By Aimee-Lou Caldecourt (6/2/25)
Above: Dario Vidosic addresses the media. Photo: Brighton and Hove Albion FC
Dario Vidošić’s Seagulls head to the Bescot Stadium to face Aston Villa in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on Saturday.
Vidošić has been vocal about the fact he wants to win trophies with Brighton, though he believes this will be “a tough game.” He reflected on the 4-2 victory in the league earlier in the season, and said that there should be more of the same to come on Saturday. “We’ll do everything we can to get ourselves into the draw for the next round.” Vidošić is not currently thinking about getting to Wembley yet, taking each game as it comes.
Maisie Symonds’ straight red card she received against Crystal Palace means she will be out for three games across all competitions. “It was a tough one… [about appealing] I’ve left the club to decide. My sort of view on it was there was a contact, whether we thought it was harsh or not. It’s similar to like a VAR decision… when there’s contact usually it’s very hard to overturn… it probably felt a little bit like a harsh red.”
Bruna Vilamala will also be sidelined “for the foreseeable future.”
Over recent weeks we have seen Vidošić rotate Sophie Baggaley and Melina Loeck in between the sticks. “It’s always nice when you’ve got two really good keepers at a high level that they’re competing, and help to push each other.” Both will be assessed against what is needed at the weekend and a decision will be made then.
New signings Caitlin Hayes and Nadine Noordam have been adapting to the style of play and have at the moment been playing with players who are returning from injury, as the busy schedule has not given them opportunities as of yet. Now, after a busy period, the new signings are getting stuck in and Vidošić believes that “they’ll definitely help us in this next part of the season.”
Villa’s new manager, Natalia Arroyo, poses a danger to Brighton, although she did give Vidosic high praise previously, noting that she wanted to play the same style of football as Vidosic’s Seagulls.
A win on Saturday would see the Seagulls progress to the Quarter-final, two matches away from their first appearance at Wembley.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 