Missy Bo Kearns: “If I Come On, I’m Going To Score Here”

What a way to celebrate a 21st birthday - by being a league champion.

Missy Bo Kearns scored the fourth goal in Liverpool’s match against Bristol over the weekend, securing their title winning season and promotion into the top flight Women’s Super League.

“It’s the thing I dreamed of growing up – scoring for Liverpool to help win a title. And I’ve done it! I can’t explain how good it feels, I’m made up,” Kearns, who celebrates her 21st birthday today, told the club website.

“I was sitting on the bench against Bristol thinking, ‘If I come on I’m going to score here’ and that’s what happened.

“I’ve been wearing the Liverpool shirt since I was born and signed for the club when I was eight. I’m 21 now and I’ve just won my first title with them and hopefully there’s many more.

“Titles don’t happen overnight, they are a lot of hard work week in, week out and this win proves that.”

Kearns has more than proved her worth and her place in the squad since starting with the senior team in the 2018-19 season. A Scouser born and bred, she also manages to attend as many men’s matches as possible, as recently as Wednesday’s evening matchup against Benfica. It’s only fair that she benefits from the support of the same fans she’s a part of.

“I’m a Liverpool fan myself and the fans make the club. Our fans make days like winning the title special for us,” said Kearns.

“They’ve been everywhere to watch us and it doesn’t go unnoticed, we see every single one of them and we’re thankful for that.”

The match against Bristol, away at Ashton Gate, had a record number of over five thousand fans in attendance, including Kearns’ own parents. The couple travel all over the country to support Missy Bo and were thankfully there for the celebrations.

“They’re just so proud of me, all the dedication I’ve put in over the years is starting to pay off,” she said. “But this is only the start, I’m 21 and I’ve got a lot more things I need to achieve in my career.

“I think personally I’ve proved myself in the Championship and now I’m ready to go and prove myself against top opposition in the top league [Women’s Super League].

“If you want to go on and be the best you’ve got to be able to compete against the best and I think I’m ready for that. As a team we’ve showed already we can compete against top opposition this season.”

One of the most important catalysts of the season has been the re-hiring of Matt Beard in the managerial position, alongside the performances of Kearns’ teammates to maintain that difficult march towards promotion. The Championship league is not something to sniff at and every player on the pitch got their due recognition from Kearns.

“I think everyone in the squad gets the respect, whether old or young. We’re a proper team, we do it for each other,” the Scouser continued.

“Beardy gives me compliments but he also tells me things straight and I think that’s how you get the best out of me, give me a little kick up the bum and I’ll react and I’ll want to do better.

“I‘ve gone up leaps and bounds since he came in, I’m learning every day, playing against better players. That’s what you want as a young player – you don’t want to be comfortable!”

The Women’s team will play their final match of the season and lift their trophy on Sunday, April 24th, against Sheffield United at Prenton Park. What a way to celebrate a hard fought season.