior to joining Saints, she worked briefly in their recruitment department.

Peake began training with the club’s under-18 team while still a teenager, in addition to working in the professional men’s game.

“I was the only one who took the professional contract as meaning I worked for the club full time,” she said. “Being around football all the time has greatly improved my growth.

“Training with the boys really benefited me. There wasn’t much difference between us in terms of technique or tactics. However, there was a difference in terms of play speed and strength.

“It helped me adjust and find new ways to impose myself. With my employment, being around football, and seeing Ipswich in League One, it was a fantastic year for me; I learned so lot.”

Peake joined Saints for the first time in her career and became a member of a full-time women’s club. Unlike at Ipswich, where she only practiced a few times each week, Peake was now a professional football player living in a bubble.

Peake had been exposed to the men’s game at her prior club, so a full-time schedule in the women’s game provided fresh opportunities for her development.

She went on to say, “Because I knew I was never going to play with the boys on weekends, I focused on what I could get out of training.

“It was almost a selfish perspective on training. I couldn’t play for them. We are in a higher division, thus the standards are greater here.

“Now, for me, training is all about teamwork. I need to take my individual attention out of training, but I’m constantly doing everything I can to give us a shot at winning on the weekend.

“In that regard, it’s entirely different. Because they were younger, most of their training focused on development rather than shape work. “It was perfect for me.”

Peake spent her first season with the Saints (2022-23) adjusting to a new surroundings. When she moved to the south coast, she left her home for the first time.

In early meetings with Marianne Spacey-Cale, the boss stated that she believed Peake had a solid comprehension of the game and outlined areas where she wanted her to develop.

“For me, I just wanted to impose myself on the team and the league,” she said. “As we progressed, I learnt and developed. I have learned a lot along the way.

“I am a highly ambitious player, which is what attracted me to Southampton in the first place. When they were promoted from Tier 3, I knew they would not be content with languishing in the Championship.

“The values I have and the values of the club are compatible. I saw it as the ideal site to visit. Hopefully, we can be promoted this season.

“You’d always prefer to achieve it sooner rather than later, but it won’t be disastrous if we don’t go up this year. We are a youthful side that has proven that we can compete with WSL opponents.

“If we do get promoted, we will have demonstrated that we are a club capable of competing in the league. That’s enormous. We’ve got a wonderful mix of young and seasoned players.

“Even though some of us are young, we have had so much playing time already in our careers that we are potentially more experienced than other players who aren’t getting as many minutes in the WSL.”

Saints Women are presently third in the Barclays Women’s Championship with 30 points from 17 games, four points behind league leaders Sunderland.

Southampton are, however, locked on 30 points with Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic, both of whom have played two fewer games than Spacey-Cale’s team.

Saints return to action on Sunday, March 17, when they face Reading at St Mary’s.