A regular for Wednesday Ladies this season with 13 league appearances to date, with all of them being starts, Maisie Gilligan has cemented herself as a regular in Andy Gilligan and Gary Wilson’s side.

Growing up in a football-mad family, Maisie became a Liverpool fan at a young age, already piquing her interest in the sport.

Her dad, Andy, had been involved in coaching his whole life; his encouragement
alongside her love for Liverpool, encouraged her to get into the sport.

She first joined Ryburn United at the age of eight. Following seven years playing for the West Yorkshire side, she made the step up to Sheffield Wednesday U18s for a season during which she made appearances for the first team.

This aided her eventual transition into the first team, where she has played for the last two years.

During her footballing career, Gilligan has played under her dad; reflecting on this, she said: “It has its ups and downs, but ultimately it's not as bad as you’d think.”

She went on to say: “Don’t get me wrong; he can do my head in, but it can be nice to have a very familiar face if things go wrong, someone to give me honest advice.”

Discussing the downsides of this, she said: “Something I’ve struggled with before is being told that I’m ‘only getting picked because my dad is the coach' by a couple of previous teammates.

“It was tough to believe any different when this was said repeatedly, but it also encouraged me to work even harder to try and stop those sorts of comments.”

When asked if she and her dad discuss tactics away from the pitch, she said: “All the time. It’s all we ever speak about; it must drive my mum insane!

“When we would travel to and from games, the whole way there he’d be telling me what to do and the whole way back he was helping me improve.

“Now I’m living away, it's slightly harder, but we’ll still always FaceTime and discuss things around the weekend till every moment of the game has been talked about.”

Maisie’s favourite moment in a Wednesday shirt was the fixture against Rotherham United in the Her Game Too Shield. Playing in front of thousands, Wednesday played some top football against sides two tiers higher than them despite the result.

She said: “I’ve never played in front of that many fans, so to do so was such a big achievement for me.”

Her footballing career hasn't always been smooth sailing, though, as at the tender age of 15, she tore her gastrocnemius. Discussing the setback, she said: “This was my first long spell on the sidelines; I found it so tough.

“Football means everything to me, and a long time away from it drove me crazy.”

Maisie credits her biggest inspiration to her grandad, who has since sadly passed away. Speaking on his influence on her she said: “He was always my number one supporter.

“He would ring me almost immediately after every single game wanting to know every little detail about the game.

“When I told him we had won or I had played well, the delight he showed made every moment worth it.”

She continued: “I know he’s very proud of me and that alone is enough to make me try my best every week.”

Outside of football, Maisie is in her first year as a student doing physiotherapy at Sheffield Hallam. She regularly goes to the gym and credits coach Loz with her gym training plans.

She hopes to progress into being a physiotherapist after her degree and to keep giving her all for Wednesday in the meantime so she can reach her full potential.