St Mirren Women coach believes battling German giants Borussia Dortmund and Hannover 96 will give club huge boost

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Kate Cooper believes battling German giants Borussia Dortmund and Hannover 96 was the perfect pre-season preparation for St Mirren Women.

The Buddies travelled to Germany for the second year in a row as they push forward ahead of their upcoming SWF League One campaign.Competing in two tournaments this time around, the determined Saints made it through to the final of the Peuler Deerns Cup having not conceded a single goal throughout the competition.While they ultimately lost out to a last-minute winner in the showpiece against Dortmund, Cooper insists the development of her side over the course of the 10-day trip is invaluable as they look to challenge for promotion this season.Cooper told Express Sport: “We have definitely grown as a result of the trip, both individually and as a team.“To play a giant of German football like Borussia Dortmund in the final was very exciting for the players.“We played seven games in the Peuler Deerns Cup and only conceded twice, which was in that final.“One of our main focuses during the trip was to work on our defence.

If we want to compete in the league, our defensive record has to be strong and that was a real focus for us in Germany.“It was an excellent trip for that and we can only hope this gives us that small edge over other teams in the league.“We’re aiming for a quick start to the season because that creates momentum which puts pressure on other teams to catch you.“Every team will be making big strides this year and we have to hope we’ve improved more than they have.”With two friendlies in between the two weekend tournaments, there was plenty of action for every Saints player on the continent.The trip was particularly positive for new recruits Hannah Coyle and Carolanne Phee,