As AFC North Kilworth Women prepare for another important test in the Leicestershire Women & Girls Football League Division 2, we caught up with Manager Michael Stevenson ahead of Sunday's meeting with AFC Market Bosworth.

Kilworth head into the fixture unbeaten after an impressive opening to the campaign, but Sunday's opponents arrive with plenty of confidence of their own following a 4–1 victory over Hinckley AFC Women.

With both sides looking to maintain their unbeaten starts, we sat down with Michael to look ahead to what promises to be a fascinating encounter.

Q. Michael, AFC Market Bosworth are the opposition on Sunday. What are you expecting from them?

A. Results speak for themselves. We found Hinckley to be a good team and certainly no pushovers, so we know Bosworth will be tough opposition and will bring a lot to the table.

We have a lot of respect for them and we're expecting a really competitive game.

Q. Both sides have beaten Hinckley 4–1. Does that give you any indication of how evenly matched this could be?

A. I don't read too much into past results this early in the season.

Hinckley are a good team, but Bosworth showed on the day that they clearly have strength within their squad. I think they're a team to watch this season.

For us, it's about focusing on what we can do rather than getting too caught up in comparing results.

Q. Bosworth have a squad with plenty of experience and players who have been together for several years. How important will that be?

A. It definitely gives them an advantage.

The majority of their players have been together for several years and, year on year, they add and recruit well. That gives them an understanding and togetherness that comes from playing alongside each other for a long time.

We have to be on it from the first minute and work together to match Bosworth in that area.

Q. Both teams are unbeaten at this stage. Is this a fixture that will give you a good indication of where Kilworth are?

A. 100%.

This will be a great test for the players against a clearly good side.

We're both unbeaten early in the season and we'll both want to keep that record intact. I think both teams will be looking at this fixture as a chance to gauge where we are at this stage of the season.

For us, it's another opportunity to test ourselves against a strong team.

SQUAD SELECTION

Q. Selection is becoming increasingly difficult with players returning from injury. How pleased are you with the competition within the squad?

A. It's getting increasingly difficult, and that's exactly where we want to be.

Players are returning from injury and building their fitness back up. We have a squad of 25 and 25 capable players who are pushing each other.

It's a long season and my players know that every position is up for grabs every week. For us, that's a great position to be in.

Q. Have there been some particularly difficult decisions ahead of Sunday?

All of them have been tough decisions.

Georgia has recently signed and has been excellent in the minutes she's played while building her fitness. Abbi and Evie have played nearly every game through pre-season and the start of the season and have improved week by week.

Amy also got her first 15 minutes as part of her rehabilitation, which is another positive step for us.

Everyone who isn't in the squad is a loss to the team because they all bring something, but as I've said, it keeps the players fighting and pushing each other.

That's exactly the competition we want.

Q. Will we see any tactical flexibility from Kilworth on Sunday?

Q. Totally.

I'm not going to go into too much detail, but the coaching team have been working hard over the last two weeks on patterns of play and reinforcing exactly what we want from the players.

The players are aware that flexibility in their approach is essential.

Q. Without giving away your starting XI, how strong is the bench going into Sunday?

A. The bench is very strong, but we have a very strong squad full stop.

The players who are on the bench will have a chance to prove themselves and push for starting-eleven places.

That's the message throughout the squad — keep working, keep pushing and when your opportunity comes, take it.

TWO GAMES DOWN...

Q. Two wins from two and an excellent start to the season. How pleased are you with what you've seen?

A. It's been a great start, but it's two games.

The players have done excellent in those two games and we're continuing to work on the areas we want to improve.

But ultimately, that means nothing tomorrow during those 90 minutes if we don't go out there and do what we've worked on.

That's the challenge.

Q. What is the message to the players before they walk out on Sunday?

A. Work hard.

Fight for each other and do what we've trained.

Focus on our game, our football and what we can affect on the pitch.

If we do that, we're already halfway there.

A MESSAGE TO THE KILWORTH SUPPORTERS

Q. Finally, what would you say to everyone coming down to support the team on Sunday?

A. Let's get behind the team and make as much noise as possible.

The players respond to the backing and a noisy crowd really does push them on.

We're going to need everyone behind us.

SUNDAY. ANOTHER TEST. ANOTHER CHANCE.

Two unbeaten sides.

Two teams looking to make their mark on Division 2.

And 90 minutes to find out who can impose themselves on the game.

AFC NORTH KILWORTH WOMEN v AFC MARKET BOSWORTH

📅 Sunday 27 September 2026
⚽ Kick-off: 2:00pm

#UpTheKilly 💛💙