Ahead of the Women’s Super League Manchester derby on 11 December, we had the pleasure of speaking to Manchester City captain, Steph Houghton MBE.
The 34-year-old City defender and England international has been a stalwart for the side since 2014 and with the Blues in touching distance of United in the table, manager Gareth Taylor will be looking for a statement performance.
Leading by example, Houghton knows exactly what derby day means for the club and the fans.
Here’s what she had to say ahead of the big fixture.
What does the Manchester derby mean to you?
ADVERTISEMENT
“It means absolutely everything. I think from the moment I stepped into this club, and even prior to joining, I knew the Manchester derby means absolutely everything to the fans.
“For us as players to pull on the shirt, it’s not just about the game itself, it’s the bragging rights after and just that pride of playing for Manchester and this football club.
ADVERTISEMENT
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 30: Steph Houghton of Manchester City gives a team talk before the FA Women’s Super League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at The Academy Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
“We know it’s going to be an absolutely massive game, the last time we played at the Etihad it was such an amazing occasion. It’s only good when you do win, so for us as players it’s about taking the atmosphere in and knowing that there are going to be a lot more City fans than there is United.
“Hopefully, put on a great performance, get those three points that we need and Manchester will be blue.”
What are your memories of the last derby at the Etihad Stadium in 2019?
ADVERTISEMENT
“I think for us we obviously knew there were a lot of tickets sold [a WSL record of 31,213, in fact]. We all went over to the stadium a couple of days before to get some familiarity with where we’d be on matchday.
Credit: Supplied
“You then as a player start thinking about what will happen. But then that moment when you’re warming up and the crowd are cheering you and shouting your name, and then the moment when Caz Weir scored, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a noise like it.
“I think when you play in those games it’s about making the most of it. It’s going to be a great occasion, it’s been a long time coming since we played at the Etihad so it’s just about going and enjoying it and embracing it.”
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw is averaging over a goal a game at the minute, what makes her so special?
“I think for me, in terms of the chances she’s getting at the moment, she just seems to be putting every single one away. When you have strikers in that form you just have to keep on giving her the ball because she will create something.
“You saw against Everton it’s not just her scoring, she’s producing goals for other people as well. In terms of training, to play against her and mark her is so difficult because of that physicality and she’s starting to show that on the pitch now.
“It was her first season last year, so it takes a while for people to get used to how we play but come this second season she’s started so well and let’s hope that continues.”
City also have a 100% home record against United. How much do you think that will play into the result?
“Not just against United, our home record is pretty impressive. When we play at the Academy Stadium but especially against United, we want to win so badly, and I think it’s finding that balance of wanting to win but also sticking to what we do.
“I think over the previous seasons we’ve managed to do that and take the occasion out of it and treat it like a normal game. We have to give United respect, at the moment they’re in great form so, for us, it’s just about concentrating on ourselves and producing a performance we’re all going to be proud of.”
An event designed to make dating ‘less sh*t’ is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A dating event with a difference is heading to Manchester this week, designed to bring all the fun of dating without the endless swiping to our city.
Haystack Dating promises to blend good old-fashioned meeting-people-in-real-life with all the fancy technology that helps to match-make people online.
At each event, you’ll be placed in a group of up to 12 people who all have similar interests to you, based off a short survey you fill out before you attend.
You can grab a drink, have a natter, get stuck into some friendly competition (the event is hosted at Sixes Social Cricket Bar) and get to know each other – and potentially meet the love of your life.
Worst case scenario, you come away with some new mates and have a decent night in one of the city’s top venues.
Haystack Dating are on a mission to make ‘dating more fun and less s**t’, promising that you might meet your soulmate over a Baby Guinness and a few round of virtual cricket.
They also want to make dating more inclusive and take a good step away from toxic dating apps and awkward dating events.
Previous Haystack Dating events. Credit: Supplied
The company launched earlier this year in London with more than 2000 people passing through its events looking for love and a laugh – and now it’s Manchester’s turn.
This is the only dating company that uses a matching algorithm on the evening – so it’s basically the best bits of online dating, but in real life.
While this particular event is taking place at Sixes Social Cricket, previous activities have included live music, arcades, and even bucking broncos (that’s not a euphemism).
Every venue Haystack Dating uses is also fully accessible.
There’ll be a team of reps on hand on the evening to oversee, make intros and remove any awkward vibes.
And Haystack Dating has a solid success rate – around one in five people go on a date after the event.
Haystack Dating was found by Lucy Rout, an entrepreneur who gained a 50k following on Instagram after surviving cancer, documenting her dating life and then finding the love of her life.
Haystack Dating will be in Manchester on Friday 23 May – you can find out more and book your tickets HERE.
You can also follow them on Instagram HERE and Tiktok HERE.
Featured image: Supplied
Sponsored
Manchester’s popular pop-up cafe full of hundreds of sausage dogs is back this bank holiday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s popular pop-up cafe full of hundreds of sausage dogs is making a big return this bank holiday.
Are you a big dachshund fan? Love seeing lots of little sausage dogs in the same place? Looking for your little pup to make some sausage friends? Don’t even have a sausage dog but want to join in on the fun anyway? Well you’re in luck, as the Dachshund Pup Up Cafe is back in our city for its second time this year… and what better day than bank holiday Monday.
Having already proved to be a smash-hit success in the years it’s visited Manchester since 2018, the dachshund pop up cafe – or we should say ‘pup up cafe’ – will be filling another popular city centre venue with so many sausage dogs.
Organisers are expecting more than 250 dachshunds to join in on the fun this time around, and there’s loads for them to look forward to.
Manchester’s popular pop-up cafe full of hundreds of sausage dogs is back this bank holiday / Credit: Supplied
Sausage dogs and their owners are all invited to descend on Revolution Parsonage Gardens in the city centre from 10am, with several other timed sessions throughout the day to book onto – as organisers Pup Up Cafe have managed to secure the whole venue the dogs to roam free and enjoy some wholesome fun in a safe space.
Whether you own a sausage dog yourself or you’re simply just a dachshund fan, you’ll get the chance to mingle with many furry little friends, take part in a range of activities, and stock up on dachshund-related goodies.
The pups themselves will get to enjoy unlimited dog treats and free puppuccinos, and play to their heart’s content with other sausages.
It sounds like it’s going to be a jam-packed day to remember, so luckily, there’ll be plenty of photo opportunities throughout.
Organisers are expecting more than 250 dachshunds to join in on the fun / Credit: Supplied
The Dachshund Pup Up Cafe will arrive in Manchester on Monday 26 May from 10am-3:30pm, with different morning and afternoon sessions during the day, and numbers limited to 50 sausage dogs allowed per session.
Fancy ‘a sausage mad day’ then? Tickets will set you back £10 if you’re a sausage dog owner, and £15 if you’re just a dachshund fan who’s keen to go along for the fun anyway, and you can get yourself some tickets here.
Don’t have a sausage dog, but do have another four-legged furry friend instead? Not to worry, as Pup Up Cafe has a session open to all friendly dogs on the day too, which you can get tickets for here.
And if you miss out on Manchester, there’s also events in Nottingham and Southampton this bank holiday too.
Danny Jones -
29th November 2022 
