Joel was given her full debut by Becky Langley against Sheffield United Women, marking her first appearance on home soil. Joel didn’t waste any time in showcasing her skills to the 3,221-strong audience by setting up an assist for Shania Hayles.
The Wales international was astonished to see the Kingston Park crowd for the first time, even though she had heard all about it.
Joel told newcastleunited.com, “I don’t think it gets any better than Sunday.”
“Many of the girls had been building it up for a while, so I was really excited to perform in front of our fans, and the Geordie support didn’t let me down.”
“It was crazy how early so many of them got to Kingston Park, so when I went out for the warm up I couldn’t believe how many were already in their seats.”
Joel was one of nine new players that United brought in over the summer, bolstering their roster considerably for what could be a challenging FA Women’s Championship season.
The 25-year-old views the group of new players that joined the core of the team that won the championship the previous season as a plus since there is now competition for a starting position.
“Competition for places is always good and it’s healthy for the team because it forces everyone to raise their game,” Joel said.
“We have really impressive depth throughout the squad and that will only help us improve as the season goes on.”
The Magpies’ next game is a journey to the south coast to play Portsmouth Women, a team that was also just promoted and whom Newcastle defeated at St. James’ Park in the FAWNL Cup the previous season.
“They’ll be keen to get their first lot of points on the board, but we’re ready to kick on and keep building up our momentum.”
Lois Joel Pompey hasn’t scored a point at this level yet, but Joel is well aware of the danger they will present, particularly at home.
“It’s going to be another battle for us because there are no easy games in the Championship and you’ve always got to earn three points,” she stated.
“I’m sure Portsmouth is eager to leave their mark on the division, given they are also a recently promoted team. They will be eager to score their first few points, but we’re prepared to press forward and maintain our momentum.”
Last time out on the road, the Lasses were cheered on by a boisterous away crowd in Bromley, which helped London City draw a league-record attendance lioness
Joel expressed her amazement at Newcastle’s large away fan base and her excitement about seeing them all on Sunday.
“They’re nuts but we love and appreciate them so much,” she said with a grin.
“We’re always so grateful for the amount of travelling they do and we can’t wait to see them down in Portsmouth.”
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