Brighton & Hove Albion will hope to end their winless run in all competitions when Reading are the visitors to The People’s Pension Stadium this afternoon for a Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie.
Despite two positive performances against Chelsea and Arsenal in their last two games, Brighton & Hove Albion’s last victory was back in November when they defeated relegation-threatened Leicester City 1-0 at The Amex Stadium. Hope Powell’s side managed to battle to a 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea last weekend and on Thursday night, they were unlucky to see their 1-0 lead overturned by title challengers Arsenal in a game that ended 2-1.
This afternoon’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie could provide a distraction from Brighton & Hove Albion’s poor sequence of results. The Seagulls were as high as third in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League table when these two teams met in November. On that occasion, Reading scored three minutes in and with four minutes to go to defeat Powell’s side 2-0 and since this, Brighton & Hove Albion have not won a single league match.
Goalkeeper Megan Walsh is looking to continue her fine form, especially after her remarkable performance against Chelsea and she has made history in the last week, becoming the first-ever player to make 500 saves in England’s top flight. The Seagulls will be without Lee Guem-min who is away on international duty and Megan Connolly who was injured at Arsenal on Thursday night.
As for Reading, they have endured contrasting fortunes. Since the two clubs’ last meeting, The Royals have leapfrogged their opponents in the table and are only one point behind fifth-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. Four league wins in their last four games including a shock 1-0 victory over Chelsea has given Royals fans optimism for the rest of the season. Reading’s good form has been been boosted by forward Natasha Dowie who has netted in three of the last four league games.
The Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Reading kicks-off at 1pm. Tickets are available and can be purchased by clicking here.
By Joe Heaton