Above: Canberra United signing Kennedy Falknor speaking to the media today. Image: Canberra United.
Canberra United has today announced the signing of Canadian centre-back Kennedy Faulknor for the 2022/2023 Liberty A-League season.
Faulknor, a commanding performer who is currently playing for the UCLA Bruins in the American College system, was the youngest centre-back to be selected for her country when she debuted for her home nation at just sixteen years of age in a 3-0 win over Mexico.
Having been a Canadian international at age-grade levels, playing in the under-15 and under-17 teams, Faulknor is experienced for a young footballer.
“I am excited to be coming to Australia and joining Canberra United for the new Liberty A-League season,” Faulknor said of her signing.
“I have heard wonderful things about the league, the club, and the coaching staff and can’t wait to get started with one of the league’s great names. Playing abroad has always been a goal of mine and this is a wonderful opportunity to do that. I am grateful to Njegosh Popovich, his coaching staff, and everyone associated with the club for allowing me this challenge.”
Above: Canberra United head coach Njegosh Popovich was delighted with the acquisition of Kennedy Faulknor. Image: Canberra United.
In 2021 Faulknor scored three times for the UCLA Bruins, from only six efforts on target, proving equally adept at both ends of the park, something that might come in extremely useful during the frenzied Liberty A-League campaign.
“Kennedy is a top-class international defender who is strong in the tackle, quick across the ground, and excellent in the air,” United Head Coach Njegosh Popovich said of the Canadian import.
“Her consistency is a major asset and, as with any defensive player, her timing in the tackle is immaculate.
“We also have the added bonus that she can be deployed elsewhere if required and possesses a great shot. I have no doubt that she will become a firm favourite with the Canberra United fans and will be a terrific addition to our squad.”
Canberra United’s 2022/2023 Liberty A-League season begins on Saturday 19 November with a home match against Perth Glory at McKellar Park.
Above: Moneyfields in possession against Exeter City earlier this season. Photo: DnP Sports Photography.
After two frustrating seasons lost to COVID, Moneyfields FC Women were able to finally secure a much-deserved promotion into the FA Women’s National League South West Division One, the fourth tier of women’s football.
They were previously denied with the whole 2020/21 season being cancelled and all results voided. The following season was also cancelled however the Football Association recognised that it was essential for the growth of women’s football that movement between divisions needed to take place.
However, after an application process, AFC Bournemouth were awarded promotion over Moneyfields due to them being able to get their hands on significantly more investment. Something which seemed unfair given Moneyfields’ superior record on the pitch. At the time the club’s boss, Karl Watson said, “‘Nobody in football could fathom out how Bournemouth could be promoted instead of us. It was the FA choosing a more marketable brand.”
Despite the setbacks, Watson and the club were able to refocus and secure the Southern Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division title with a 6-0 victory over Woodley United, meaning Moneyfields went unbeaten for the whole league campaign.
Above: Moneyfields head coach Karl Watson. Photo: Sheena Booker.
Over the summer Watson was able to retain many of the side that earned promotion but also added a number of experienced National League players, including, Sophie Phelps (Selsey FC), Lavinia Nkomo (AFC Fylde), Tamsin de Bunsen, Bekah Tonks and Jade Widdows (Portsmouth), as well as Beth Burgess (Loughborough Lightning) returning after completing her studies.
After Moneyfields’ opening game of the season against Maidenhead United was postponed they began their campaign against Exeter City at the PMC Stadium, a temporary home while their home ground undergoes redevelopment. Former Portsmouth and Chichester City forward, Jade Widdows scored the opening goal shortly after coming on as a substitute. While the visitors came back into the game thanks to a goal from new signing Rebecca Dandridge.
The fixture generator threw up another challenging match-up against pre-season promotion favourites, AFC Bournemouth. The match ended as another 1-1 draw after Katie Shorter’s late equaliser for Moneyfields in response to Lucy Cooper’s eightieth-minute opener. This result left many within the club frustrated as they felt that three points were there for the taking.
After a promising start to the season, the club were able to secure their first win in the National League 5-0 against Larkhill Athletic. Four first-half goals from Jade Widdows and a second-half goal from Kim Whitcombe helped Moneyfields cruise to a victory.
Another win on the road against Portishead Town lifted the team into fifth place in the league, two points off AFC Bournemouth who occupy top spot. The heroes on that day were two of the mainstays of the promotion season, Emma Pinner (two) and Charley Wilton-Wilson.
Above: Action from Moneyfields’ game with Exeter City. Photo: DnP Sports Photography.
Last time out, Moneyfields made it five unbeaten in the league, a feat matched by only four other clubs throughout the whole National League, with a 3-1 win away at Selsey. It was a reunion of sorts for some of Moneyfields’ squad as Jade Widdows, Sophie Phelps, new signing Gemma Simmonds, and first-team coach Hannah Humphries visited their former club, although for most this was under their former identity of Chichester City.
Moneyfields got off to a wonderful start with Kayleigh Tonks opening the scoring in the first minute. The lead was doubled thanks to Roxy-Lee Stewart’s shot making its way into the back of the net through a crowded penalty box. Top scorer, Jade Widdows, found herself on the scoresheet in first-half injury time with her seventh goal of the season.
Selsey came into the game more in the second half and pulled one back through Nicky Lake in the fifty-fifth minute. While first-team manager Karl Watson might be frustrated knowing that the opening draws could have been more based on the talent available within the club, I am confident that if he was offered the chance to be unbeaten in the league in the first five fixtures he’d have taken it.
While the first team’s successful start to the season is something to be enjoyed by those within the club, Watson will be most proud of the expanded women’s and girl’s section of the club that he has overseen over the summer. Prior to this season, outside of the first team, there was only one girls’ youth team within the club but now there are seven from U9s to U18s. Not to forget a reserve team that competes in Hampshire League Division Two.
The only blots on the season so far are 1-0 defeats to Keynsham Town and Portishead Town in the FA Women’s National League Determining Round and Plate Trophy respectively. This weekend the club will be looking to reverse their cup form when they host an in-form Hastings United team to the PMC Stadium in the FA Cup.
Above: Togetherness ahead of Moneyfield’s game with Exeter City. Photo: DnP Sports Photography.
Impetus’ Ben Gilby heard the Australia head coach give his reactions to yesterday’s World Cup draw (23/10/22).
Above: Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson speaking yesterday from Auckland. Image: Football Australia.
Australia will commence their World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, 20 July 2023 at Sydney Football Stadium, following the completion of the Official Draw on Saturday evening at the Aotea Centre in Auckland.
The Matildas will then face 11-time African champions Nigeria and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalists Canada in the group stages after the three nations were drawn together in Group B.
Above: Australia open their home World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland – a nation they faced in Dublin back in September 2021. Photo: Football Australia.
Head coach Tony Gustavsson joined over 800 attendees to see the 29 qualified nations learn their group fate for next year’s global showcase.
Following the opening day fixture, Australia will then meet Nigeria on Thursday 27th July in Brisbane, and complete the group phase against Canada on Monday 31st July in Melbourne. Kick-off times for the three group stage fixtures will be communicated in the coming days.
Speaking after the draw, Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson said: “Now we know what we’re facing. We know what the opening game looks like. Now, it’s all about preparation.
“If you look at the tournament, there’s no easy games. It’s all about knowing who you’re facing and preparing the best way possible. The type of games (we play over the coming months) is definitely going to be key. That we target the right type of opponents, we have some scheduled already based on what we thought the draw was going to look like.”
Above: Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson speaking yesterday. He believes the draw has vindicated the tough schedule of friendlies that his team has had. Image: Football Australia.
Gustavsson knows his side have got some potentially tough opponents and was busy during the draw communicating with his coaching staff. “I was texting them throughout the draw. It’s not the easiest, we have got the top-ranked side from Pot Two (Canada), the third-ranked side in Pot Three (Republic of Ireland), and the top-ranked opponent in Pot Four (Nigeria). It’s now about knowing who you face and preparing as best as possible. Right now, it’s all about the opening game. We want to start the tournament as well as possible.”
One of the positive outcomes of the draw is that the Matildas have faced both Canada and the Republic of Ireland in the recent past, and the Australian head coach pointed to the benefits of playing so many top-ranked sides recently.
“We have had one of the toughest schedules that this group have had in terms of games. All that investment we have done, we can see how important that was now in this draw. We also see how important it will be from now on. The type of games we have between now and the World Cup is also important. We have some already scheduled.”
Gustavsson highlighted his priorities between now and the tournament in terms of preparations by saying: “We need to check some boxes for things we haven’t done yet and need to collaborate with clubs as the players spend most of their time there. Both the clubs and ourselves want the players to be available and fit. Right now, we have a lot of players injured, so we need to get them back on the park.”
He concluded by emphasising the importance of having big, loud support at all Australia’s games: “I say to the people out there – buy the tickets now. It is one of those moments you can talk to your Grandchildren and say ‘I was there.’ High octane, high pressing football that we play, if we can get that carried by the support we will get big energy.”
Above: Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool last weekend – their first match at new home Brisbane Road. Photo: Rachel Lara Cohen.
On Sunday, four weeks after the start of the season (five weeks after the season was initially scheduled to start), Spurs Women played their first game at their new home stadium, Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road.
It felt like we’d been waiting for ages for this, having heard about the move in the early summer. But without a pre-season game or other events to get used to the new ground, some Spurs fans were a little anxious about how it would pan out.
Below is a quick take on the upsides; some things fans may have to get used to; and the not quite sorted bits of life at our new home in Leyton.
The Upsides
Above: The pitch is an upgrade and the view is great from the West Stand. Photo: Rachel Lara Cohen.
The Pitch: It looks like it’s a significant upgrade on The Hive (Barnet’s stadium and our home ground since promotion to the WSL). If that is maintained and there is less mud and fewer divots it should help minimise slipping, reduce player injuries, and allow Spurs to achieve a more controlled and technical playing style. It may also mean we have to hear less moaning from visiting managers (yes, looking at you for this one Jonas). And that’s good for all of us.
The View: The West Stand at Brisbane Road, the area in which fans were seated for Sunday’s game, is steeply ramped. This means there’s no worry that the tall person wearing the weirdly big hat seated in front of you will obstruct your view. It also means you’re properly on top of and close to the action. Lots of people commented on how good the views were – the sunny Sunday weather helped here too.
The Location of the Stands: In contrast to The Hive, the dug-outs at Brisbane Road are on the same side of the pitch as the home fans. That means we get to see players warming up, managers giving players instructions, and managers (yes, we’re looking at you Matt Beard) getting amusingly angry – in his case with his own players. It also means that pre-game players line up facing the fans and that fans are at all times closer to what’s going on on-pitch.
The Flats: Okay, this is kind of by-the-by but how great is it that blocks of flats overlook the stadium at each corner? On Sunday there were people on some of the balconies enjoying perhaps their first taste of live women’s football. Perfect – and a truly unique way to grow the Spurs Women fanbase. It’s a proper urban stadium for a proper urban team.
The Proximity of Other Season Ticket Holders: For the first time Spurs, season ticket holders are clustered all together, and as the season goes on we’re likely to see this having some clear upsides, as our more hardcore fans get to know one another and (hopefully) build a stronger community of Spurs Women’s supporters.
The Local Area: As compared to The Hive, Leyton is a mecca for pre- and post-match activities, including better public transport and a local pub that welcomes Spurs Women (and away) fans, shows football, and has decent food and a wide selection of beers.
The Win: Goes without saying that the most important thing about a home stadium is that the home team is at an advantage in playing there. Starting with a win is the first step towards building what will hopefully become a fortress for Spurs Women.
Above: Fans are well-positioned to see Spurs boss Rehanne Skinner giving instructions to her players. Photo: Rachel Lara Cohen.
The Things We’ll Get Used To:
The Scoreboard: There does not seem to be either a clock or a scoreboard. This is just weird. So, if there are any Leyton Orient fans reading this: Why?
The Vertigo: The West stand is steeply ramped which (as above) is great for the view, but a bit dizzying. Maybe not the stadium to come to wearing heels or after a heavy night.
The Perspective: The advertising hoardings are close to the pitch with little room beyond the backline. That means the goals are quite shallow (no billowing nets) and it’s a little harder to judge the angle when play is in the far corner. That left some fans confused when the only goal of Sunday’s game against Liverpool went in from a tight angle at the far corner (this was partly because the goal itself was ridiculous, providing lots to be confused about, but the close angles on the pitch added to that). In the moment of hesitation before the eruption of full-on-celebrations, you could tell fans weren’t quite sure what had happened. But every pitch is a bit different, and the sightlines at Brisbane Road are something we’ll get used to – indeed the more goals Spurs score the better we will get at judging when one has gone in!
The Plushness: Season ticket holders have been given seats in the Legends area of the West Stand. This what in football parlance is known as a ‘premium experience’ area. That means no turnstiles and a very different feel as you enter the ground. Lots of upsides including a bar with windows that overlook the pitch, and cushioned seating. But for those of us used to time spent in cavernous concrete concourses it is a bit different.
The Not Quite Sorted Bits:
The Red: There is a lot of red at Brisbane Road, from the signage to the seats. Not an ideal look for Spurs. Obviously, this is an issue with sharing a stadium and not something the club can change permanently but a few massive flags strategically laid across empty red stands would make a big difference and go a long way to making it more of a ‘home’.
The Seat Allocation: The move to Brisbane Road has also been a move from unallocated to allocated seating. While allocated seating is normal in the men’s game and exists for some women’s clubs, it’s a change and has brought a few teething problems. These have especially affected Season Ticket holders, who were not given a choice of where to sit, but were randomly allocated a seat, only finding out about where these were located on arrival at the stadium for Sunday’s game. Some lucked out with a seat that was in the position we might anyway have selected, but others were sat closer to the pitch or higher up than we wanted – in some cases in seats that felt less good than those people had been able to get when we chose our own seats at The Hive. Providing options for any fans unhappy with their seats to swap seats with one another or to move their season ticket to another area might be the only answer available for this season. Learning from this year, assigning seats earlier in the summer, and listening to the views of season ticket holders before next year’s allocation is the longer-term fix.
The Ability to Sit With Friends: If Spurs Women is looking to grow support, it has got to make it easy for existing fans share their passion and bring friends and family to games whenever possible. The introduction of allocated seating and the fencing-off of season ticket holders in a separate section complicates this. The club did respond to early questions from fans and has created a process whereby season ticket holders can fill out a form to request that for one game their seat is moved outside of the season ticket block, allowing them to sit with a non-season ticket holder who’s purchased a ticket. It is, however, quite a complicated process (requiring booking references and everyone’s Customer Reference Numbers) and does not seem like it can be done on the day of the game, should a friend be able to come last minute. It also doesn’t work for groups like Proud Lilywhites who in previous seasons have publicised the area of the ground they’ll be sat in, encouraging others to come find them. There must be a way to make all of this easier, especially at a time in the game’s development when stadium attendances remain well under capacity, and the priority should be encouraging more people to come to games and supporting them to feel welcome.
The Player Access: One of the joys, and USPs, of the women’s game is fan access to players, especially post-game. At Brisbane Road on Sunday fans in most sections were able to come to the hoardings to talk to both sets of players. The exception was fans in the season ticket stand, which because it was behind the dugouts and was fenced in, did not have a route to the hoardings. At least, not one that did not require hopping over a fence. Given that season ticket holders are among the more enthusiastic fans of the team, creating a mechanism for player access from this area has to be on the club’s to-do list.
The Away End: Talking about away ends has become a perennial issue in the women’s game. There is not yet a clear plan for where the away end at Brisbane Road will be. Or at least, if there is one, it hasn’t yet been communicated via the ticketing website. Clearly, away fans don’t have to sit in an away end, but lots of us like to know that we’ll be sat with other people cheering for the same team. On this occasion, it seemed like most Liverpool fans had organised themselves and were clustered in Stand B. But making this clearer would help for future games and create a better atmosphere for both Spurs and away fans. Plus, it would help Spurs fans make a case for an away end to other teams when we are the away fans.
The Empty Stands: The West Stand was quite full but there were still lots of gaps and the other stands remained empty. The attendance of 2,105 was decent and almost double the average we achieved for games at The Hive last year (1,179). But it is below the numbers other WSL clubs have attracted this season in the aftermath of the Euros glow, and leaves lots of room for improvement. Pre-season the club focused most of its energy on promoting the game against Manchester United, scheduled for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and it appeared that good numbers had bought tickets for that, before it was cancelled along with all football when the Queen died. But the longer-term issue has always been getting fans to come week-in-week-out. Now we’ve got a new stadium, that’s closer to Spurs’ main support-base, and one that provides a great fan experience, we should aim to do better.
Above: Post-game player fan interactions, when players come to the sidelines, are important to fans. Photo: Rachel Lara Cohen.
Impetus’ Welsh Women’s Football Correspondent Martin Townleybrings us the latest of his weekly round-ups from the top flight of women’s football in Wales with Round Five of the season taking place (22/9/22).
Above: Joy for Swansea City as they won 3-1 at The New Saints. Photo: Swansea City Women.
Cardiff City maintained their lead on the top of the Adran Premier with a 1-0 win over Aberystwyth Town. Both Cardiff Met and Swansea City picked up wins to keep the pressure on the league leaders. Bottom of the table Abergavenny were beaten again leaving them still looking for their first points of the season.
Cardiff City 1-0 Aberystwyth Town
The Bluebirds continued their 100% start to the season thanks to a Rhianne Oakley goal as they beat Aberystwyth 1-0. Cardiff remain top of the Adran Premier with five wins from five and still to concede a goal.
The only goal came after 23 minutes when City captain Siobhan Walsh sent a long ball over the top. Rhianne Oakley timed her run well to get in on goal and calmly rolled the ball past Elin Valentine.
The league leaders took the game to Aber and Danielle Green missed from close range while Danielle Broadhurst saw her long-range effort hit the bar. Oakley went for a second goal but her lob only hit the side netting.
Above: Cardiff City’s win kept them top of the table. Photo: Cardiff City Women,
ABERYSTWYTH TOWN: Elen Valentine, Lucie Gwilt, Rebecca Mathias, Bethan Roberts Tania Wylde 70), Kelly Thomas, Emily Thomas, Shauna Chambers, Ffiona Evans, Gwenllian Jones (Carys Davies 55), Hannah Pusey (Libby Isaac 55).
The New Saints 1-3 Swansea City
Swansea kept the pressure on Cardiff City with a 3-1 win at Park Hall over the New Saints. Goals from Nia Rees and Emma Beynon gave the Swans an early two-goal lead. Beth Lewis pulled a goal back from the spot for TNS who kept Swansea at bay until the 87th minute when Katy Hosford made it three.
Swansea Head coach Ceri Phillips believes there’s more to come from his team telling Swanseacity.com,
“There are plenty of things that we could have done slightly better, but it was a big battle in the second half, and I think the girls showed a different side to them that helped them win that battle, get the ball, and get control of the game back.
“The start of games has been a bit frantic and a bit slow to start, but we came firing out of the blocks today, and with the long journey you would almost understand a bit of complacency.
“Two early goals settled it really and then the penalty put the bit between their teeth, but we battled really well in that second half.”
THE NEW SAINTS: Sarah Parkes, Beth Lewis (Jen Jarvie 90+1), Lexie Harrison, Danielle Staley, Chantelle Teare, Lucie Platt, Tia Lockley, Caitlin Chapman, Helen Evans, Isobel Redding, Lia Lewis.
Scorers: Lewis (pen) 34′.
SWANSEA CITY: Chelsea Herbert, Alicia Pow, Shaunna Jenkins, Ellie Lake, Emma Beynon (Imogen Harris 90+3), Kelly Adams, Nieve Jenkins, Katy Hosford, Emily Freeman (Rachel Cullen 69), Nia Rees (Gwen Horgan 80), Jessica Wiliams.
Scorers: Rees 5′, Beynon 12′, Hosford 87′.
Cardiff Met 3-1 Barry Town United
Above: Cardiff Met battle for possession. Photo: Cardiff Met Women.
Cardiff Met also kept the gap to the leaders to three points with a 3-1 win over Barry Town.
Erin Murray was found free in the box and hit a shot on the turn to give the Archers the lead after 19 minutes. Murray made it two shortly after when Barry keeper Erin Brennan was out of position and missed the ball. Murray capitalising on the mistake to score.
Barry pulled a goal back thanks to Mackenzie Olden after 35 minutes. A ball through the home back line from Manon Pearce spotted the run of Olden who was able to poke past the keeper.
Evie Griffiths got Met’s third after Barry failed to clear Emily Allen’s ball across the box.
BARRY TOWN: Erin Brennan, Lauren Harris, Delia Ebbin, Hana Bennett, Taite Trivett, Anna Houghton, Mackenzie Olden, Manon Pearce, Emily Nicholson (Grace McDonald 83), Faith Mulenga, Maisy Fahey-Pennell (Holly Jenkins 51).
Scorers: Olden 35′.
Pontypridd United 3-0 Abergavenny
Above: Pontypridd United gained the points over struggling Abergavenny. Photo: Pontypridd United Women.
The Dragons made a fast start taking the lead after eight minutes. A good ball across the box found Jasmine Turner who turned in from close range.
Turner added a second just before halftime when another ball into the six-yard box found her. Again, she turned the ball into the net from close range.
Olivia Francis made it 3-0 and a comfortable win for Pontypridd after 76 minutes. Receiving the ball from the right in the box Francis brought the ball under control and fired across goal to the far post.
Ponty’s second win of the season puts them into fifth place while Abergavenny are still without a point.
It’s been quite a week for Arsenal, and Impetus’ Johnathan Stack was in head coach Jonas Eidevall‘s media conference today ahead of their trip to newly promoted Liverpool on Sunday– an opponent he has huge respect for (21/10/22).
Above: Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall. Photo: Peter Sonander/Sports Press Photo.
As they face Liverpool, Arsenal will be looking to maintain their perfect record this weekend in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Heading into the game, at Prenton Park, The Gunners are three from three so far and are currently sitting second in the table, joint top of the League.
After an awe-inspiring midweek display in France in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Arsenal beat the defending champions Olympique Lyonnais 5-1 and so go into the game in fine form.
But despite an incredible victory at the Groupama Stadium, head coach Jonas Eidevall knows his side needs to keep their feet firmly on the ground and not get too ahead of themselves saying “You have to go back quickly to reality, it was a very memorable night, it was a great performance from us, but we won’t be entitled to anything extra going forward. We need to prepare, recover and refresh so we can play Liverpool on Sunday.”
Above: Steph Catley (centre) battles it out against Liverpool when the two sides met in the FA Cup in February. Photo: BBC Sport.
The last time Arsenal travelled to Prenton Park was back in February this year in the fifth round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup as they ran out 4-0 winners against a Liverpool side who went on to win the FA Women’s Championship.
Eidevall spoke about Sunday’s opponent who beat WSL champions, Chelsea, in their opening game of the season saying “You clearly see it already last season, they were a very good side in the Championship. “They are well organised; they have both their coach and players that know what level what would be expected of them. “We all that opening weekend against Chelsea what the team is capable of, so we know we have to put in a professional performance.”
Speaking of that game back in February, Eidevall believes that the scoreline didn’t necessarily reflect the balance of play saying: “I thought that match was much closer than 4-0, I thought 4-0 was a very flattering score line for us in that game. As I have said, I felt they were good in the Championship last season, I was impressed by them when we were playing them in the FA Cup.”
Arsenal will be looking to stay at the top of the table alongside Manchester United and Chelsea who also both have nine points although Chelsea have played a game more.
Liverpool host Arsenal at 12pm midday on Sunday, live on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer.
Impetus welcomes Shannon Cookson to our team who will be providing regular coverage on Liverpool. She joined the Reds’ head coach Matt Beard‘s media conference today ahead of their home game with a rampant Arsenalon Sunday (21/10/22).
Above: Liverpool boss Matt Beard spoke to the media earlier today. Photo: Liverpool FC Women.
After three games, Liverpool are currently sitting ninth in the WSL table. So far, the Reds have won one and lost two as they face off to second-place Arsenal at Prenton Park on Sunday. The Gunners have three wins from three games, plus a stunning 5-1 win in Lyon during midweek.
Newly promoted Liverpool beat current champions Chelsea 2-1 to get their campaign off to a great start. January signing Katie Stengel was the star against the reigning champions scoring both penalties for the Reds.
Head coach Matt Beard confirmed in a press conference today that he understands the challenge they face when playing against Arsenal however he is excited at the same time to be a part of this league again and the challenges that will come.
Above: Liverpool in training this week. Photo: Liverpool FC Women.
“Like I have said time and time again, this is why we want to be in this league: to be testing ourselves against the best teams. Arsenal have had a fantastic start to the season and obviously the performance against Lyon the other night as well pretty much shows the form they’re in.”
He went on to confirm how he will address his team’s shape ahead of this game: “We’ve been pleased with the way we’ve been playing but we need to address the way we’re starting games. We have adjusted one or two bits in training this week for that. We’re pleased with the way we’re playing; we’ve got different ways of playing in different systems, so we just have to adapt to what Arsenal do.”
Liverpool are without their strikers Leanne Kiernan and Shanice Van De Sanden. Kiernan was the Red’s highest goal scorer last season in the Championship and misses Arsenal’s visit due to an ankle injury which was picked up in the win against Chelsea. Van De Sanden has progressed in training, Beard has confirmed that she will still be out for a couple of weeks with a minor achilles issue.
Ceri Holland and Rhiannon Roberts have recently returned from international duty and Beard outlined the reasons for taking time to consider whether the pair are ready for this week saying: “It wasn’t just the number of minutes that they had played for Wales but also the emotional side of it as well, being so close to that penalty shootout.”
Beard’s side are looking to bounce back after their 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last time out. Over the last couple of games, the Reds boss has used the favoured 3-4-3 formation, however, it is quite possible he will change his mind as he competes to beat the team who currently sit second in the table.
Holly Wright was in Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Hope Powell‘s media conference ahead of their home game with Chelsea on Sunday, and heard the former Lionesses star outline what her side needs to focus on against the defending champions (21/10/22).
Above: Brighton head coach Hope Powell is looking for her team to combine the stubbornness of previous seasonsagainst Chelsea with their second half showing at Manchester United. Photo: Brighton and Hove Albion Women.
Brighton and Hove Albion are currently lacking a little bit in depth with the injuries they have got, but their former England head coach Hope Powell is optimistic that things are going in the right direction.
“It’s nice to see Stotty (Rebekah Stott) and Megan Connolly on the grass who are making really good progress. Maisie (Symonds) was in today, I think she did a bit on the bike, but it is just nice to see them in and around the building to be honest.”
Despite the tough 4-0 defeat at Manchester United last weekend, Powell will be looking to take the positives from the second-half performance into this Sunday’s game against Chelsea. “It was a tough game. First off, I don’t quite think we were at the races. The second half changed; the formation did a lot better. I think the way we ended the game against United, we certainly need to build on that going into the Chelsea game. Credit to United a very strong side with really strong depth but come Sunday again, we will give it a good go.”
The Brighton head coach added that passion and desire will be key to getting a result against yet another one of the top WSL clubs. “We recognise the ability of Chelsea and the depth and the quality they have. I think we’ve just got to take care of ourselves. We know it’s going to be tough, but we have got to be prepared for that fight. In the first half against United, the passion and desire that we generally show wasn’t there, but we showed it in the second half so I’m hoping we carry that through to the Chelsea game.
”So far, I think we have played against two top sides, and I think we are playing against another top side on Sunday. I think for us, it’s the attitude and efforts that we need to see more of. We need to see more of what we certainly saw against Arsenal. I was really proud of the players even though we got beat. If we combine the attitude (we showed) against Arsenal and the desire to win the game (that we had) against Reading, you give yourself a chance, and that’s all we can ask.”
The Seagulls haven’t had an easy start to the WSL campaign already playing what will be considered two of the top teams in their first few games, but fans will be looking at the history books hoping to conjure a similar performance together that The Blues were unable to break down earlier this year. “We know that we have to start thinking about how we perform. What our attitude is going into the game and leave everything out there. I think historically, when we’ve done that before against Chelsea, we have been really hard to beat. We had good desire, good intent, and we just need to show that again on Sunday.”
Above: Rebekah Stott back in training this week. Photo: Brighton and Hove Albion Women.
Powell explained how much of a tough opposition Chelsea actually are as well as how she plans to set her team up to upset the defending champions. “We know the strengths of Chelsea. We know they are a good team, every player in their team is an international.”
“Whether we play 10 at the back or five at the back or four at the back, there still going to overload in the channels. I think what we have to do is try and deny them that space, deny them the ball as much as we can. When we haven’t got the ball, be in good shape and be aggressive.”
Hope Powell, Brighton and Hove Albion head coach.
Powell continued: “We know what we are up against, and I think we understand that they are going to have more of the ball than we do. They are going to be able to overload whether it’s out wide or through the centre. I think it’s just about us trying to negate that, where we can and build from there.”
In front of a home crowd on Sunday and off the back of a successful Euros which saw ticket sales go through the roof, Powell is hoping that they can put on a good performance for both sets of fans. “We haven’t been there (to Crawley) for a while actually. I believe we’ve sold quite a few tickets which is really good. I think on the back of the Euros our season ticket sales went up by 212% or something like that, which is fantastic.
“Chelsea have a lot of internationals, and a lot of stars so I’m sure people will want to come out not only to support us, but to see their players as well. I’m hoping that we get a good crowd and 99.9% of the crowd support Brighton to give us an extra boost.”
The 55-year-old concluded the media conference by affirming her support for equality and diversity throughout women’s football. “I think creating opportunities has certainly been spoke about during the summer. The lack of diversity on the pitch needs addressing and work needs to be done to ensure that football games are accessible to everybody and clearly it doesn’t seem to be that way.
“I know that’s something that the FA have looked at with the emerging talent centres. I guess we can be judged and juried when those centres are in place, then over a course of time we will look at it again and see whether it’s worked, or it hasn’t worked.”
Brighton and Hove Albion have yet another hard task ahead of them as they face Chelsea at Broadfield Stadium late Sunday afternoon. The game will be broadcast live on the FA Player with kick-off scheduled at 6.45pm.
Impetus’ Johnathan Stack was in Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor‘s media conference for us ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur(21/10/22).
Above: Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor looks happy, but recognises that his team cannot afford to drop many more points this season. Photo: Manchester City.
Manchester City will be looking to keep the momentum going as they face Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow at Brisbane Road.
City picked up their first win of the season against Leicester City last Sunday at home and now head to the capital to face a Tottenham side just one place and three points above them in the Barclays Women’s Super League table.
Going into Saturday’s clash, Taylor made it clear that due to the short season in the WSL there are few chances to recover from slip-ups.
“They’re all must win when you only have 22 games, the hardest thing to do is win them. Everyone is capable of beating everyone on their day, which makes the job more difficult. When you lose a few games, it makes the winning of the title difficult. That’ll never change and I’m pretty sure every coach would say the same. For us, must-win is probably a bit too extreme, it’s important for us not to lose it, we go into games trying to win.
Above: Alanna Kennedy in training. Gareth Taylor states that the Matildas star is “one week further down the line than before” in her rehab. Photo: Manchester City.
“I always look at performance level, that’s always something that sits well with me if we perform to our levels or not, it usually dictates whether you’re going to be successful. Sometimes you’re fortunate enough but being good in both boxes gives you the best chance to win the game.”
Taylor provided injury updates on Ruby Mace and Alana Kennedy saying, “There’ll be a couple of doubts, but nothing outside of what we spoke of previously. Ruby and Alanna are a week further down the line than before and closer to a return. Outside of that, there are a few knocks, but everyone’s come through unscathed and looking forward to keeping the players healthy.
“That’s going to be important with the games we have, this period is a decent run of fixtures, a three-game week for us which we enjoy but keeping them healthy and ready to play is important. At the moment things are looking good.”
Manchester City will be looking to get their season back on track after a rocky start. they face Tottenham Hotspur before getting their Continental League Cup campaign underway against Blackburn Rovers in midweek.
Impetus’ Ben Gilby hears from Melbourne Victory’s returning in-form Australian international Alex Chidiac and the club’s Director of Football John Didulica(21/10/22).
Above: Alex Chidiac striding forward for Melbourne Victory last season. Photo: Melbourne Victory.
Melbourne Victory today announced the key re-signing of 2021/22 Victory Medalist and Matildas midfielder Alex Chidiac on loan for the 2022/23 Liberty A-League season.
Chidiac returns for her second season at Victory from her parent Club, Racing Louisville FC where she made 18 appearances in the American NWSL, scoring twice in the latest campaign.
The midfielder’s first season at Victory saw her make 14 appearances, scoring once and assisting twice in a campaign that saw her lift her second A-League Women’s Championship in the Club’s back-to-back success.
Chidiac was in excellent form for the Matildas in the most recent international window, putting in an impressive shift from the bench against South Africa in London and then in Denmark as Australia chalked up back-to-back wins.
Above: Alex Chidiac was in fine form for the Matildas in the most recent international window. Photo: Justine Burch for Impetus.
Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica said Chidiac’s return will bolster Victory’s chances of winning its third consecutive Championship.
“We’re thrilled to be able to have Alex back for another season at Victory,” Didulica said.
“Her influence on the squad was immediate when she joined us in January, setting the standard on and off the pitch, and we believe she has more to offer coming into such an important period for women’s football in Australia.”
Chidiac was also looking forward to returning to the club for the upcoming A-League Women’s season.
“I’m excited to be heading back to Victory and I can’t wait to link up with the team and get back to work in Australia,” Chidiac said.
“I had a great experience with Jeff and the squad last season, and I want to achieve more with this Club and with this group this campaign.”
Chidiac will join the squad for pre-season training in October as the side prepares for its first match of the season against Western United on Saturday 19th November.
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