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Liverpool defender earns place alongside Steven Gerrard ahead of milestone Chelsea clash
In the corridors of The Academy in Kirkby, Liverpool defender Gemma Bonner has managed to carve out her own piece of history.
The centre-back, who captained the Reds to back-to-back Women's Super League (WSL) titles during her first spell on Merseyside before returning for a second stint last January, has become the first female player to have a dressing room at the club's training base named in her honour. As such, she has earned herself a seat at an illustrious table, with Sir Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler among the other legendary figures to have had a dressing room named after them.
The idea came from Academy director Alex Inglethorpe, who believed the "time was right" to pay tribute to one of Liverpool Women's most celebrated stars. For Bonner, who has supported the Reds all her life, the move is yet another sign of the club's commitment to forging a genuine synergy between its men's and women's teams.
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"It was extremely emotional to be honest and a big surprise," she tells the ECHO. "I think it's a huge honour to have something like that amongst such special players who have definitely left a legacy at the club.
"For me to see my name up there was definitely emotional and I don’t think it’s sunk in yet but hopefully I can inspire the next generation, not just of young girls but of young boys coming through the academy too. I think it’s a huge step for the club as well. It really means a lot to me."
And the honour could scarcely have arrived at a more fitting time. Already Liverpool Women's record appearance holder, Bonner will play her 150th game for the club if she is selected to feature against Chelsea this week.
The defender has turned out 17 times in the WSL this term and has played a key part in the Reds' top-flight revival. And while she remains focused on ensuring Matt Beard's side secure a top five finish, Bonner is touched by the prospect of reaching yet another impressive milestone in a Liverpool shirt.
"I am (very proud)," she says. "It’s flown by since coming back and as a young girl I would never have dreamt I’d have played this many times but it’s something I’m extremely proud of. I’m always trying to push myself to be the best I can be every day and hopefully there’s a few more to come as well.
"I don’t really think about records but I think it’s something that I’ll look back on. For me to be able to pull on the shirt that many times is definitely special."
Should Bonner feature against Chelsea, she will know to expect a difficult game. Emma Hayes' side are currently second in the table and chasing their fifth consecutive WSL title, meaning Liverpool will have to be at their best if they are to repeat last season's feat of toppling the Blues at Prenton Park.
"We’ve had a good amount of time to prepare for the game which helps," she says. "There’s no pressure on us going into the game but we also know we want to compete and finish as high up the table as we can. I think we’re in a good place. We’ve obviously had a few difficult results against the top teams but we’ve beaten some of them as well so we have to go into the game with no fear and take advantage of the fact they played (in the Champions League) at the weekend.
"We’re at home, we’ll get a great crowd behind us and I think we should look forward to the game and go out prepared to do our best. You have to give them a level of respect because they’ve achieved what they have over so many years but at the same time we can’t go into the game giving them too much respect. We’ve got a lot of good players here.
"We’ve prepared well and we’ve shown that we’re capable of beating the top teams but we have to have that belief and that consistency in our performance. They’ve got big players but so have we so I think if we don’t approach the game believing we can win it, there’s no point in us playing the game."
Certainly, Liverpool should have plenty of belief going into this week's clash, with the Reds having already beaten Arsenal and Manchester United in the WSL this season. Those impressive results have helped ensure Beard's side are nine points better off than they were at the end of last term, with two games still left to play.
But Bonner believes there is still plenty more to come from this team in the years ahead. "Looking back it probably started towards the end of last season with some of the results we got," she says. "We’ve managed to add to the squad and there’s been a lot of freshness with young players coming in.
"That keeps everyone on their toes and we’ve definitely built on last season. We know there’s so much more to come from this group and it’s just about finding the consistency in the performances."
Tickets for Liverpool Women's final two home games of the season against Chelsea and Manchester United at Prenton Park are on sale here.
