Aston Villa head coach Carla Ward has hailed the collective effort of the whole club on the back of their record-breaking season.
The Villans take on Arsenal at the LV Bet Stadium in their final game of the season this afternoon. Ward’s side are already assured of a fifth-place finish in the Barclays Women’s Super League table, the highest ranking in the club’s history.
Aston Villa’s players will take the credit for how they’ve performed on the pitch this season but head coach Ward says that the club’s achievements are down to the collective effort across the board.
“The players deserve an awful lot of credit, as do the staff both on-field and off-field,” Ward said when speaking in an Aston Villa press conference. “There have been a lot of contributing factors, the fans have been sensational; everyone has played a part this year. For me, it is the best season I’ve had as a manager of course.
“We are delighted. It has been stressful, probably more stressful when you win games than when you lose games because you always want more and want to push people more.
“It has been a really good season but it’s collective, a real collective effort. The fans, the staff, the players, the football club; without one of those components, we might not have been in this position.”
Aston Villa have struggled to collect a positive result against Arsenal in recent times, although injuries have not helped their cause. The Gunners have also been hit with some injuries to key players this season and Ward went on to praise opposite number Jonas Eidevall for how he has managed the situation.
She said “The last four times we’ve played Arsenal, we haven’t had a full unit together, that’s the reality.
“That’s frustrating but Arsenal are a top side that are going to make it difficult for you. You could have your best XI out and they could still hurt you, they’ve got quality everywhere. I’ve got to credit Jonas (Eidevall) because he’s been faced with an awful lot this year with injuries but again, similar to ourselves, they haven’t let it affect them one bit. They’ve got on with it, they’ve got the job done and to be in this position now is a huge credit to him.
“It’s not going to be easy, it wouldn’t be easy with everyone available. Those who we do have available will give it everything.”
Aston Villa’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Arsenal kicks-off at 2.30pm.