Aston Villa Women Experts: Goal-heavy second half of season on the cards after 2-1 win v Tottenham
We’re delighted to welcome author Freya Taylor and former academy player Lyndsey Bissell as our exclusive Aston Villa Women experts. Each week they’ll be collaborating to give their views on the biggest talking points at the WSL club…
Two goals in four minutes certainly reflected the statement that manager Carla Ward has been making so far in this transfer window.
We’re here to fight for our place.
Halfway through this vital period, it is interesting to see how the team is shaping up and who else could be the perfect signing to round off this team.
Jordan Nobbs, who we spoke about at length in our last blog, was straight into the starting lineup, as well as fellow Lioness Lucy Staniforth (who we also predicted would make a fantastic addition to Aston Villa). As Tottenham haven’t been on a great run of form recently, it was a no-brainer that another Lioness, Bethany England, would make it into the starting lineup. What a match this was set to be.
Aston Villa came out like a brand-new team. They were more direct, they were clinical, they pushed and best of all, they were creating chances and dominated the first half. In fact, after the game, Ward said it was the “best 45 minutes” of football as Villa boss [The Guardian]. A very bold claim by the gaffer, but 100 per cent deserved.
However, a defensive mix-up at the back saw England open her account for Spurs in the 28th minute, showing the 2049 fans in attendance, the skill we’ve missed seeing from the England striker. The Spurs lead wasn’t to last though, as six minutes later Kenza Dali scored a fantastic equaliser with Rachel Daly scoring another, to take the Villans into the lead by the 38th minute.
It was a pleasure to see Staniforth and Nobbs fitting in so well to the team and their impact was felt immediately. The addition of a creative player such as Jordan, took some of the pressure off Dali and allowed them both to create amazing chances time and again for the team. A Villa side that has, at times, felt a little disjointed due to new signings and injuries, seems to be a thing of the past, as a strong feeling of cohesion and unity was evident on the pitch and long may it continue!
After the break, Spurs came back with a new attitude and attempted to dominate the game, however, even though England had another shot on goal, she couldn’t put an equaliser past Anna Leat in the Villa goal.
However, some things Ward might focus on during training this week might be sharpening skills such as first touches and weight of the passes; as these very fixable errors did cost us some chances during the first part of the game. Something that will have to become much tighter as we look to move higher up the league table.
As this team continues to grow, it would be a fantastic opportunity to see another defender come through the doors before the end of the transfer window. This would allow the quality of our defence to match the growing skill in our midfield and forward areas. Speaking of cohesion and growth in the team; there comes opportunities for players to be mentored and grow into their roles on the pitch. For example, Laura Blindkilde could learn so much by being under the wing of both Nobbs and Staniforth, which may help her progression not only as a player generally, but also give her the qualities and skill to break into the England women’s senior team too. Also, the devastating future link-ups between our attacking midfielders and forwards look to make for a very goal-heavy second half of the season.
Happily, our substitutes’ bench is looking a lot better than it has done in recent months, with more options available and others such as Ruesha Littlejohn and Freya Gregory due to return from injury hopefully very soon.
At the final whistle, it was fist pumps in the air all around as Villa rightly won those valuable three points. The fans treasured every moment, especially the players who spent quality time with members of the pride who had endured the wind and rain to watch their team to victory.
The most touching moment was captured by Indivisa, who with permission, posted a video on social media of Jordan revealing a beautiful tribute to former teammate Beth Mead’s mam, who devastatingly passed away from ovarian cancer recently. A message written on her sky-blue undershirt simply said, ‘For June’ with a heart drawn underneath.
A moment of pure class not only from Jordan, but all teams, who this weekend, have wanted to pay tribute, in the form of black armband, either to June Mead, or indeed for Gilly Flaherty’s father, who also sadly passed away.
The feeling of unity throughout the Women’s Super League is nothing short of awe-inspiring. We should feel so lucky and proud of the community that we have created and are a part of. Thousands coming together as one, transcending all allegiances for this moment of sheer humanity.
With all of this fantastic quality and experience now in the team, will Villa be able to push further up the table (than their current seventh place) and even come knocking on the door of the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal?
We’ve got everything crossed, but the answer for us, is a definite yes.
In other Aston Villa Women news, Dan Bardell has had his say on the investment in the facilities at the club.