Forward Andreia Oliveria scored her first goal for the first team in the 8-0 victory over Kettering Town on Sunday afternoon and reflected on her integration over the last few months.
Peterborough United Women’s Development Squad is certainly not short of talented players, and its latest breakout player, Andreia Oliveria, seems to have integrated herself into the first team with relative ease.
The youngster has certainly made quite an impact already, providing the assist for the goal that would send Posh into the second round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup for the first time in their history, and this weekend, she opened her account for the first team after scoring the opening goal in the victory over Kettering Town.
Oliveria said: “I felt like I really needed that goal, so I’m so happy that I finally got it. As a forward, you play to score goals, so to be able to provide one for the team today was an incredible feeling.
“Playing alongside players like Tara and Keir, two players who have so much experience at a high level, gives me the opportunity to learn so much. Moving into a team like this, you have to be patient, but playing with players like the ones around me really helps improve my own skills.”
The jump from the Development Squad and the first team can be quite daunting and a difficult challenge to adapt to, but Oliveria has shown that with patience and hard work, she is more than capable of the task.
“It’s very different to everything I have played before. The change in the level of play was quite a shock at first. It’s very fast-paced - that has been the hardest thing to adjust to.
“I feel like I’ve integrated myself quite well, but I know I still have so much more left to show. I’ve just got to keep playing, keep getting in those minutes, putting in the hard work and I know I’ll get there."
“Last week, we played Durham, a Barclays Women's Championship side, which was a dream come true. To play against players at that kind of level, in a squad like ours that really held their own, was a massive learning curve."