Mikey Harris describes himself as “naively optimistic consistently”.

The first word of that might description is rather self-deprecating.

The second part has been required after a tough week.

And the third element is, by definition, always present as well.

Albion’s women have been sorting through the lessons of a 4-0 home defeat by Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Adobe FA Cup.

Part of that process has been about keeping perspective, as was the case the previous week when they looked back on a 7-3 win at Bristol City in the WSL.

It is all about the league from now on and the next test could not be much harder as Manchester City visit Broadfield Stadium on Sunday (12.30pm).

City are level on points with leaders Chelsea and are in the thick of the title race.

They have lost just twice in the league this season, one of them a 1-0 shock at home to Albion back in November.

It is a daunting test to come straight after a hugely disappointing cup defeat.

Or maybe an exciting one. A great way to try and bounce back.

Harris, the interim head coach said: “The fact it wasn’t our best night (versus Manchester United) and they were very good meant it was a disappointing night for us.

“But, from our perspective as a group, we feel any setback, any disappointment like that is an opportunity for us to learn from it.

“It is important we stick together in these moments.

“We have spent a lot of time together this week on and off the pitch, looking at ways we can be better.

“It is really important that one poor performance and one poor result doesn’t deflect from the entire process.

“We will learn from the experience and we will be better for it.”

Albion’s longer-term target remains to break into the WSL top four and Harris sees City as a great example to follow.

He said: “Every game in the WSL is a high challenge game, Man City no different.

“What I see from the outside is a club and a head coach with a clear style, a clear identity, a clear philosophy.

“No different to what we are trying to implement here, just a lot further on the journey.

“I think it is a fantastic game for us to all be involved in, a great challenge, and we will approach it in that way.”

That free-wheeling afternoon at Ashton Gate, in which Albion led 4-1, were pegged back to 4-3 and then ran away with it late on, has eased their league position considerably.

With seven games to go, Bristol City remain on six points while Albion have moved on to 14, occupying ninth place in the 12-team table.

That should offer a degree of insurance against any relegation concerns.

They are now two points behind both Aston Villa and Leicester, both of whom they play in the coming weeks.

Harris said: “I have never really thought of it as an eight-point cushion.

“I am more looking up the league. I have said that from the start.

“I think we should be trying to finish as high as we possibly can.

“I am certainly not looking down the league so, from my perspective, nothing changes.

“The process is the process. We stick to that.”

Which is where the “naively optimistic consistently” approach comes in.

Harris said: “I am a positive person. That’s me, that’s authentic.

“Particularly when you are in a leadership role, I think it’s about being consistent and not being reactive to really big wins, like we had against Bristol City, and heavy defeats, like we had against Manchester United.

“I believe we are in a process and I will remain consistent in those principles of how we want to play, how we want to improve.

“You take lessons and you adapt but within your framework and within your identity, not making huge reactive swings.

“We are really performance-orientated at this football club.

“If we can keep improving the performances consistently, I believe the results will come.”