Abbie Richardson has spoken of her pride at making her Newcastle United Women debut with her parents watching.
The 18-year-old defender replaced Lois Joel in the 87th minute of Wednesday’s 3-1 cup defeat at Aston Villa.
“It was unreal for my mam and dad to be here and getting to see me come on,” she told Newcastle’s official website.
Her parents hold season tickets at St. James’ Park, and Richardson grew up supporting the club she now represents.
Abbie Richardson follows contract with Newcastle debut
Richardson’s first senior appearance came a week after she signed her first professional contract.
That agreement made her the first player to come through Newcastle’s women’s academy and earn professional terms with the club.
When announcing the deal on 23 September, Newcastle noted that she had started five Under-21 matches that season and scored the winning penalty against Everton in the PGA Cup.
She had also trained with Tanya Oxtoby’s first team throughout pre-season, giving her experience alongside the senior squad before Wednesday’s opportunity.
Richardson was one of two academy graduates to make their senior bows at Keys Park. Casi Gregson also came on, replacing Jessie Gale in the 64th minute.
Newcastle now return to league action at Durham on Sunday 4 October. Our Durham derby analysis considers Oxtoby’s selection options after the changes at Villa.
