Aston Villa’s problems deepened significantly as they sunk to a 6-0 defeat against Chelsea on a miserable afternoon in Walsall. First half strikes from Millie Bright and Fran Kirby set the current champions on their way. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Ashley Lawrence, Aggie Beever-Jones and Niamh Charles added goals in the second to secure an emphatic victory.
“It’s not just me; it’s every single manager and every single player and every fan wanting the [refereeing] standards to go up,” stated a frustrated Carla Ward after Aston Villa were held by Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
A combination of Brighton’s resilience, a drop off in the home side’s levels, and sub-standard officiating saw the points shared at the Poundland Bescot Stadium after Julia Zigiotti’s strike cancelled out a first half own goal from Kayleigh Green.
“It feels great because the players have worked so hard. They’ve had a tough year. I don’t think there’s any hiding from that – the league table certainly doesn’t lie. I feel like they’ve really tried to come together, and they’ve done so well.”
There was a big sigh of relief from Everton’s Chris Roberts as his side earned their first league win since the end of November. It was a vital victory as they edged past Aston Villa on Wednesday night, leap-frogging Leicester City and extending the gap from the bottom to ten points.
The baseball player Babe Ruth once said: “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” No truer word could be spoken about this Birmingham City side, who will quite literally never throw in the towel.
On a night where they were outplayed for 90 minutes, second best in all areas of the park, they managed to find a way to fight back. They secured a draw, right at the death – a point that has almost certainly ensured their top flight status once more.
It has been said many times that football is a crazy game. This was exemplified no more than Saturday afternoon’s encounter between Aston Villa and Bristol City in Walsall.
The FA Cup returned to the Academy Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Manchester City swept past Aston Villa and into the 5th Round. It was nothing short of dominant from the hosts – professional, clinical and slick in attack.
The stakes were raised on Saturday afternoon as Aston Villa returned to league action in a somewhat precarious position near the bottom of the table. With their game against Arsenal falling foul of the weather last weekend, Bristol’s first win of the season narrowed the gap as the relegation battle in the Barclays FAWSL heats up.
It has, at times, been a tough welcome to the Barclays FAWSL for Aston Villa. And as the winter descended on Walsall early on Saturday afternoon, they had to display all their fight and grit to earn a point against a confident Reading side.
Could this be the moment that will spark Bristol City’s season into life?
The Vixens have not had an easy time of it so far this campaign. They sit at the bottom of the Barclays FAWSL, having shipped 45 goals and without a win. But on a rainy Wednesday night in Twerton (what else does it do in the south west?!), they displayed the sort of resilience that might just give them a chance.
A second half masterclass saw Aston Villa gain a vital win over Bristol in bottom of the table clash.