PERS. INFORMATION

CLUB HISTORY

• Stanwix FC | Youth
• Carlisle City | Youth
• Carlisle United LFC | Youth – 2016
• Newcastle United WFC | 2016 – 2021
• Northumbria University | 2018 – 2021
• Middlesbrough FC Women | 2021 – 2022
• Shippensburg University | 2022
• Partick Thistle WFC | 2023 – 2025
• Bolton Wanderers WFC | 2025
• Partick Thistle WFC | 2026 – …

INTERVIEW

Introduce yourself…

I’m Imogen Longcake, originally from Carlisle, playing for Partick Thistle.

How important is mental health in your overall performance?

Very important, I’m a very psychological player so try to stay as mentally healthy as possible to make sure my mind is in the right place. I’m always looking for ways to improve mentally as well as physically.

Who, past or present, do you model your midfield play after and why?

I grew up watching David Beckham and Ronaldo so I would say they were my main role models. I think for me it’s more mentally strong players that appeal to me. Both have overcome heavy criticism in their careers and Ronaldo especially has overcome a lot of adversity. But initially, my brother was a big part of why I played football and he has always encouraged me to be expressive and not care what others think.

What do you remember most about joining the youth setup at Newcastle, how did it feel at that stage of your career?

I think at that stage I was still so young and it was my first step out of my comfort zone playing football. Looking back I think I learnt a lot about myself and it was the best environment for me to develop as a player.

How did your role at Middlesbrough differ from your earlier experiences in youth football?

This was another step up for me and the highest that I played in England so gaining that experience was invaluable and it made me grow more as a person.

What did you learn during your time at Bolton Wanderers that you feel you can now bring back to PTWFC?

I think I was holding myself back a lot at the end of last season and I needed to bring that expressiveness back into my game. Bolton gave me a great platform to do that and gave me a lot of confidence in myself.

Returning to Thistle, you described Partick Thistle as a “really special place” (from the announcement). What about the club and its culture made you want to return?

The club have always welcomed me and my family with open arms, it’s a place I feel valued and the staff always care and want to help you whether that be personally or professionally. Spanning from the fans, players and coaching staff, the whole culture has a family feel.

How would you describe your playing style now compared to when you first joined Thistle?

I would definitely say I’m more confident and vocal now than when I first joined. I have always been quite introverted so I think coming out of my shell has been a big change. Other than that I would say I can read the game better than when I first joined but my role is slightly different now and so far since coming back I’ve played striker so adapting to that and working more on my hold up play as the highest player as well as making those runs in behind is something I’m trying to get into the swing of.

What’ve been the most memorable matches or achievements in your career so far?

Achieving top 6 for the first time and Sky sports cup final against Rangers are definitely two of the highlights so far.

What goals are you currently working towards, both short-term and long-term?

Short term is adapting quickly to my new role to help the team as best as I can. The next part of the season will be really difficult but ultimately it’s what the team have worked to achieve so it’s really knuckling down and focusing on developing individually and as a team during those games.

Long term I would like to contribute to the team as much as I can and see how far I can push myself. I pride myself on working hard on and off the pitch and would like to fine tune my overall game, especially my quality in front of goal, I would like to be more clinical.