Brighton & Hove Albion manager Hope Powell has admitted that the club wanted this weekend’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture at Bristol City postponed but they have been instructed to play the game by the authorities.
The Sussex club have a number of players currently in self-isolation while the Albion squad has been further depleted by injuries, leaving manager Powell with limited options for the trip to Twerton Park.
Powell advised of the difficult situation which Brighton & Hove Albion currently find themselves in during the club’s official club press conference in which FA Women’s Super League Full-Time were present.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Bristol City, Powell said “I will be completely honest, we wanted to cancel this week’s game because we have players in isolation and we’ve got a depleted squad.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to do that so we will go ahead and play the game.
“We are governed by the Association and I guess that if they say that we have to play then we have to play.
“Our focus is clearly on being as professional as we can be and playing the game.”
This week has seen COVID-19 dominate the Barclays FA Women’s Super League headlines, taking the spotlight away from the return to action following the Christmas break. Brighton & Hove Albion are trying to mute the debate and general chaos brought by the pandemic and are focusing on the battle for a big three points in Bath on Sunday.
Powell commented on her side’s preparation for the match by saying “It’s challenging times but it’s challenging for everybody, it’s just a case of trying to control what we can control.
“It’s about planning for the next game then the next game and so on.
“We are preparing for a game of football and we can’t lose sight of that, we all have a job to do and a role to play in that.
“The fact that players have had to isolate for one reason or another doesn’t hide the fact that we are preparing for what we consider to be an important game.”
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture against Bristol City at Twerton Park is scheduled to kick-off at 2pm on Sunday afternoon and will be available to stream live on the FA Player.