Nadene Caldwell says Glentoran are determined to pick up where they left off last season as they kick off the new campaign against Lisburn Ladies in the Boyle Sports Women’s Cup on Wednesday evening (Kick-off 8pm).

The Glens wrapped up a sensational campaign by securing the Sports Direct Women’s Premiership title on the final day with victory over Cliftonville thanks to Caldwell’s decisive goal.

It was a dominant season for Glentoran under manager Kim Turner and Caldwell wants to build on it and go again this year starting at the Bluebell Stadium.

“It was a brilliant season for us last year, the main aim was to win the league and we achieved that,” said Caldwell.

“It was a special way to win it too, on the final day, and to score the decisive goal is a memory that will stick with me and the team and give us motivation to achieve more success.

“But as nice as it was, they are memories, and now we are fully focused on the new season.

“We have to make sure that we use last season as a platform to kick on again.

“In football you cannot afford to rest on your laurels, you always have to look at what you can improve and what you can do better and this team has that in abundance.

“That’s what all the top teams do and that’s the mentality the manager and coaches have instilled in us.

“We want to get better and we want to be even more successful. We know if we have the right attitude and match that with our performance levels and work rate then we will go far.

“But you have to bring in all the elements otherwise you just won’t achieve those goals. We have a great squad here and great people backing us from the manager, the coaches, the backroom staff and everyone at the club.

“Not only do they give us all the support we need but they also keep us grounded so that we have the drive we need to keep being successful.”

Glentoran lost out to Cliftonville in last season’s League Cup final and Caldwell insists they are targeting going one better this time out.

“It was a disappointing one for us last season as we were leading 2-0 at half-time,” said the Northern Ireland international.

“We should have been able to do enough to have seen the game out but unfortunately football is a game of two halves and it just wasn’t to be on the day.

“Fair play to Cliftonville they showed a lot of character to come back in the second half, and they showed their quality.

“But days like that are what we need to use as motivation for this new campaign as we know what it felt like to lose out in the final.

“We are determined to go one better this season and that all comes down being together, continuing to drive standards in training every week to get the best out of each other.

“We will give Lisburn Ladies the respect they deserve and we know that it will be tough game, but we have a great group who are determined to start as we mean to go on.

It’s a busy opening week for Glentoran as they follow up their opening fixture against Lisburn Ladies on Wednesday evening with a trip to Dublin on Saturday to face Bohemians at Dalymount Park in the All-Island Cup.

Caldwell has urged the Glens fans to get out and support the team as they look to record another successful season.

“We always appreciate the support the fans give us, they have been brilliant and it’s great to see the numbers growing every year,” said Caldwell.

“We obviously have two away games to kick the season off but hopefully the supporters will be out in force when we’re back at home as it makes a big difference for us.

“I’d encourage everyone to get out and experience some women’s games this season. And if you already are a regular supporter of the league then bring your family or friends along with you.

“The women’s game is continuing to grow here and the more people we can get involved then the stronger it will get as well as inspiring the next generation of players to get involved as well.”