Adelaide United recorded their first W League win of the season at Marden Sports Complex when they saw off a Perth Glory side who put in a game effort in the first half of a game played in 34c heat.
Above: Adelaide United’ Emily Condon (left) who scored the only goal of the game from the spot, holds off Perth’s Elizabeth Anton. Photo: @WLeague.
It was the Western Australians’ first game of the campaign on a weekend when some clubs were playing their third match of the season. This actually may well have benefitted new head coach Alex Epakis and his players. Given the extremely late arrival of the vast majority of coaching staff and squad which meant that around Christmas, five were still in quarantine, it has meant than some full squad training sessions have been able to take place ahead of their opening game in Adelaide.
Perth conjured up their first chance of the game with just three minutes played as Gemma Craine cut in from down the left and let fly with an effort which came back off the post.
Everything dangerous from a Perth point of view came along that left flank in the first period with Craine at the heart of everything positive that her team were producing. With eight minutes gone she played in Marianna Tabain who put an effort wide of the left hand post.
Maria Jose Rojas was the star turn for Adelaide United in the opening exchanges and after being played in by Isabel Hodgson, the Chilean turned beautifully and found Fiona Worts before Glory tidied up.
Above: Perth Glory’s Malia Steinmetz can’t stop Adelaide United’s superstar Maria Jose Rojas (left). Photo: @PerthGloryFC
Perth replied with Kat Jukic winning a free kick on the edge of the box on twelve minutes after being robustly brought down by Matilda McNamara, who received a yellow card. Tabain’s curling free kick went narrowly wide of the left hand post as Glory continued to look good coming forward. Five minutes later, Craine ran onto a through ball which forced home keeper Sian Fryer-McLaren to race off her line quickly to grab the ball.
Lily Alfeld then kept Perth in the game when she pushed over a sensational strike from Emily Condon just ahead of the first drinks break.
Once more Craine was causing real problems for Adelaide. With twenty-six minutes gone, she drove her way up the left and eased her way into the box before Fryer-McLaren denied her again. Shortly afterwards Craine had United in knots again and a great pass found Deborah-Anne de la Harpe who forced Fryer-McLaren into another save.
With eight minutes of the half to go, the tempo eased due to the conditions, but Craine was still looking sharp in getting another shot away which Fryer-McLaren held.
Lily Alfeld was called into action shortly afterwards when Condon danced through the box and hit an effort which was saved as the two sides went in 0-0 at the break.
Above: Adelaide keeper Sian Fryer-McLaren made several superb saves in the first half. Photo: @AUFCWomen
Adelaide were the more organised side at the start of the second period as Perth found it more challenging to build possession, particularly in the final third. United’s build up found Dylan Holmes who drove in a glorious effort which came back off the bar to Mallory Weber who took too long to get her effort in.
Minutes later, Maria Jose Rojas took the ball past the entire Perth defence with ease, but her shot flew over the bar.
Adelaide conjured up another effort when Marianna Tabain fouled Mallory Weber on the edge of the box. Emily Condon’s free kick landed in Glory keeper Alfeld’s arms.
Perth’s inability to make patient, accurate passes when attacking just added to the amount of pressure that Adelaide were able to build. Whilst it was apparent that the large number of new players in the Glory side were still trying to settle in and work out how to play together, there was still an argument for changing the tactics slightly to shake things up. Gemma Craine got a rare second half effort away for Perth from the right hand side of the box which Sian Fryer-McLaren had to dive to save.
With ten minutes to go, a clever run from Rojas ended with a penalty when Natasha Rigby went in with her and looked to have taken the ball first but was adjudged by referee Georgia Ghirardello that the challenge was robust enough to warrant the spot kick. Emily Condon hit the penalty into the right hand side of the goal with the ball flying through a hole in the net and Adelaide were ahead.
Craine broke clean through for Perth with four minutes left and was brought down just outside the box by Sian McLaren who was yellow carded for her efforts. Tabain’s effort was well dealt with by a diving Fryer-McLaren and that was the last chance for the visitors.
Perth Glory will be delighted by the problems that Gemma Craine caused Adelaide plus some of the work of Lily Alfeld and Marianna Tabain. Despite this, with the season so short in 2021, the Western Australian side will need to hit the ground running from now on to avoid being left behind.
Above: Adelaide United celebrate their first win of the season. Photo: @AUFCWomen
After their great effort in defeat to Canberra in their opening game, Adelaide will be delighted to get the win. They are undoubtedly a good team with some super players in Maria Jose Rojas, Mallory Weber, Emily Condon and Chelsie Dawber – if they can win the tight games regularly then they can be a real danger this season.
Above: Sydney FC celebrate keeping their 100% start to the season intact. Photo: @SydneyWFC
Sydney made the trip north up the highway to McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle for this third round W League clash.
Sydney went into the game coming off a win against cross city rivals Western Sydney Wanderers and Newcastle came off a loss to the Wanderers, both having only played one match.
Sydney lined-up in a 4-3-3 formation compared to the home side’s 5-4-1 defensive formation.
Seven minutes in, Newcastle’s Taren King got a yellow for a tackle on Princess Ibini in the centre of the park. Teresa Polias took the free kick and Ally Green moved it down the left side and crossed to Cortnee Vine who controlled and shot harmlessly wide of the top left corner.
Soon after, Polias took a corner and curled it in. Claire Coelho punched it away but Natalie Tobin gathered it up and passed out to Ibini who took a shot but it was easily blocked.
Another bad clearance, which was Newcastle’s downfall against the Wanderers, is snatched by Remy Siemsen who had a crack but the effort was blocked again by Coelho. The resulting corner was safe in Coelho’s hands. Ibini takes another decent shot after bringing the ball to the top of the box from the sideline but it too goes wide to the left.
The Jets got out of their half with Sophie Harding taking the ball down the left unchallenged after a long ball in transition. For some unknown reason, she then almost stopped when she got into the box to eventually pass across to Rhianna Pollicina who shot low and Jada Mathysson-Whyman took the ball in.
Newcastle were not allowing Sydney too much time on the ball and thus the turnovers are frequent, despite the pressure. Sunny Franco had a shot which went high over the crossbar as Newcastle started to up their own pressure.
Back at the other end, Cassidy Davis fouled Ibini and once more Ibini is the target of a yellow grade tackle. It looked more like a rugby tackle and was quite late. The continued fouls on Ibini show that the Jets aren’t letting her get any space. Polias took it and went for goal but skied her effort over the crossbar.
With four minutes to go until the break, the Jets got a free kick near the sideline. Gema Simon took it and there was a lot of heading as the ball bounced around the box before it landed at the feet of Tara Andrews who popped it past Whyman for the first goal of the match. Newcastle ahead 1-0 and it stayed that way at half time.
The second half opened with Sydney dominant from the start. Within two minutes, Cortnee Vine sent a couple of balls into the box that bounced around but eventually got to Taylor Ray at the back of the box. The 19 year-old wound up her left foot, struck it beautifully and it flew into the bottom right corner for the equaliser.
Newcastle finally got a bit of play when Sunny Franco took it down the right and crossed but Sophie Harding was ruled offside so it was all for nought.
Once more, a heavy tackle from behind by Franco on Ibini results in a free kick for Polias. She chipped it into the whirlpool but the ball was headed away safely by Newcastle. Sydney had another chance shortly afterwards when Vine brought it down the right and crosssed to Siemsen but the Jets defence stepped up and she’s offside.
Ally Green took a nice run down the left for Sydney, swerving past a few players but the cross went over Allira Toby’s head. It went back into general play around the box a number of times before landing at Rachel Lowe’s feet and she lobbed an effort over the players in front. It goes in the left side of the net past Claire Coelho’s forlorn look. 2-1 and Sydney take the lead at the 75 minute mark.
Newcastle had a chance to hit back after a bit of ping pong in the box which ended with handball by Mackenzie Hawkesby. Jets’ Gema Simon stepped up with Tara Andrews for the kick just outside the box and the chance to equalise. Andrews took it with some power towards the top left but it just skims the bar.
With four minutes stoppage time announced, Newcastle were applying all the pressure. A long ball went forward to Toby but she sent it over the crossbar before the final whistle blows.
Sydney ran out winners in what was, in the end, a pretty close match that could have gone either way. Sydney had the better possession and territory and probably the most telling statistic was balls into area which was 32 for Sydney and 12 for Newcastle.
Despite this, Sydney only had 10 Shots and Newcastle 8, and shots on target were only 3 for Sydney and 4 for Newcastle.
Newcastle certainly continue to be a threat and are no easy beats but Sydney’s class shone through in the end to take them into second place in the table with two matches in the round left to play. Cortnee Vine got player of the match.
Above: Olivia Chance brings the ball away on her Brisbane Roar debut against Canberra United. Photo: @brisbaneroar
The star studded Brisbane Roar against the in-form Canberra United had all the ingredients for a blockbuster encounter, both sides met on a windy Thursday night undefeated with Canberra on fire in front of goal and The Roar yet to concede despite their trouble finding the back of the net.
Katrina Gorry changed that unwelcome statistic when fans were still finding their seats, unleashing a rocket off one step in the third minute. She received the ball around 25 yards out and with the wind at her back, struck it into the top corner beyond the leaping Sally James in the Canberra goal.
There was very little the young goalkeeper could do to prevent it, it was perfectly hit, with very little warning or wind up. The Canberra defender closed her down but not quickly enough and there was no immediate danger until the ball left Gorry’s wand of a right boot.
With the goal in hand Brisbane looked to be in cruise control, the pressed Canberra to deny them space in the midfield and prevent them playing the ball easily out from the back. The away team responded with a few encouraging counter attacks, utilizing the pace of Paige Satchell and the craft of Michelle Heyman. Any easy scoring opportunities were denied by the experienced and miserly defence of Polkinghorne and Carroll, though Heyman did crash a shot off the woodwork with when she was able to run at the goal and was unlucky not the score.
With the wind in their back Brisbane seemed eager to test James from distance at every opportunity, Gielnik and Gorry trying their luck again and Isobel Dalton hitting the post late in the half with a shot on the turn from 20 yards.
If the first half had a pattern it was that Roar were largely playing the way they wanted and denying Canberra the chance to get into a rhythm, Gielnik looked determined to score and was only denied by confident keeping by James, once to save a well hit toe poke from the flank and again coming out to claim Mariel Hecher’s curling through ball before Gielnik could reach it.
Above: Emily Gielnik celebrated her hundredth game but couldn’t mark it with a goal. Photo: @TheRoarCorps
The second half followed much the same pattern, Brisbane dominated early possession with Gorry knitting the team together and making herself available for every possible pass. She is a delight to watch in full form, able to move her own team and the opposition around with clever movement and tight ball control. The Roar number 10 had was unlucky not to double her team’s tally with a low shot on the run denied by James.
Brisbane’s new signing, former Perth prodigy Leticia McKenna was the next to be frustrated, after an exchange of passes and decoy runs opened up some space for her, her shot was good but James was it’s equal.
Soon after, Michelle Heyman used a clever change of pace to beat Clare Polkinghorne on the right but the resulting strike from the edge of the box was well saved by Georgina Worth, the Brisbane goalkeeper had a busy night, mopping up the long balls and distributing from the back, but was rarely troubled, when her time came and Heyman hit the target, she met the challenge.
Katrina Gorry continued to torment the Canberra defence and she combined with Rosie Sutton to whip the ball across goal leaving James helpless and the defenders stranded, Emily Gielnik arrived at the far post, on cue in her 100th game and determined to score she met the ball at full pace but somehow managed to hit the cross bar from point blank range.
From the ridiculous to the sublime and from one moment of madness to another the game suddenly changed in a single moment. Grace Maher received the ball inside the centre circle, just inside her attacking half, she quickly spotted Worth off her line and with the wind in her back she hit the ball as sweetly as a ball can be hit, sailing it over the back peddling keeper and stunning the crowd, the opposition and her teammates with a probable contender for goal of the season.
Above: Grace Maher (right) celebrates her stunning equaliser for Canberra United. Photo: @WLeague.
As fatigue kicked in and the weather worsened with heavy rain joining the wind, the game opened up in the late stages with both teams trying to find the winner, Gorry had a shot saved again by Sally James after Gielnik galloped forward and played it back to her and Flannery attempted to replicate her heroics from the previous game and score a long range winner for United but the evening ended in another draw for Brisbane, another escape act by Canberra and another set of spectacular W-League highlights to start the round.
@DandalBs brings us all the news from the Swedish women’s football scene over the past weekas the weekly series moves to its regular slot of a Saturday.
First this week, we head back to reigning champions Kopparbergs/Göteborg where the club have confirmed their place in the Damallsvenskan for 2021 along with the exit of two players. First, Finnish international Emma Koivisto has left after “three wonderful years”. She has not announced a new club. Additionally, Annika Schmidt, who spent most of last season on loan to Sunnanå, has joined Houston Dash.
Vittsjö have signed Piteå’s 27 year-old Brazilian forward Fernanda da Silva on a deal for a minimum length of one season.
Above: Fernanda da Silva (right) just signed for Vittsjö. Photo: Bildbyrån via svenskalag.se
The club have also given new two year deals to Kajsa Lind and Paulina Nyström. The club have joined 20 year-old forward Beatrice Persson from Rosengård.
Guðbjörg Gunnarsdóttir, who just recently left Djurgården, has signed with Norwegian Toppserien club Arna-Bjørnar. Also leaving the club is defender Kim Sundlöv after having most of 2019 and 2020 destroyed by injuries. No new club has been announced as yet.
Rosengård have announced the signing of 24 year-old Olivia Welin, previously with Kristianstad, on a two year deal. Welin’s career has been hampered by injuries the last four years, but her new club believes in her talent.
Above: Olivia Welin (left) has left Kristianstad for Rosengård. Photo: Mathilda Ahlberg via Sydsvenskan.
They have also given a two year senior contract to U19s goal keeper Angel Mukasa gets a 2 year senior contract. Mukasa has been capped for Sweden at youth level.
NEWS IN BRIEF…
Svava Rós Gudmundsdóttir, who left Kristianstad in December has joined Girondins de Bordeaux, who are hot favourites to clinch the third French spot in next season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Jennie Nordin, the 27 year-old defender and captain of Växjö the last 3 seasons, has joined Piteå on a deal lasting for at least one season.
Örebro have signed 24 year-old American winger/forward Jessie Scarpa who spent last season at Washington Spirit where she played with recent Örebro signing Jenna Hellstrom. She had a short stint in Sweden’s D2 with Lidköping 2019.
Above: Jessie Scarpa has arrived at Örebro from Washington Spirit in the NWSL. Photo: Nerikes Allehanda.
Linköping have brought in 22 year-old Norwegian international Heidi Ellingsen has signed a two year deal with. She has spent the last two years with LSK Kvinner.
Hammarby have handed new contracts to Hanna Lundkvist and Frida Thörnqvist, Hammarby.
Impetus‘ Ben Gilby spoke to D-M Withers (D-M), Shahan Miah (SM) and Nat Brown (NB) from Bristol City Vixencast – the weekly podcast featuring all things Bristol City Women.
How did the podcast get started?
D-M: Last season (2019/20) I decided I wanted to try and make a podcast about Bristol City Women. This was back in the day when we could go to matches. Initially the podcast was called Oxtoby Revolution. For many years the atmosphere at Stoke Gifford Stadium was a bit unfriendly. I went to matches but never spoke to anyone. I thought if I had an audio recorder with me, I’d have an excuse to talk to people (in my professional life I am a life historian, and love listening to people’s stories). I was also curious about who the fans of Bristol City Women were—on some level I thought it might be helpful for the club to have a better understanding of who their audience was. So the first iteration of the podcast was composed of pitch side interviews with fans and documents our singing, and things like that. I made my partner Nat [Brown] join in and talk about football because she sounds authoritative and clever when talking about tactics (I also think she likes doing it). I am actually really pleased I captured the material, for obvious reasons: it turned out to be our last season at SGS; it also records that moment just before the pandemic disrupted life as we had known it. Football historians of the future – I accept your advance thanks (assuming these podcasts find themselves into an archive!) Through doing the podcast and general Bristol City fandom I met Shahan [Miah], who has become a dear friend and excellent collaborator. So when I decided to rebrand the podcast for the new season, he became more involved—indeed, he suggested the new name! So that’s the story of the podcast so far. My friend listened to it and said that it was a bit like a fanzine—that podcasts are like the fanzines of the present. I like that idea, as it captures that sense of making your own media, especially if you feel like your interests are not being properly represented by what’s on offer.
SM: Also, it turned out that I live relatively near D-M & Nat, so for this season, I was able to go to their house & record with them there, while maintaining social distancing. However with subsequent restrictions put in place, we now record remotely over Zoom.
Tell us a bit about all of yourselves in terms of your backgrounds – how did you all get into women’s football?
D-M: I’ve been a football fan since quite a young age, initially supporting men’s teams. I actually support Norwich City FC, the same as my Grandad. I have fond memories of going to Carrow Road with him, and to away games in and around London. I grew up near Reading and regularly went to Elm Park in my teens. I loved going to Elm Park but didn’t follow Reading when they moved to the Madejski. I started to support Bristol Academy in the first season of the Women’s Super League in 2011. It was a total revelation watching women’s football live and I’ve been hooked ever since.
NB: I’d always been a football fan, but I never had any particular club allegiance. My route into women’s football was through playing. I actually played in goal for Bristol City under 15s, 16s and a brief spell in the first team! I also started watching Bristol Academy in the first season of the Women’s Super League – I was excited to have a women’s football team I could support. I am now trying to get my coaching badges, working with a youth team in the local area.
SM: I grew up in Long Ashton, right near Ashton Gate Stadium, so I couldn’t get more local than that! I’ve been an occasional attendee for the better part of the last 15 years. My first ever women’s football match was at Ashton Gate; I saw Bristol Academy’s first UEFA Women’s Champions League game there in 2011, as me & my then-housemate were curious. Club legends Anne Heatherson & Jess Fishlock played in that game, however it was not until many years later I realised the significance that I got to see them play.
My second ever women’s football match was also at Ashton Gate, when in 2015, England played Bosnia & Herzegovina in a UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 qualifier. There were so many Lionesses past & present in that squad that I did not know of at the time. I had started to get aware of the team after hearing of how well they did in that summer’s Women’s World Cup.
It was in 2017 when I started to gain casual interest. A friend & I checked out the WSL Spring Series in 2017, where Bristol City Women (as they had become) lost all their home games. I watched all of Women’s Euro 2017 & the Women’s World Cup in 2019, and it was on the last game of the 2018/2019 WSL season that I was free to attend. Bristol City lost 2-1 to West Ham, however I had such a great time with the supporters singing & a welcoming atmosphere, that I felt encouraged to attend many more games in the subsequent season.
How do you feel links are between the men’s and women’s teams?
D-M: In Bristol? Tenuous at best. Sometimes they appear in the same marketing campaigns. More could certainly be done to foster a ‘one club’ ethos. I’m thinking shared training facilities and better investment.
Above: Ebony Salmon – another impressive set of performances for Bristol City this season. Photo: @bristolcitywfc
NB: Well, Bristol City Women is still a relatively new thing. It was Bristol Academy and maybe the connection between them is not yet as strong as could be.
SM: The team has been known as Bristol City Women for almost five years now, and owned by Bristol Sport (who run Bristol City men & Bristol Bears rugby teams), compared to Bristol Academy which for many years was independent.
I feel the links have improved, but there’s still plenty more to do. It’s great to see the women in the same media/photoshoots as the men’s team. The women have played at Ashton Gate several times, however in those games I felt the atmosphere wasn’t quite the same as it could be at Stoke Gifford, for example.
How would you sum up the podcast in terms of what an average episode is like – style, humour, regular features/catchphrases etc?
D-M: We try to keep the episodes to around thirty minutes and hopefully it’s fairly fast moving while having time for discussion. I think between us we create a nice balance between detail, humour and analysis. Occasionally there is singing, a sprinkle of surreal humour. I think the main point is we are making space to talk about Bristol City as we do get a bit overlooked in the mainstream women’s football media.
NB: Since Shahan has got on board, we’ve got a nice balance of detail and chat. He’s great at the research. D-M does an awesome job at the editing and I just say things about the football – easy!
SM: I’m inspired by other fan-based podcasts for the Bristol City men’s team, most notably One Stream in Bristol, who can combine analysis & humour. As games are still behind closed doors (at time of writing) I’m glad to have helped build the podcast, in terms of building audiences nationally (& internationally). One catchphrase we tend to use is the clip from manager Tanya Oxtoby, recorded in a training session from last season, filmed for Australia’s Optus Sport, where she yells to her team “Do you want to f*****g win on Sunday or not?”
Results wise, it’s been a tough start to the season. How have you all assessed things so far?
D-M: Oooooooooooh. There were positive signs. I am not feeling so positive now, writing after our 4-0 defeats to both Aston Villa and West Ham. Pass!
NB: I’m a positive wizard. I say something good and I see it! Gemma Evans has been doing her job fantastically. Baggers (Sophie Baggaley) is back on legendary form- I think it’s that rainbow/My Little Pony kit she now wears. We can score goals. Yana Daniels gets fouled for fun. We have a midfield this year. We get to wear the purple and lime. I could continue…
Above: Sophie Baggaley in the famous ‘My Little Pony’ goalkeeping kit. Photo: @bristolcitywfc
SM: Not gone according to plan! I was quite surprised when Tottenham & West Ham; teams above Bristol City in the table; have changed managers already this season, and yet the same set-up is still present at our club. I get the “We go again” & “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” comments made in media interviews, but there’s so many times they can be used as what feels like excuses before the club gets in real trouble.
What do you think about the move to Twerton Park – albeit not being able to have attended games there in person?
D-M: I felt really good about the move to Twerton Park when it was first announced. We have been to a few matches there, as we had media passes for the games against London Bees and Birmingham City. I really like it, as a stadium, and would be tempted to watch Bath City FC play too when it becomes possible to go to matches again. I look forward to the day when fans get to be there and get behind the team. Only then, I think, will we be able to assess whether the Twerton Park move is a success. SGS (the old Bristol stadium) was not a great place to watch football. It is out of the way and hard to get to. Twerton Park is nestled in a residential area; I feel very nostalgic about stadiums like that—it reminds me of Elm Park – Reading FC men’s old home ground I suppose. I hope the team will be able to pick up fans who live close by. Twerton Park is also near to the Bristol-Bath cycle path and, if you are so inclined, you could take in the Bath skyline walk before a match. Lovely.
NB: I’m really happy about it. The old stadium was our home, but it’s great to have the stands. Looking forward to filling the place and created some atmosphere when we can. As D-M said, we attended a couple of games- one of which was under the floodlights and a great win!
SM: I was surprised with the announcement, firstly because there was no obvious supporter consultation, and also because it would mean I’d have to travel to another city. Fans of other clubs may be used to that, but I always loved the fact that Bristol City actually played in a Bristol postcode! However, having attended with D-M & Nat with our media passes, Twerton Park feels like a nice ground, and I can’t wait to see it with fans! At time of writing, Bath is in Tier 2, however Bristol is in Tier 3, so this is why we couldn’t attend games.
Sophie Baggaley and Ebony Salmon get most of the headlines at the Vixens, but who else has been catching your eye and why?
D-M: Jemma Purfield had a really strong start to the season, offering the team much needed dynamism from the left wing-back. It’s been amazing to see Naomi Layzell break through into the first team, especially given that she’s only 16. Wow. I’ve enjoyed Emma Bissell’s performances and thought she took the goal at Reading superbly. Charlie Wellings seems to be enjoying her football this season. Yana Daniels always fights for the team. It’s great to have our Australian contingent too. The results have been disappointing, for sure, but the effort is there from all the players. Behind them all the way.
NB: Careful, or I might start on our Christmas anthem ‘The 12 days of Vixens’! The funny thing is, everyone’s been playing pretty well. I love Ella Mastrantonio and was really excited about her and Aimee Palmer playing in midfield together bringing a bit of class and muscle. Hopefully Palmer’s injury will get sorted and she can start playing again. Gemma Evans has been great, especially in the last few games. Bissell has been brilliant, as has Purfield.
SM: I’ve been really impressed with Emma Bissell since she joined over the summer. Not sure if it’s to prove what she could have done at her former club Manchester City, but I’m loving it! Nice to see more of Chloe Logarzo, as she only played a couple of games last season before last season abruptly ended. She seems to be the first choice penalty taker now, and she’s successful at it!
Above: Emma Bissell in action for Bristol City. Photo: @bristolcitywfc
Bristol have had a really strong presence in the top tier of the women’s game for a number of years – over the short-term what are the Vixens’ aims on and off the pitch do you think?
D-M: To be honest, I really don’t know what the strategy is for the team, in the short or the long term. I’d love to know. I think we all felt encouraged by the appointment of [head of women’s football] Lee Billiard in the summer and we had hoped it could be the start of a bit more dialogue and exchange between the club and its fans—we haven’t had that for a long time. That hasn’t exactly happened, but there are reasons for that, not least a global pandemic! I am confident we can build some good relations in the future. I am weary of the refrain that “we don’t have as much as other clubs, we’re run on a developmental basis, etc etc” even if that’s true. What this means is practice is we will lose, or it’s always an uphill struggle, with the incline getting fiercer all the time. In the past few years it’s obvious that we are being left behind when compared with the business strategies pursued by most teams at the top level of the women’s game (big up to Lewes FC for doing things differently!) It would help if the Lansdown family [owners of Bristol Sport] could spread their risk a bit more in our direction. We might then be able to make a short – or even, gasp—a long term plan.
NB: Surely we need to thinking more than ‘let’s not get relegated’
SM: To invest more in the right quality of players & coaching, have all our injured players come back when ready, and to get on a winning run. Come on you Vixens!
We recommend giving Bristol City Vixencast a listen. All the links you need are below:
@DandalBs brings us all the news from the Swedish women’s football scene over the past week, starting with the incredible goings on at reigning Damallsvenskan champions Kopparbergs/Göteborg.
Above: It has been a dramatic week for Kopparbergs/Göteborg – shown here celebrating their Damallsvenskan triumph at the end of the 2020 season. Photo: @goteborgsfc
The big news in Sweden over the past week has been the shocking goings on in Göteborg where, at the start of last week, reigning Damallsvenskan champions Kopparbergs/Göteborg were closed down with immediate effect – only for the decision to be reversed two days later after news came in of potential new investment under a new banner.
The original decision to close the club down appears to have been taken by the board after their defeat by Manchester City in the last thirty-two of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on 17th December with the players and coaching staff not informed until 29th December.
Kopparbergs/Göteborg chairman Peter Bronsman believed that without more money it is unrealistic for Swedish club sides to compete in Europe again.
Since the club were first formed in 2003, the large men’s teams in the city of Göteborg – IFK Göteborg, GAIS and BK Häcken have all formed women’s sides and there are pointers that the people behind Kopparbergs/Göteborg believe that BK Häcken could take up the baton seriously within the city now. Bronsman told Sport Bladet “You need to give women the same facilities and staff as the men. It cannot be done in a women’s (only) club. We’re moving out of the way for the women’s teams that are developing in the big Göteborg men’s clubs.”
Major club sponsor Prioritet Finans’s CEO Nils Wiberg who had put almost 4,000,000 kroner into the club announced his real “shock” at the original news. “I have no idea what was behind the decision,” he told Fotboll Skanalen, “I am as choked and surprised as everyone else. We really needed this team. This (news) is just embarrassing”.
Above: Kopparbergs/Göteborg hope to have more to celebrate in 2021 now – although the name of the club may potentially change. Photo: @goteborgsfc
The players were told to find new clubs. Elin Rubensson a Kopparbergs/Göteborg star who has sixty-nine caps for Sweden showed her shock at the news by telling Göteborgs-Posten: “Right now, we’re just choked and sad. I hope someone can step in to save the club.” In the meantime though, Göteborg coaches, Jörgen Ericson and Mats Gren have pledged to keep going with training sessions throughout January.
Carl Fhager, the lawyer with the job to liquidate Kopparbergs/Göteborg’s senior team, sees two ways to go about that job; find new clubs for the players or find someone who is willing to take over the team.
It appears that a potential link up with BK Häcken may behind news on New Year’s Eve that the club’s senior team is set to be saved and take their place in the Damsallsvenskan in 2021 after all.
The Expressen first broke the news by suggesting that coach Mats Gren had contacted players to tell them “it will be alright”.
Then came the club’s announcement that they “did not expect the big, overwhelming and positive interest from individuals, businesses and football clubs.” Additionally, Göteborgs-Posten reported on New Year’s Eve that the club “will stay in Damallsvenskan in close co-operation with an established club” – and that established club is hotly rumoured to be BK Häcken.
Whatever banner the senior team plays under if 2021, at the present time, it appears that the Kopparbergs/Goteborg name will stay in existence via its U17 and U19 teams in existence.
IN OTHER NEWS…
Örebro have signed experienced 27 year-old defender Sanna Kullberg from relegated Umeå on a one year deal. Sanna’s elder sister Emma played for Örebro 2019, before she moved to Göteborg. Also at Örebro, the club have handed 16 year-old Emilia Pelgander a two year contract with the first team.
Above: Shannon Woeller, newly signed by Växjö. Photo: svensklag.se
Växjö have signed Canadian international defender Shannon Woeller. She most recently played for Valencia in the Spanish league. Woeller has previously played Damallsvenskan football for Eskilstuna in 2018-19. The 30 year-old has signed a one year contract with an option for a second. The club have also given a new two year contract to goalkeeper Katie Fraine, one of the keys to their successful 2020 season.
It has been a case of one in and one out at Umeå. First, Fanny Hjelm Rönnlund, a key player in the last few seasons has left for Hammarby where the 29 year-old midfielder has signed a two year contract. Coming into the club in her place is Piteå’s teenage talent Vilma Koivisto The midfielder had 18 appearances 2020, but mostly as a substitute, and wants more playing time.
Vittsjö‘s midfield talent Michelle De Jongh has moved to Fleury, a midtable French team, on a five month loan. De Jongh has extensive experience from Sweden youth teams but remains to be capped for the full national team. Coming into the club is 18 year-old talent Moa Karlsson from Halmstad BK, a D3 team. The promising midfielder has played five matches for Sweden’s U17 side.
Above: Michelle De Jongh leaving Vittsjö for Fleury in D1 Arkema. Photo: Stefan Sandström/Norra Skåne.
Djurgården have announced the departure of two players depart in the past week. First, Icelandic international goalkeeper Gudbjörg Gunnarsdottir announced on New Year’s Eve that she is looking for a new club after nine seasons. Also leaving the club is 24 year-old Frida Boriero who has signed for Brommapojkarna, an Elitettan (D2) side.
NEWS IN BRIEF…
Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir has joined Kristianstad on a one year loan from VfL Wolfsburg.
Promising 18 year-old midfielder Felicia Saving leaves Hammarby for EskilstunaUnited. Saving has been capped for Sweden at youth level.
Above: New Eskilstuna United signing Felicia Saving. Photo: @EskilstunUnited
Zecira Musovic, who has moved to Chelsea has been replaced at Rosengard by Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé who comes in from North Carolina Courage in the NWSL but has also played in the Damallsvenskan previously.
Former Piteå defender Sejde Abrahamsson has signed with the Spanish premier side Seville, where Piteå teammate Julia Karlernäs joined a couple of weeks ago.
Brisbane Roar’s visit to Melbourne Victory had much to excite fans and neutrals alike. The Queensland side boasted the most concentrated group of Matildas in the league, in Gorry, Yallop, Gielnik and Polkinghorne while Melbourne’s fans were excited by the returns of Lisa De Vanna and Kyra Cooney-Cross with Angie Beard captaining the side for the first time.
Above: It was a tight battle at CB Reserve between Victory and the Roar. Photo: @VictoryWLeague
The match at CB Smith Reserve began at a fast pace, De Vanna almost immediately raced at the Brisbane defence and Victory launched a wave of three early attacks for no reward, Melina Ayres had the clearest opportunity but her cleanly hit strike from the edge of the box did not trouble Georgina Worth in the Brisbane goal.
Both sides had seemingly set out to press each other and deny time on the ball, both chances became scarce but Mariel Hecher managed to forge herself an opportunity, skillfully creating space for herself only to shoot over the bar.
Temka Yallop, Isobel Dalton and Katrina Gorry all had shots on goal but Gabriella Garton was well positioned to deny each of them. The new Victory keeper has big boots to fill this season, her predecessor Casey Dumont was a fan favorite and a huge part of Melbourne’s success, but based on this match, Garton looks comfortably up to the task.
The biggest event of the first half was not one to celebrate, twenty-five minutes in, on her Victory debut Natalie Tathem crumpled to the turf under no physical contact and the versatile and experienced recruit was stretchered off in obvious pain, hopefully she can recover as speedily as possible.
The physicality continued after the injury break with both sides trying to force each other into errors, Kyra Cooney-Cross embarked on a long run through the middle of the park, launching a counter attack that ended with her shooting just wide after the ball bounced back to her 20 yards from goal.
Victory’s and perhaps the game’s best opportunity up until half time came when Lisa De Vanna latched onto a long ball and found herself one-on-one against Worth, the Matilda’s all time leading scorer would have expected have made it 1-0 from that position but her left footed toe poke was under hit and directed straight at the keeper.
The second half continued in much the same fashion as the first, neither midfield could find their forwards in space and the early stages of the half presented another chance for Ayres but her shot was under pressure and Worth saved comfortably.
The game began to open up after the 70th minute, Victory substitute Annalie Longo made an immediate impact, her experience, control and movement helping the side find cohesiveness that it had struggled for up until that point and Matildas attacker Emily Gielnik drove into the penalty area and struck well only for Garton to tip the ball onto the cross bar with the faintest of reflex touches.
Above: Brisbane Roar’s Isobel Dalton (right) in a battle for possession. Photo: @VictoryWLeague.
Angie Beard surged down the left flank after incepting a Roar attack and found Longo in the penalty area with the goal at her mercy but the New Zealand international blazed over to her own frustration. Moments later Gielnik ran again into the area from the flank and her hard low shot flashed wide at the near post.
Katrina Gorry’s well struck shot looked dangerous off the boot but sailed wide and Victory’s best late chances game from corner kicks, Cooney-Cross’s attempted Olympico challenged Worth but did not beat her, it would have made a spectacular goal.
Worth had the last meaningful contribution of the game when she stood under a dangerous looking high corner kick and held onto it at the second attempt, seconds later the final whistle blew and the afternoon had ended in stalemate.
Given the names on the team sheets it is surprising that nobody could find the back of the net, but the defending on display was excellent throughout and any chances came under pressure or were thwarted by excellent keeping.
Roar have now gone two games without scoring but are creating plenty of opportunities and it is only a matter of time before the score lines reflect their ability. Victory had to replace Laura Brock, Casey Dumont, Jenna McCormick and Natasha Dowie in the off-season. This massive task appears to have been accomplished and they seem to have forged a strong new squad.
The new signings seemed to gel well even thought some sharpness was lacking, De Vanna looked in good touch especially for somebody who has not played for much of 2020, the familiar change of pace and ball control has not diminished and new attacker Catherine Zimmerman looked comfortable stepping up from Calder United in the NPLW.
In the end a draw seemed a fair result, a late winner was possible for both teams but neither defense deserved to concede. Both sets of fans have much to be excited about the rest of the season and for most the disappointment will not come from the result but for Natalie Tathem, we all look forward to seeing her on the field again.
Defending champions Melbourne City’s disappointing start to the new W League season continued after a 2-1 defeat to a Canberra United side thanks to a stunning strike by Nikki Flannery at the death.
Above: Nikki Flannery lets fly for a last gasp stunning strike for Canberra United. Photo: @CanberraUnited
Canberra’s defence almost gifted City a goal in the opening ninety seconds when a back pass from Isabella Foletta from the left wing was poorly dealt with by United keeper Sally James and her weak clearance fell straight to Margot Robinne who hit a first time effort which the home goalkeeper grabbed tightly.
Much of Melbourne City’s early probings came down the left flank, although it lacked the sort of creativity that could unlock the capital city side’s defence.
After six minutes great cross field ball from Isabella Foletta found Nikki Flannery after Michelle Heyman made an outstanding feint to draw attention away from her team-mate. City managed to clear the danger, but it was the beginning of the Lime Green pressure.
Just before the twenty minute mark, great vision from Heyman found Flannery down the left and she got in behind the City defence to fire an effort just wide.
Shortly afterwards, Page Satchell got free along the right and played in a great tempting cross which was fired into the net but the officials adjudged that the ball had gone out before the Kiwi centred the ball.
It was Satchell and Heyman who were behind most of Canberra’s dangerous moves in the first half. Kendall Fletcher’s corner for United saw Heyman crash in a header that was well held by Teagan Micah in the City goal. Satchell then popped up down the middle to use her pace to cause real problems for the defending champions.
Heyman had Matildas defender Jenna McCormick in her back pocket for much of the first half and there would be huge concern amongst Sky Blue ranks about just how much freedom the Canberra star was allowed to have.
Above: It was another influential afternoon from Canberra’s Michelle Heyman. Photo: @MelbourneCity
Not surprisingly therefore, as the game neared the break, City coach Rado Vidosic’s urgings became ever louder as he was clearly frustrated with his team’s lack of communication up front and their inability to get the ball forward often enough.
Canberra’s dominance of possession continued in the early exchanges after the break. Three minutes into the second stanza a lovely ball from Grace Maher found Michelle Heyman who lofted a floating cross into the box which Teagan Micah grabbed.
Shortly afterwards, 19 year-old Laura Hughes, in her fourth year with Canberra United had her heels clipped by Leah Davidson. Kendall Fletcher dummied to take the set piece which allowed Heyman to hit it and win a corner. From the resulting flag kick, Page Satchell received the ball on the right hand side of the box and played a tempter into the danger area, but no-one could get on the end of it.
Melbourne City then developed their first sustained series of possession and territory either side of the hour mark. A flurry of corners were gained but only one real effort of goal resulted, a drive from the edge of the box from Leah Davidson which 17 year-old Canberra keeper Sally James pushed out well for a corner.
More superb play from Heyman broke the City grip on the game having been played through by Page Satchell. The Canberra legend used her physical presence to win a cheap corner.
City responded and there was another battle between Davidson and James which the home keeper pushed out well for a corner. Hollie Palmer then put an effort wide after being played in by Davidson.
With less than twenty minutes left, Grace Maher and Nikki Flannery teamed up to steal the ball and with Maher then running free down the right, she produced a cross which Micah dealt with.
That was a warning sign and three minutes later, City paid the price for failing to make it count when they had chances. A stunning looped ball from Lauren Keir dropped into the path of Heyman who curled a glorious finish into the top right corner of the net for her fourth goal in two W League games this season,
It took less than four minutes for Melbourne City to respond. Midfielder Sarah Cain, celebrating her 20th birthday, was brought down by Sasha Grove. The resulting free kick was taken by Chinatso Kira and Jenna McCormick got free from Jessika Nash to direct a thumping header past James and into the net.
Laura Hughes created some excellent opportunities for Canberra in the midfield. One such chance found Satchell who put an effort wide.
City had a final opportunity to take the lead when Chinatso Kira then put in Harriet Withers with three minutes to go. She motored past Hayley Taylor-Young and got a shot away which James did well to deal with. The resulting corner bounced off of the cross bar before the hosts cleared.
Melbourne City had certainly looked stronger throughout the second half – and because of that it will be of immense frustration that it was not enough to get even a draw from the match.
Above: Leah Davidson (right) put in a great shift for Melbourne City. Photo: @MelbourneCity
Deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, an outstanding piece of skill from Nikki Flannery sealed the win for Canberra. She took possession from a Melbourne City throw in and juggled the ball up before taking it past Teigen Allen and Sarah Cain, turned and then unleashed a glorious drive from well outside the area past a despairing Teagan Micah to seal the win and take Canberra to the top of the W League.
Alex Chidiac and Emma Checker cannot come into the Melbourne City side quickly enough. However, if the Sky Blues can’t pick up a win before they do so, it could start to get tough for City to earn a competitive top four position for finals qualification. Canberra United have shown over the opening two weeks that they could well pose a threat to the top four this season.
This was the first W League match being played at the Wanderers Centre of Football. The pitch looked good but there’s a stand only on one side with high fencing around the other three sides. Consequently we were left with the spectacle of photographers standing on the field just behind the goal line. It was all a bit weird.
Only a small number of tickets were available and it was members only. The attendance was below 300 which is small, even by W-League standards. The Western Sydney Wanderers women normally play at Marconi Stadium and even with the current COVID restrictions, it would have allowed a lot more people to attend.
Anyhow, Wanderers’ early excursion into the box saw Nevis cross but Leena Khamis was not able to fully connect. Soon after, Libby Copus-Brown took a shot which went to the left of goal. WSW started well, had the bulk of possession and are looked dominant.
Khamis ran onto a ball in the box and was tackled and brought down. Her cries for a penalty were ignored, leaving her to hobble away. Copus-Brown then sent a cross in and Rosie Galea and Jets keeper Claire Coelho clashed in front of goal but Coelho managed to clear.
Above: Rose Galea celebrates for Western Sydney Wanderers. Photo: @wswanderers
The Jets got going with a cross out to the right wing which came back in to Chloe O’Brien who took a shot that lobbed gently into Courtney Newbon’s arms. Another attack from the Jets saw a 1-2 between Tara Andrews and Rhianna Pollicina and a good shot on goal that just missed and had Newbon stretched.
Back up the other end and Jet Cassidy Davis made a mistake kicking the ball across goal and straight to Galea after being pressed by Khamis. The Wanderers forward reacted quickly and popped the ball into the bottom left hand side of the goal for her first W-league goal. 1-0 Wanderers.
The Jets were pushing hard, getting more possession and are attacking consistently. A good ball across the face of goal was missed by Newbon but no Jets were able to make contact with the ball and it went out for a goal kick. Half time came with Wanderers still 1-0 ahead.
Within a minute of returning to the field and restarting play, the ball came out to Sophie Harding on the left. She cut it back to avoid the defence and took a shot. Newbon seemed to have it covered but the ball popped out of her hands and Tara Andrews was there to pounce on it and bump it into goal for 1-1.
At 51 minutes, Leena Khamis took the ball from a throw in and held it up before swivelling and let fly with a great strike that hit the crossbar and bounces back into play. Rosie Galea was there again to follow up and punted it past Coelho for her second goal. 2-1 to Western Sydney Wanderers.
Above: Rose Galea lets fly for the Wanderers. Photo: @wswanderers.
Rhianna Pollicina then got a free kick just outside the box. Tara Andrews took it and struck it well but Wanderers’ keeper Courtney Newbon tipped it up to hit the crossbar. A scramble at the left of the goal followed and Western Sydney defender Caitlin Cooper pushed it out after a heavy collision with an on-rushing Jets substitute Lauren Allan.
The commentators make an interesting comment about how Newcastle were the wooden spooners last year and that they had no imports in their team then and how this year there are very few imports playing in the whole league for a variety of reasons and that it should be a much more level playing field. This is true and the Jets are certainly holding up their end of the deal and not playing to come last this year. They also have a pretty stable team with many players still there from last year, unlike most other teams. It sets them up to be an outside chance in what is an interesting competition this year.
At the 80 minute mark, Sunny Franco went off for the Jets after causing quite a bit of trouble for Western Sydney Wanderers and was replaced by Jemma House who was the Golden Boot winner in the NPL last year.
By this time, the Jets were applying all the pressure to level up the match. A ball went across the goal then straight back across again but was gathered by Newbon and cleared.
Four minutes of extra time was announced. Allan takes a shot from distance for Newcastle that looks very dangerous and just clears the crossbar. The Wanderers are on the back foot in extra time and were forced to defend to save their lives. They did so and got the win 2-1.
Newcastle Jets ended up taking more than twice the shots on goal than the Wanderers did and for three quarters of the game looked dangerous. Western Sydney Wanderers looked a bit more composed on the ball for most of the game but when the Jets were really pushing the cracks were starting to show. Caitlin Cooper was solid in defence as usual and Leena Khamis created a lot of chances and was all over the park for the Wanderers. Rosie Galea gets player of the match for her brace.
Above: Western Sydney Wanderers celebrate the win but Newcastle Jets will be frustrated that they didn’t get something out of the game. Photo: @wswanderers.
Ben Gilby spoke to Australian international and Bristol City midfielder Ella Mastrantonio about her move to England, life at Bristol City Women, her experiences playing for the Matildas and the future of the Australian women’s game.
Above: Ella Mastrantonio looking for a positive 2021 with Bristol City. Photo: @Ella_Mas11
Ella Mastrantonio is from Fremantle, Western Australia. She has six caps for the ‘Matildas’, Australia’s national women’s team after making her international debut in 2008 at the age of 16 against Japan. As well as playing over fifty games for her home state side Perth Glory in the W League, she also had three spells with Melbourne Victory and spent last season with Western Sydney Wanderers who clinched a maiden finals appearance in the W League with Ella an integral part of their side. She moved to Bristol City for the 2020/21 Barclays FA Women’s Super League season.
We began our chat by discussing Ella’s move to Bristol City, and what made her choose the South-West of England for the next stage of her career: “With the FAWSL growing and currently being one of the only full time professional leagues in the world, it was a no brainer for me. At my age and with my experience, the timing for the move was just right to really challenge myself overseas and in the toughest league in the world!”
The timing of Mastrantonio’s move to the other side of the world could not have been more unfortunate as it coincided with the coronavirus pandemic and associated travel restrictions which left her in lockdown in an unfamiliar country. “It has been tough,” Ella explains, “Yeah to be honest I try not to think about it too much. I try to just think of it as I’m here to play football and improve myself everyday. I’m lucky in a way that I’m here in England and everyone speaks English so it doesn’t feel that different (except for the weather!). It’s only when I stop and think how actually far away my family and friends are is when I tend to get a little sad and with all the travel restrictions, so I try to just focus on why I’m here and the bigger picture and my goals!”
Bristol City have had a tough start to the season and I asked Ella what she thought were the keys to ensuring that 2021 would herald better times for the club: “I think just getting consistency within ourselves and building on the good performances and wins we’ve had in the Conti Cup,” she said.
“We’ve obviously played most of the bigger teams so far and we’ve had some really good moments so just being confident going forward into these important run of games.”
One of the positives of the season has been the continued outstanding form of talented youngsters Sophie Baggaley and Ebony Salmon, for Ella the pair are: “great players with bags of potential. If they keep working hard and really focus they can do great things in their career.”
The conversation then moved to the Australian women’s football scene and Ella’s experiences growing up in Western Australia.
Above: Ella in action for Perth Glory in her home state of Western Australia.. Photo: FootballWA.net
“Growing up I used to love watching the likes of Del Piero and Ronaldo. Every Sunday, my Dad would tape ‘SBS Goals of the Week’ from all the European leagues so I’d watch that before I’d play and always watched football when I could. Also the Aussies in the Premier League Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell! As I’ve gotten older and understood football more my idol in my position is Andrea Pirlo.”
Mastrantonio’s early footballing experiences can be summed up as: “Always playing against the boys!”
“Thinking back I’m very fortunate to have the coaches I did in my formative years and the most important periods of developing as a footballer. I was always encouraged to be creative and be yourself and try things. Very technical with the ball. Also curling balls around pot plants in the backyard with my Dad and Uncle!”
As well as playing several seasons locally in the W League for Perth Glory, Ella also represented Melbourne Victory and most recently Western Sydney Wanderers. She told us about her time at those clubs: “I really enjoyed myself at Melbourne and Sydney. I think when I took myself out of my comfort zone it helped me grow as a person and a player. I first went to Melbourne when I was 17-18 and it was just the best thing for me, and every season I was at Melbourne Victory we’ve always managed to create some sort of history for the club – playing finals football in 2010/11 and winning the Premiership in 2018/19. Last season at Western Sydney Wanderers was first class with having our brand new facilities built just for the club and football, you could finally feel like an equal player like in the men’s Premier League and that translated to the whole staff and into the culture we built both on and off the field in making the finals for the first time in the club’s history.”
Above: Ella was a huge hit with the Western Sydney Wanderers fans last year as they made the finals for the first time in the club’s W League history. Photo: @Ella_Mas11
We then moved on to discuss The Matildas – starting with Ella’s experience coming into the squad for the first time as a sixteen year-old: “It was a dream come true. Especially being so young, training and playing with the pioneering 2007 generation of Matildas. Obviously to get back into the squad is my dream and goal and one of the motivating factors of coming to England and push myself in this league!”
The recent appointment of Tony Gustavsson as the Matildas new head coach certainly meets with Ella’s approval: “I think like everyone else, I was excited by the news of his appointment. Obviously he has bags of experience at the highest level with one of the best teams in history with an incredible winning mentality. With the talent our squad has already coupled with his experience it will be fantastic.”
I have always thought that here in England it is not completely understood how big the Matildas are and what they mean to the Australian nation. So I was particularly keen to find out from Ella what it is like to be a Matilda: “To represent your country is the highest honour you can achieve as a footballer. The Matildas were voted the most loved National Team out of all of the Australian sporting sides last year so it’s just credit to how far women’s football and women’s sport in general has come in the Australian sporting landscape. Football is currently the number one participated sport in the country so in the present day it is massive. Interest and investment into women’s football has never been higher and with the 2023 World Cup coming to Australia and New Zealand it is such a special time.”
Above: Ella (number 14 back row) with a 2007 Matildas Youth Squad. Eagle eyed readers may also recognise the likes of other current Matildas Kyah Simon, Emily van Egmond and Tameka Yallop. Photo: @TheMatildas
The next three years are huge for the Matildas – with the Olympic Games, AFC Asian Women’s Cup and then a home World Cup. I asked Ella what she believes the team need to focus on in order to be challenging for trophies and gold medals.
“I think we already a very solid foundation of having world class talent, we just need an extra 1% to hopefully take us to the next level. I think if we can really start to build a winning ruthless culture I think we can see us really going far into the big tournaments.”
With the W League just having got underway for 2020/21, I questioned Ella on how it compares with the FAWSL. “The W-League is a fantastic league and has given pretty much all of us in Australia a great place to make and progress our careers. It’s just a shame that it’s still so short and not a full home and away league (yet). The FAWSL has been quite different, so many teams play so many different formations, tactics and styles of play. Where compared to the W-League every team bar maybe one or two play the same or similar formations. The FAWSL is also very fast and physical with so many world class players in the league, so it makes for a great challenge!”
Above: Ella in action for Melbourne Victory – where she had lots of success. Photo: @Ella_Mas11
With Ella joining the vast majority of the Matildas in leaving the W League to play in Europe, the W League will have a different look to it this coming season. I asked Ella how she sees the future of the league in the short to medium term: “It will now give the young players coming through obviously much more opportunities to get some valuable game time at the highest level in Australia which is crucial for their development and finding the next generation of Matildas. Also it gives some girls from the state leagues to make the leap and give them a chance in the league which will be invaluable experience. I think it’ll be great for the development and future of Australian football.”
We ended the conversation on a less serious note – but one which anyone who has been to Australia will appreciate. Ella comes from Fremantle – a part of the world where I myself have family and know very well. She and I recently had a discussion on social media about how much we both love Chicken Salt – the famous Aussie staple and how it is hard to get it in England. People here have long thought I’m crazy for going on about loving Chicken Salt with Fish and Chips. There is now one company – (chickensalt.co.uk) offering it to buy in the UK. As my friends won’t take any notice of my urgings to find proper Aussie Chicken Salt for their fish and chips, I suggested that Ella, as a prominent international women’s footballer may be more persuasive.
Above: Chicken Salt – just listen to the Maestro. Photo: chickensalt.co.uk
Everyone – listen to Ella Mastrantonio: “Hey! Just get some proper Aussie Chicken Salt, put it on a chip and your face will just light up!”
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