Emily Evans concludes her series profiling the leaders of each of the Championship clubs (28/12/23).
Tyler Toland
Blackburn Rovers
Toland, a 22-year-old Irish midfielder, joined Blackburn Rovers in 2023, after being at Levante for the 2022/23 season. However, during her time in Spain, she didn’t play a lot of games and so came to a mutual agreement with them to leave, despite having previously signed a two-year contract. Another one of her past clubs is Manchester City, which she signed for in 2019. She made four appearances before unfortunately sustaining an ankle ligament injury and so accepting the offer to go on loan to Glasgow City.
Since 2017, she has been part of the Republic of Ireland squad, so far having 15 caps and one goal. She has also represented them at the U17s level, once again having 15 appearances and one goal for the girls in green. She was first called up to the senior team in 2017 for the 2019 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, coming on as a substitute against Northern Ireland. As a result of this, Toland became the youngest senior player for the Republic of Ireland.
Sophie Barker
Sheffield United
The 33-year-old Barker was named captain ahead of this season, can play in two in defence or a midfield. She first joined Sheffield United in 2018, before going to Leicester City from 2020-23. In the 22/23 season, she went on loan to the Blades, before returning permanently this summer. Some of her other previous clubs include Lincoln Ladies, Doncaster Rovers Belles, and Notts County Ladies FC.
Her coach Neil Redfearn has said, “Barks is vastly experienced. She’s got out of this league several times, with Doncaster Rovers Belles and Leicester City. I think she’s still at the height of her powers playing-wise.”
Lois Joel
London City Lionesses
Joel, 24, is a former squad member at West Ham United, who moved to London City Lionesses in July 2022. She started off her journey playing with the academy teams at both Arsenal and Watford before moving to the United States to play college football. Joel played two seasons with West Virginia Mountaineers before transferring to North Carolina Tar Heels in 2019, where she made 25 appearances for the club. During her time with the Tar Heels, they won the 2019 ACC regular season and the 2019 ACC tournament.
Lily Woodham
Reading
The 23-year-old Welsh left-back was announced as Reading’s new captain at the start of the season, after singing a two-year contract with the club the year before. Woodham has previously played for clubs such as Bristol City and Charlton Athletic (a loan deal in 2019). Her leadership skills came into play when she led her team to a 0-0 draw against her former South London club at the start of this season. The defender has made over 68 appearances for Reading, and when being made captain, she stated, “it’s an honour to be trusted with the role of captain. I’m going to do my best for the girls both on and off the pitch, and hopefully learn a lot on the way.”
Woodham has represented Cymru at many different age groups, including under 17s, under 19s, and then joined the senior squad in 2020. As it stands, she has 11 senior appearances for Cymru and has scored a goal for her county in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 qualifiers.
Rhian Cleverly
Lewes
Cleverly, 28 is a Welsh footballer who plays as a defender and a midfielder. She joined the Sussex side in 2019, making 11 starts during the 2019/20 season. Her first goal for Lewes was scored against Coventry United on 27 September 2020, securing them a 1-0 win. She has previously been at clubs such as Bristol City where she made one appearance, and also French side Le Harve where Cleverly made a total of 20 appearances for the club.
The Lewes captain has represented Cymru in the U16s, U17s, and U19s, playing at the 2013 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship. Her first senior cap for Cymru was earned in July 2014.
Megan Chandler
Watford
Captain Megan Chandler, 30 joined Watford in August of 2019, and since then has gone from playing as a midfielder to being a key part of their backline. In the 2022/23 season, Chandler won the Player of the Season award and took on the role of captain after Watford and Cymru legend Helen Ward’s retirement in 2023.
The defender wore the armband on several occasions last season, showing off her leadership skills, and leading the Hertfordshire side promotion back to the Championship. Upon being made captain of Watford, she said: “It’s a surreal feeling to be honest…I got a little emotional because the club means a lot to me.”
To read the first part of this series, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/2023/12/27/the-12-captains-of-the-championship-part-one/
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