Marcus Bignot says his Aston Villa side are motivated to maintain their status in the top flight of English football, as they head into a potentially make-or-break game against West Ham United on Sunday.
Villa Women currently occupy 11th place in the Barclays FA Women's Super League, sitting above the relegation zone with just two games remaining.
The gap between Villa and bottom-placed Bristol City merely comes down to goal difference, adding to the ever-building tension that comes with the home stretch of any season.
Interim manager Bignot only has eyes on the task at hand, which is the visit of the Hammers to Villa Park.
“Prior to our previous encounter, I said West Ham’s position in the league surprises me" admitted Bignot when previewing this weekend's clash.
"But they are there for a reason.
"It’s going to be a difficult challenge, but we’ve shown a side to us in the previous game that will be needed again.
"We’ve seen in our last two games what is going to be required to win a game.”
Those previous two fixtures for Villa have been nothing short of heart-breaking.
In almost identical fashion, Bignot's side went into stoppage time with a lead in games against Bristol City and Birmingham City, only to be pegged back by a long free-kick into the box.
Reflecting further on Wednesday's Second City derby, where a 96th-minute leveller prevented Villa from taking the points, the 46-year-old confessed how much sympathy he has for the players.
“Really gutted for the players" conceded Bignot.
"It seemed like it was a mirror image of the Bristol (City) game and that lessons hadn’t been learnt, but on Wednesday it was incontrollable.
"But, we’ve got to manage the situation better now and the girls understand that.
"We’ll be ready for that eventuality, we’ll be prepared.
"What was good about being exposed to that is the message that football is personal.
"On Sunday it’s personal, we want to maintain our WSL status.”
As we head into the final portion of what has been a frantic, COVID-consumed campaign, focus will soon turn back towards welcoming our sorely-missed supporters back to games.
“The 12th player is our supporters" Bignot stated.
"It’s disappointing not to have them with us given the situation we’re in.
"Our fans can really look with pride at the young players currently coming through and how they’re performing.
"Supporters like seeing their own, and there’s a few in our team.
"The motivation for us is that when fans return, they are returning to watch us in the WSL.”
