Bristol City head coach Lauren Smith says that her side need to keep on fighting in their battle for Barclays Women’s Super League survival.
The Robins are three points adrift of safety following last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to West Ham United but the club still have 10 games to save their top tier status.
When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s fixture at Aston Villa, Bristol City boss Smith said that the landscape hasn’t changed too much and that the players have quickly moved on from their latest defeat.
“It’s the same as ever, we’re just chasing a bit more I guess,” Smith said. “We had a few honest conversations about where we are but I think we are keeping it positive in terms of we are only one win away from where we were. It’s not as if something has suddenly slipped away from us and we are down and out.
“When we were first in after the game, the group were tired, leggy and feeling a bit sorry for themselves but the focus quickly turned towards this weekend. Training has been excellent and there is a real bit between the teeth of the players.
“You can’t get everything all of the time, we have to fight now and that’s it.”
Going on to discuss this weekend’s opponents Aston Villa, Smith felt that her side were tired going into the reverse fixture. She believes that Bristol City can go and show a better version of themselves in Walsall.
She said “They’ve got such a strong, experienced team which makes them difficult to play against.
“I’m hoping for a different type of game from last time because we had played Arsenal in the Conti Cup in the same week and we looked really tired. We didn’t feel like we had given a full account of ourselves.
“Looking at the last few weeks, we’ve been quite sharp so hopefully, that side of the game will allow us to put a decent performance in.
“We just have to carry on fighting and go for the three points.”
Bristol City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Aston Villa kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon.