Carla Ward spoke to reporters on Thursday morning as she previewed Aston Villa’s Adobe Women's FA Cup tie against Everton.
The manager and her team meet their WSL counterparts in the fourth round at Poundland Bescot Stadium on Saturday.
Here’s what Ward had to say in her pre-match press conference…
On team news...
“We had a friendly when we came back from our winter break and, sadly, Lucy Parker has picked up an injury which requires surgery. It means she’s going to miss the majority of the season, so that’s a massive blow for us. She’s been excellent. Dan Turner picked up an injury against Manchester City and it’s probably a little worse than we first thought so we’re looking at mid-February until she’s back. Massive blow. Two top centre-halves. It’s not ideal but we’ll prepare in the best way we can moving forward.”
On Noelle Maritz...
“Noelle’s a top, top player. She’s got an abundance of experience. She’s been there, she’s done it. She’s been unbelievable at Arsenal, not just in terms of her playing ability but her experience. The way she handles herself is that of a top pro. We actually showed some interest in the summer, we’re delighted that we’ve managed to get her in because she’ll add a lot of quality and valuable experience to this group.”
On the outlook going into 2024...
“We had a difficult start, but we finished the year strong and I think that was really important. I think we have to start this year how we finished last year. The girls have come back in wanting to kick on, they’re ready and I think the break allowed them to breathe. We’ll be ready for the weekend, that’s for sure.”
On Everton...
“Ever since Brian [Sørensen]’s come in they’ve had a decent style of play. They’re always a team that wants to get the ball down and play. It’s going to be a tough game – it always is. We’ve had some really close battles against them since Brian’s been in and I think he’s done a really good job with them. It’ll be tough but we’re going out there to try and progress to the next round and nothing less.”
