Newcastle’s McGovern and Lambert on their defining moments

Newcastle United duo Kathleen McGovern and Mollie Lambert on growing up with football, Simply the Best on the title bus and the great banana debate.

Newcastle United arrive at the Stadium of Light on Sunday top of the BWSL2 and unbeaten, ready for El Lassico against Sunderland. Before the derby, Kathleen McGovern and Mollie Lambert look back on the moments that shaped them, and settle the great banana debate.

Do you remember your first club, or your first football match you ever played?

KM Yeah, when I was younger I used to play with the boys – it was called Mill United Boys, just a local club, and that's where my brother played as well. My dad was very involved, he was the coach for my brother and stuff like that, so I have a lot of memories from being there. I was the only girl on the team, and I remember when I first joined, the boys were like, right, okay, that's fine that she's joined the team, and other teams used to dread playing against us. It was a very close-knit club – my mum would make friends with all the other parents, and the presentation nights used to be amazing because everyone was just like a family. That would probably be my first memory.

Do you feel that playing with boys made you a different player, or a better player?

KM  Yeah, it was very different, but growing up at school I always used to hang about with the boys anyway, so it kind of felt natural for me. I'd definitely say the toughness of playing with the boys – it was a lot more physical – probably made me more aggressive now, from playing with them. Just tougher overall, I'd say.

ML  I don't remember my first ever match, but I remember my first ever club — it was the Centre of Excellence at Middlesbrough at the time, under-10s. I only briefly remember my time there, but at the end of every season you'd get a tour around the UK, not abroad – we were in the North East, so it was always somewhere down south, and we'd play the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, who were massive. Your parents and family would come, and you'd stay in a hotel — as a kid it felt amazing travelling that far with your little team, when you were only playing on a Saturday and training through the week.

It would just be amazing, everyone's families getting on, all your friends in the hotel. I remember the matches always felt like a real competition, because we were kind of the unknown club back then, playing against all the bigger clubs. That was a great memory to have.

Was there a player, or a match, or something before you even started playing football that made you decide you wanted to be a footballer — a player you watched and thought, that's what I want to do?

ML I used to love Paul Scholes when he played for Manchester United. My family are big – well, my dad supports Middlesbrough, we all do – but he likes United too, so we grew up watching Man United. But really, it was my brother who got me into football – I used to go and watch him play grassroots football. Me and my best friend used to go to a little camp every Saturday. I missed out on playing for a boys' team, but after six weeks at the camp it was, right, you've got to choose whether you want to go to Newcastle Centre of Excellence, Sunderland, or Middlesbrough — and because I supported Middlesbrough, I went there. That's how I started playing football, just going to training on a Saturday.

KM I'd say I just watched a lot of football with my dad. I'm a big Celtic fan, so I was at the games every weekend –we're season ticket holders. I don't think there was one player I was always looking up to, I just watched a lot of football and supported Celtic, so I loved all the Celtic players – I've still got photos with them after games, and I used to think it was amazing. When I first joined Newcastle, Scott Brown was someone I really loved growing up – he was an aggressive player, and a Celtic player.

Is there a moment in your life — not necessarily a footballing one, not a goal or a trophy — that means more to you than people would expect?

ML Mine's probably from the 2024-25 season, when I won the North East Riders Player of the Year. As a player I've never really won an award or anything like that, and to be recognised for something that big was massive for me and my family. I'm a player who just cracks on, does their job, and goes home to a normal life, so when I won it, it felt surreal. The awards night itself was amazing – the players who were there from the North East was just crazy, and I took all my family, who are quite a big family, so it was a really good night.

To win that, and to feel appreciated for what I did on the pitch – I do feel appreciated on the pitch, but I'd never won an award before – it was just an amazing feeling, because I thought, wow, I'm actually good, I can say I'm a good footballer. That was quite a surreal moment for me. Players like Steph Houghton have won that award, Sarah Robson's won it – there are previous names on there that were massive in the men's game too, which was crazy. For me to be put on that list, I thought, wow. And being from the North East, it just felt like a nice moment.

KM I'd probably say two things. Winning the league when I was in Scotland last season – I feel like before that, my career had been pretty quiet, I was no one. Having a good season and being able to win the league with such a good group in Scotland, with my whole family there – we won it at Ibrox as well – that means a lot to me and my family, getting pictures with everyone there supporting me. I'd also say just playing for my national team – I think it's the best feeling in the world to represent your country, with everyone there through thick and thin.

I'd say those are probably the two moments that stick out for me. I'm so football-driven that there aren't really moments away from football that stand out for me.

What song instantly takes you back to a memory?

KM Mine's from winning the league at Ibrox last year –on the bus back with the trophy we played 'Simply the Best', because that was Rangers' song, and we were all pumped up from beating them and winning the league. Everyone on the bus was banging the windows, the trophy was everywhere, drinks were everywhere – so I'd say 'Simply the Best'. Now whenever it comes on, I just laugh, because I think it’s so funny.

ML There are loads of different songs with different meanings, but none in particular. There are holiday songs not related to football – the song 'Stephanie' reminds me of a hen do we all went on, which was a crazy one. There's also a song that goes 'Maria, Maria' that used to get played in the changing rooms. But I haven't got one specific song that reminds me of anything in particular.

What's the first foreign country you ever visited, and what's one place you want to tick off and go to?

KM One I've not been to and would want to go? Either Australia or the Maldives.

ML I've always wanted to do a ski trip, but now that I know quite a few people have done it, it's like, maybe I don't want to. I do want to travel America properly, do some different states — Nashville, Florida. I used to go as a kid all the time, but now that I'm older I want to do it again.

What's something you've changed your mind about over the years?

KM Mine would be bananas, actually. I used to hate bananas — I'd drink a banana milkshake and be fine with that, but the texture in my mouth I hated.

ML  Mine is — I have to wash all my food before I use it. If I'm cooking chicken, I'm washing it. If I'm eating salmon, I wash it. I never used to do it, I'd just chuck it straight in the pan or the air fryer, whatever — but now I wash everything.

KM  That's strange. I mean, she'd definitely say bananas for me — it wasn't until the start of this year that my partner was like, 'just stop being a wuss, put it in your Weetabix'. Ever since, I've been like, you're actually right, because she'd have banana all the time.

If you had a banana, what's the perfect colour banana for you?

KM Yellow.

ML I like it with a little bit of soggy to it, but I hate the ones that are green.

KM Green? One of the girls on the team had a green one yesterday, I couldn't even eat it — I wouldn't be able to eat that.

KM  No, man, just go yellow!