Aston Villa manager Gemma Davies has admitted that it is going to take time for her side to adapt to Barclays FA Women’s Super League football after they suffered their third consecutive defeat against Everton this afternoon.
Villa lost 6-0 to The Blue Girls in their first-ever match at The Banks’s Stadium in Walsall. To be fair on Davies’ side, all three of their losses have come against sides who should feature in the top six this season.
In wet conditions in Walsall, Villa were blown away by Everton within the first 45 minutes with the visitors netting four of their six goals and manager Davies admits that settling into top flight football is going to take her side some time.
“We go into every game looking to get three points, that’s the mentality in the group but we are not naive to think that it will be easy” said Davies when speaking to FA Women’s Super League Full-Time after the match.
“We are the newcomers to the league and it is an exceptionally competitive league and it is going to take time.”
More than half of the 11 goals which Aston Villa have conceded in their three Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixtures have come before the 30-minute mark, leaving the newly-promoted side with a mountain to climb. Villa boss Davies acknowledged the need to be harder to break down early on in matches and more composed when playing the ball out from the back.
She added “We are well aware as a team of the areas where we have got to be tighter.
“The first 20 minutes must be better but we are aware of that and it is something that we are working on.”
The heavy defeat was not the way in which Villa wanted to start life in their new surroundings of The Banks’s Stadium but nevertheless, Davies was pleased with the facilities at the stadium which are much-improved from the Sir Trevor Brown Memorial Ground in Boldmere where the club were playing their football last season.
“It’s a lovely stadium, the stands are close to the ground and I think when fans can hopefully come in, there will be a nice atmosphere” said Davies. “It’s a terrific pitch and it’s nice to be here.”
Aston Villa quickly return to action at The Banks’s Stadium with Sheffield United providing the opposition in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup in midweek.