Aston Villa Women play their second home game in three days on Saturday lunchtime, as they face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Banks's Stadium.
Carla Ward's side suffered a hugely frustrating 1-0 loss at the hands of Everton on Wednesday evening despite dominating proceedings for large parts.
Aurora Galli finished clinically in the 80th minute to award the points to the Toffees just two-and-a-half weeks after Villa emerged victorious on Merseyside.
The result certainly dampened spirits amongst the Villa camp, but the next opportunity is just around the corner and the players will be raring to go at the Banks's Stadium once again.
If our last encounter with the Seagulls is anything to go by, the chances of a bounce back are high.
We emerged from our visit to the south coast as 1-0 victors in September, with Emily Gielnik bagging a second-half winner in front of our away support.
And having also won one of two fixtures against Hope Powell's side last season, there will an air of confidence heading into this battle.
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This weekend's visitors are Brighton & Hove Albion.
Under the stewardship of Hope Powell, the Seagulls are one of the WSL’s more seasoned squads.
Games against today’s opponents have been tight affairs since our return to the top flight, with just five goals scored across three games and each winner holding their foe to nil.
But despite those tense affairs, the last being back in September when Emily Gielnik netted a second-half winner, Villa will be confident of a result against an out-of-sorts Seagulls squad.
Powell’s team secured a much needed win over Reading before the recent break, but had experienced a winless run of 10 games in all competitions prior to that.
The run began not long after our victorious visit to the People’s Pension Stadium in September, a variable which will give Carla Ward and co. belief.
What will surely add to the occasion is just how close the two sides are in the table heading into today’s fixture.
Both will surely be battling it out between now and May to climb as many places as possible and distance themselves from the bottom two.
Three To Watch
Kayleigh Green - Welsh international Green is in goalscoring form, having netted twice in Brighton’s 4-1 win over Reading in their last WSL fixture in February, which took her tally for the season to four. If she starts against Aston Villa today it will be the 33-year-old’s 50th WSL start for the club. Kayleigh joined the club from Yeovil Town in 2018 and has won more than 50 Welsh caps since making her international debut in 2012.
Meg Walsh - The 27-year-old became Brighton’s latest full international when she won her first cap for the Republic of Ireland at the Pinatar Cup last month. Walsh began her career at Villa in 2011 and had spells with Notts County, Everton and Yeovil Town before joining Albion in 2019. Earlier this season she became the first goalkeeper in the WSL to clock up 500 saves.
Victoria Williams - Club captain Williams recently celebrated 150 WSL appearances, more than 60 of which have been with Brighton. The Yorkshire-born defender 31-year-old began her career with Leeds United and had two spells with Doncaster Belles as well as playing for Chelsea and Sunderland before joining Brighton in 2018.
The Last Meeting
Level Playing Field fixture
Aston Villa is proud to support Level Playing Field’s ‘Weeks of Action’ campaign.
Level Playing Field are a sports charity who act as a campaigning and advisory organisation for disabled sports fans. The Weeks of Action campaign aims to celebrate the positive initiatives undertaken by clubs, sporting venues and their governing bodies in partnership with disabled sports fans and Disabled Supporters’ Associations.
This season’s campaign, the 18th annual event, takes place from, Saturday, February 26 to Sunday, March 13 and will be a period of celebration and inspiration, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme will celebrate the return of supporters, as fans finally return to live sport after a tough season-and-a-half behind closed doors.
Saturday’s Barclays FA Women's Super League match against Brighton & Hove Albion (ko 11.30am) will be Villa’s dedicated fixture, with players wearing Level Playing Field t-shirts during the warm-up and club media across all channels showing its support for the campaign.
Additional Information
- The Community Stand will be open and available for fans to select their seat for this fixture
- The Hub, situated within the HomeServe stand, will be open for supporters to enjoy drinks and refreshments before kick-off and at half-time. The Hub can be accessed once through the turnstiles.
- Matchday programmes will also be available to purchase in The Hub for £2 each.
- Turnstiles will be open approximately 90 minutes before kick-off (10:00)
- Paper tickets are available to purchase at the Banks's Stadium turnstiles right up until kick-off
- Banks's Stadium remains cashless
- Please ensure your email address and preferences are up-to-date and keep a close eye on your account for the latest ticketing news
