Aston Villa welcome an in-form West Ham United side to The Banks’s Stadium this evening, whose only losses since the turn of the year have come against reigning Barclays FA Women’s Super League champions Chelsea.
Speaking about her side’s opponents in her pre-match press conference, Villa head coach Carla Ward said “I like West Ham, they are a good side who are getting better and better.
“They are a big, strong, athletic team who use the ball well and they’ve shown they can compete against anyone in the division. We know it will be difficult, but when we played them last time it was a fairly decent game, a lively one, and I think a game that both teams felt they should’ve won.”
This fixture comes following a period of improved performances for the West Midlands side, with their recent victory over Leicester City boosting confidence and morale in the Villa camp. Recounting what has been a key few weeks in terms of the squad’s development, Ward said “Since Christmas, we’ve come in, adjusted a few things, reset a few things, and I think we’ve played in a much more positive way.
“I think we’ve got on the front foot and the girls have been absolutely brilliant. Against Leicester, whilst it was a last minute winner, I thought we were dominant.”
Villa followed up a vital three points against The Foxes with a Vitality Women’s FA Cup exit at the hands of the holders Chelsea. However, despite the defeat, Ward felt it was another positive showing for The Villans.
“Against Chelsea last week, I thought we were superb,” Ward said. “I thought we had slightly more possession than them, slightly higher pass completion. I thought our all-around play was probably one of the best since I’ve been at the football club.
“We’ve got to use the result. You can’t come away too happy with a defeat, but you’ve got to take elements of that performance because if we perform like we did against Chelsea we shouldn’t fear anyone.”
Regarding team availability, the news was mixed with Ward revealing “Emily Gielnik is back and available for selection in the squad. Sadly Chloe Arthur and Rachel Corsie miss out through illness, we haven’t managed to get them back in time, but other than that we are pretty much there.”
Villa were certainly active in the January transfer window with Ward full of praise for her trio of additions. She said “They’ve all certainly picked the environment up at a moment where we probably needed it. We’ve spoken a lot about Jill (Scott) and Corsie’s experience, but one person that doesn’t get enough mention is Anna Patten, she’s come in and she’s a livewire, she’s grounded but can bring a lot of energy to the group so she’s been quality too.
“I feel like we are starting to build something special, the morale in the group is high, everyone’s fighting for shirts, the competition has brought an extra level, having experienced players like Corsie and Jill around automatically picks the environment up.”
Aston Villa’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture against West Ham United kicks-off at 6pm this evening. Admission will be available on the turnstiles.
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