Millwall Lionesses Manager Ted Jones believed his side 'deserved' their point on Sunday and previews this weekend's fixture against Sport London E Benfica.

The Lionesses struck in the 95th minute to secure a draw against Dorking Wanderers last weekend.

Ted, incredible character and resilience shown to earn a late point, how pleased were you with that?

Yeah we were really happy that we were able to get the goal late on, which we deserved. It’s testament to the girls’ attitude and hard work, we kept on pushing for that goal throughout the second half and got our reward. It’s just satisfying that the work the girls have been putting in is paying off and gives us a platform to build on again in the league.

It was great to see Emma Squirrell back in the squad on Sunday - what have you made of her progress?

It’s been great having Emma training consistently and being in the matchday squad again. She’s really close to getting back on the pitch again, after 3 years, which just shows her resilience and mental strength to keep fighting to get back playing. She’s showed her quality and some real bright sparks in training which we hope to see on the pitch soon.

Impact was made off the bench on Sunday and that can be key, how much of a difference did they make when they came on to add an extra spark to the side?

We said to the squad before the game that it’s a squad game and that our substitutes will be crucial. We’re really happy that we’ve got such a strong squad that bringing Victoria, Esmè and Liv off the bench to add an attacking threat is a real weapon to have. I’m delighted for Victoria, she worked hard in the game and took her goal well with a sharp bit of movement. Liv created the goal through sheer determination to keep the ball alive which highlighted the character of the team.

What’s your thoughts going into this Sunday’s match against Sport London E Benfica?

It’s another opportunity to build on a strong start to 2025. We’re expecting Benfica to come out fighting and to make it a real tough game so we will need to be at our best. There’s some things which we felt we could improve on from the Dorking game so that’s something we’ll be looking to address on Sunday and hopefully add another three points.

Hopefully we’ll see as many supporters as possible at St Paul’s this weekend!