By Aston Villa FC

At A Glance

Aston Villa Women will be hoping to get their Barclays FA Women's Super League campaign off to a winning start on Saturday when they welcome Leicester City to the Banks's Stadium (ko 12.30pm).

Supporters will be able to purchase tickets on matchday from the stadium, with the deadline to buy online having now passed. Existing season ticket holders will have received paper tickets for this weekend's fixture.

Villa secured survival on the final day of the 2020/21 season in May and go into 2021/22 with changes aplenty on and off the pitch.

Hannah Hampton and Alisha Lehmann headline the nine signings that incoming manager Carla Ward has made since her appointment, as Villa look to avoid another end-of-season scare this time around.

With the team having faced the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in pre-season, they will be hoping to be fully prepared for the newly promoted Foxes come Saturday.

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The aforementioned Foxes embark on their first-ever season in the top flight, having marched to the FA Women's Championship title last time out.

Jonathan Morgan's side won 16 of 20 games on their way to lifting the trophy at the King Power Stadium and are preparing for life in the WSL.

Saturday's visitors have made some eye-catching signings in recent months, including Jess Sigsworth and Abbie McManus from Manchester United.

One outgoing, however, was Remi Allen.

The 30-year-old midfielder was one of Ward's first recruits at Villa, and Allen is in-line to make her debut against her former club this weekend.

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Standout Stats

  • Aston Villa won the last league match between these two sides 3-1, in a Women’s Championship fixture back in December 2019, with goals from Marisa Ewers, Melissa Johnson and Shania Hayles.
  • Leicester won the Women’s Championship last season with exactly 50 points, eight more than runners-up Durham. Leicester lost only twice all season in the league, though both defeats came away from home, including in their most recent away match against Lewes in April.
  • Aston Villa are currently winless in 10 Barclays FA Women’s Super League matches; they lost each of the first five matches in this run before drawing the following five – no side has ever drawn six consecutive games in the competition.
  • Leicester’s top scorer in the Women’s Championship last season was Natasha Flint with 17 goals in 20 appearances, bettered only by Katie Wilkinson who scored 19 goals for Sheffield United. Flint has played in the WSL before, scoring twice in 19 appearances for Manchester City.
  • Aston Villa were on the receiving end of 318 High Turnovers and 480 Pressed Sequences in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League last season, both competition highs, highlighting their struggles with dealing with the opposition press.
  • Newly promoted WSL teams have won just once on MD1, with Sunderland beating Liverpool in the 2015 season. Since then, promoted teams have lost eight of their nine MD1 games (D1), scoring only two goals while conceding 22.
  • New Aston Villa manager Carla Ward is looking for her first home win in the WSL – as Birmingham manager last season, she managed 11 home games without winning (D4 L7) with only Jamie Sherwood (14 games with Yeovil between April 2017 and May 2018) managing more home games without registering a win in WSL history.
  • Aston Villa’s opponents started their open play sequences, on average, 47.3 metres from their own goal line in last season’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League, the furthest of any team’s opponents.
  • Following Leicester’s promotion last season, MD1 opponents Aston Villa have signed Remi Allen from the Foxes, who netted five league goals to help her side lift the title – only Lachante Paul (7) and Natasha Flint (17) netted more times. Indeed, Allen has 135 WSL appearances to her name, alongside 20 goals and 18 assists.
  • Aston Villa were the Barclays FA Women’s Super League lowest goalscorers on home turf last season, managing just five goals from their 93 shots (37 fewer than the side with the most – Chelsea, 42). Indeed, their conversion rate of 5.4% was also lower than any other side at home in 2020-21.

The Last Meeting

Four goals in the final 12 minutes brought a hard-fought match to life the last time Villa faced the Foxes, as they extended an unbeaten FA Women’s Championship run to ten games in December 2019.

A resilient Leicester set up to defend and make life hard for Villa, who found themselves frustrated by an inspired Demi Lambourne throughout the game.

But with just over ten minutes left, the goals flowed after Marisa Ewers opened the scoring with a smart finish inside the penalty area.

A poacher’s finish from Mel Johnson saw Villa all but seal the three points.

But the visitors responded almost immediately to set-up a tense finish before Shania Hayles put the game to bed in the final seconds.

The Boss

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Carla Ward spoke to the club's website following last weekend's pre-season defeat to Chelsea...

“I take a lot away. I thought we were exceptional. We’re getting better individually and collectively we’re starting to see relationships developing. It was nice to hear Emma Hayes say after the game that we’d caused them a lot of problems. It ends a very good pre-season.”

“We’ve got a couple of COVID issues but that’s just the world we live in now. A couple of niggles too. Everyone that stepped onto that pitch was outstanding. Even the girls in the stands. It was faultless.”

Spectator Code Of Conduct

In order to assist our staff and stewards, and to help protect you and your fellow spectators, you are kindly requested to follow these guidelines.

1. Spectators must not attend if they are suffering from COVID-19 symptoms or if they are feeling unwell.
2. At all times and in all parts of the ground where possible, please observe social distancing and avoid close contact with others.
3. Arrive in good time
4. Make sure in advance that you know where your entry point is
5. Please avoid bringing bags so as to avoid delays on entry.
6. Be aware that all payments at the ground are contactless. The Banks’s Stadium is a cashless Stadium
7. You are requested to wear a face covering when in and moving around the Stadium.
8. Remain in your seat at all times wherever possible.
9. If you do need to leave your viewing position, wait for a time when the gangway is
clear and always follow the signs indicating which way to go.
10. If you are seated, when moving past other spectators, to and from your seat, please avoid face to face contact with other spectators.
11. Maintain good hand hygiene – use the sanitiser dispensers provided and avoid touching your face, or handles, railings etc. whenever possible.
12. Please observe respiratory etiquette – always cover your mouth if needing to cough or sneeze.
13. Avoid hugs, high-fives and any close contact with people who are not within your social bubble.
14. Take care when shouting, singing or celebrating.
15. Please do not approach players for “selfies” & or autographs.
16. If you feel ill, please contact your nearest steward, and you will then be directed to our medical team.
17. When leaving the ground, please be patient and observe social distancing guidelines where possible
18. All FAWSL ground regulations remain in force.


Thank you for your support and co-operation.

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