Lana Golob joined Glasgow City because it felt like a club where anything was possible. Now, almost six months later, she knows it is.
The Slovenian defender – who joined us back in July from Italian side Bologna – sits with us for a timely catch-up as she approaches the conclusion of her first half-season as an Original Trailblazer.
We sit in our players’ lounge, the same room where at the start of the campaign, as a squad and staff, we gathered and watched BBC Alba’s award-winning documentary ‘The Women Who Built Glasgow City’ - the story of how our club was founded and flourished under the stewardship of Laura Montgomery and Cas Stewart.
For Lana, the film struck a deeper chord. It was further proof that she had made the right decision to make the move to Scotland.
And ever since, that sentiment has only grown stronger as day after day she experiences first-hand what it means to be a part of our club.
“The documentary helped me realise even more about the history and the club’s past – the challenges it has faced over the last 20 years,” Lana begins. “Laura and Cas created this club, and it has existed at the top level in Scotland and in Europe for so many years.
“Football is still developing in Slovenia. It is great to now be able to say to people back home: ‘Look, I am actually playing for a club that is proving that women’s football is not just watchable, but people want to be a part of it.’
“It is definitely a sign that I was meant to play in and be in this kind of environment. To see that it is possible – everything is possible.
“I admire Laura and Cas immensely for everything that they have done. It’s really something that should be spoken about even more.”
After six months of getting to know people like Laura and Cas, and experiencing first-hand the club’s commitment to championing women, Lana says the values behind Glasgow City have become impossible to miss.
There is no doubt that she feels aligned with what our club stands for and is determined to play her part in pushing it forward.
She adds: “Being here now and really seeing how a club created by two women has become like a family... Everyone is very connected here.
“I think that’s why Glasgow City stands apart from other clubs because it really is a tight-knit community.
“Also, with the other partnerships that we’re doing – trying to bring light to other women-led companies, fighting for social issues that are close to all our hearts here – is really important.
“I hope everyone who is a part of this club or has heard about it is going to learn something that they can then bring forward in their own lives.”
That sense of belonging off the pitch has been matched by her progress on it.
It has also been a fruitful six months for our centre-back. She has played all but once in the league and played every minute of our European campaign across the UEFA Champions League and Europa Cup.
It has been a demanding schedule, with many three-game weeks, but to be thrown in at the deep end so soon at the start of her tenure in Scotland only helped her settle in.
“Baltic!” Lana jokes on a particularly cold, wet and windy afternoon in Glasgow as we ask her to reflect on her time at the club so far.
She continues: “Our schedule until now has been very intense.
“We were playing three games a week whilst we were in Europe, and we had a really good run in that competition.
“I’m proud of how we have grown together in the past six months, and I’m excited for what comes next, but also to go away and enjoy the break and come back ready to go again next year.”
Scotland is the sixth country Lana has played in throughout her career, having previously featured in the United States during college, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and her native Slovenia.
Here, she has had to adapt to both City’s playing style under Head Coach Leanne Ross and the demands of the Scottish game.
“Looking to go longer and being more direct,” Lana says has been one of her biggest learnings. “Last year in Italy, we were playing mainly a lot of short passes.
“Kim (Smit) is really good at doing that – playing longer passes and picking out those runs. Adding that sort of stuff into my game has been very helpful.
“Leanne does well in motivating us to play our football in every single game. Whether we are playing against a team at the bottom of the league or playing in Europe, we always want to play our way. That is commendable to the coaching staff and also to the team.
“We are not scared of anyone. We want to play football and not just going long and hoping for the best.
“Everyone is involved, and I’m especially happy how much we involve our goalkeepers into our style of play. It helps a lot to have an extra player with feet on the ball.
“It can be our ace, and it wouldn’t happen if we didn’t have goalkeepers like Lee, Ez and Ava, who is in training with us, that we do. They’re all superb.”
“It’s very physical,” Lana continues on what it is like to play in the SWPL. “Even the teams who are in the bottom right now, they never give up. They still always want to bring the fight even if they are not technically at the level of the top teams.
“They still want to cause us havoc. You have to learn to go out and deal with that.
“It makes you not be complacent. We play Hamilton this weekend, and even though they are bottom of the league, we talk about how they have strong forwards and how they press as a defence.
“We are never going to undervalue any of the teams, so we know we have to bring it every single week.”
Lana has gained so much in her first six months at the club and there is still so much more to come.
As she has come to know during her time with us, winning trophies is always the aim at City. A given across the squad and staff at our club.
So, with the caveat of not being able to answer silverware, we end our conversation by asking the defender what her ambitions are for the second half of the season following the winter break.
“Being in the backline, we want to continue having as many shutouts as possible,” Lana replies. “And just continuing to have this team culture.
“Even when we’ve had difficult moments throughout the season, there has never been one moment where people have turned on each other. We have kept fighting for each other, and I hope we don’t lose that.
“I 100% believe if we go on like this, then there is no way that success is going to avoid us.”