Linfield Ladies are much-changed this season with no shortage of new signings and young talents establishing themselves in the first-team squad.

Rachel McConnell swapping Cliftonville Ladies for the Blues was one of seven close-season signings confirmed by the club and the attacking midfielder has already hit the ground running.

The forward netted against her former club as Linfield edged out the Reds 4-3 in the County Antrim FA Cup while she has also bagged against Glentoran Women this campaign.

It is an impressive start to life at the Blues for McConnell, who has also been busy representing Northern Ireland’s Futsal team in the opening months of the season.

“I feel like I have settled in well at Linfield,” explained McConnell, who celebrated her 27th birthday on Monday. “The girls have been really welcoming and training always has good team spirit and banter. The sessions are always enjoyable especially when you are in each other’s company half of the week! Everyone has that hunger and desire to challenge for trophies and be the best that we can.”

McConnell brings an added goal threat for Phil Lewis’s side; she initially starred at Portadown and continued her impressive goal record at Cliftonville, while also netting twice in Northern Ireland’s first ever Futsal match – a trait she has continued at the Blues.

“Scoring goals allows you to build personal confidence,” added the forward. “In terms of my own targets this season, I wanted to come in fit and strong, I had been doing a lot of strength and power-based gym sessions during the off-season with the intention of taking this into the campaign.

“But the main targets are always team related, as a team and a group we want to push on and do as well as we can this season.”

There are no shortage of talented attacking options in the Linfield squad, with McConnell joining Rebecca Bassett, Alison Smyth and Ebony Leckey as forward options alongside talented teenagers Emily Reid and Lucy Johnson.

For McConnell though, that competition is extra motivation: “It’s always good to have competition for places, we definitely have that here in the squad. Players are always giving their best efforts on the pitch and in training aiming to get a place in that starting line-up.”

Linfield will be aiming to maximise their squad which has more depth and experience in recent years across a challenging league campaign and, they hope, several cup runs.

This week sees the Blues play two games in two days as they travel to Lisburn Ladies in the Danske Bank Women’s Premiership on Wednesday before hosting St James Swifts in the County Antrim FA Cup on Friday.

“The aim of every footballer is to win trophies but when you look at the squads across the league, the standard is so high,” continued McConnell, when outlining the aims for the campaign. “Every game we go in with the mindset to get three points. We have had a good cup run so far as well, and we hope to continue that streak.”

Linfield have lost just one of their opening five league matches and sit in fourth place in the standings, behind third-placed Sion Swifts Ladies on goal difference only.