SAINTS forward Katie Wilkinson joked her teammates will write ‘it’s about time’ on her first match ball of the Championship season – but this was her turn.

The two-time top goalscorer and player of the year of the division had to wait eight games before she scored her first since a summer move from Coventry United.

And it was her former employers against which the floodgates opened. After opening in 19:44 seconds exactly, she completed the treble minutes before half-time.

Her goals helped keep Coventry in the Championship last season but condemned them further away at the bottom of the table, while lifting Saints

“Like buses isn’t it? I’ve been working really hard to try and put the ball in the back of the net but the performances have been there so it was only a matter of time,” she told the Daily Echo.

“I’ve got a little shelf where I put all my trophies, I haven’t got much room though. The girls are all writing essays on it now so God knows what they’re writing, probably ‘it’s about time’.

“It’s nice to get the goals and it’s nice to get the hattrick, but I just want to keep helping the team.”

Younger forwards Beth Lumsden and Ella Pusey had already opened their accounts in the Championship for the club; the former in a draw at league-leaders Bristol City.

“I’ve got a lot of experience in the Championship and in football in general, and we all respect each other as players and we all learn from each other,” Wilkinson added, of her teammates.

Both of them have spoken about Wilkinson’s influence to the Daily Echo, crediting her for her movement and guaranteeing the goals will eventually come.

“If my role in the first few games has just been to contribute with assists in the first few games then so be it,” Wilkinson said.

“I’m happy for them that they’ve been able to add to their tallies but tonight was my turn. They’ve already told me how proud they are and things like that so it’s a good unit. We all want to push each other.”

The result lifts Saints to second courtesy of playing one more match than London City, while Bristol City sit two points ahead of them before playing their game in hand.

“I can believe where we are because we’ve got some really, really good players and we all take each game as it comes,” she added.

“We want to win them and we work hard for each other to get the performances, and if we keep doing that we can get the three points.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0 or 3-0, three points on the board is why we’re sat we are sat.” 

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