Sports columnist SIMON ANDERSON talks to a Canberra United newcomer, used to winning, the lesson of a losing a season. 

THE 2021/22 A-League women’s season won’t be remembered as one of Canberra United’s strongest, but Vicki Linton’s side came to life at the back end of the year after a slow start giving fans a bit to look forward to next season.

The club had a frustrating start and took nine games to record its first win. It was a winless-streak that carried all the way from the first game of the season in December until halfway through February when United finally secured a 5-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers.

For a new player in the squad, it could have been a baptism of fire starting a career in a team performing below expectations, but Holly Caspers took it in her stride.

The midfielder is no stranger to adversity. At 19, a tackle gone wrong resulted in a torn ACL – an injury she had to rehab without access to gyms and group workouts during the height of the pandemic in 2020. 

Despite the challenges of that year, Caspers made it through her recovery, returned to the Sydney Uni squad in the NSW women’s NPL and put in some strong performances.

Those performances caught the eye of United, and earned Caspers a contract with Canberra and a call up to the Women’s A League for the 2021/22 season.

She played her first game for Canberra in the club’s season opener in December, coming off the bench, but the wins didn’t come straight away as she was used to while playing with a dominant Sydney Uni team.

“When I was at Sydney Uni in the NPL we had a really strong side and we would win a lot of the games,” said Caspers.

“Coming to Canberra and having the losing streak was quite different and really tested a lot of people’s resilience.

“It was nice to see the team come together and fight and make every game count towards the end of the season.”

That fight was on display in the dominant victory over the Wanderers, and lit a spark under the Canberra side that started a late run of form.

After the win, United didn’t suffer a loss for the remainder of the year, going undefeated in its final five games including three draws against teams above it on the ladder.

The team missed out on the finals, finishing 11 points back from fifth-placed Perth Glory.

While the results mattered for Caspers, this season was about more than her team’s place on the ladder – it was about taking the next step in her career.

“My soccer has definitely improved during what has been a completely new experience,” said Caspers.

“I have really enjoyed living and playing in Canberra. It is really important for me to grab every opportunity I can, and making the move to Canberra is part of that.

“It has been a great season to test my soccer, how much I can push myself and what I can learn from players above me.
“If you’re not the most experienced player in the room and you are not learning anything, then you are in the wrong room.”

The 22-year-old had plenty of experienced campaigners to learn from, including the reigning Julie Dolan Medallist, former Matildas’ striker Michelle Heyman.

“Having not performed as well at the start of the season, it can be quite disheartening for the team,” said Caspers.

“You have to rely on those people at the club with more experience, those leaders of the group, to really drive everyone’s want to win the game and show that we’re not giving up and we can still fight.
“Experienced players like Michelle, but also Grace Maher and even Laura Hughes really drove that team culture and made us know ‘we are still in it to win’.” 

It is a mindset that Caspers will take back to Sydney, with the hopes of returning to the A-League in the future.

“I would love to play in the A-League Women’s competition again, it has been a great season,” said Caspers.

“I’ve learnt in terms of touch, my vision for the game and team culture in Canberra.
“I definitely want to take that back to Sydney Uni and develop that there, but also keep developing my own game.”