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.
Point by point, step by step, Birmingham City edge closer and closer to Barclays FAWSL survival. The team, who many thought were probably destined for the drop in August, have displayed character throughout the season and are almost there, but not quite.
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.
Our journey into women’s football started properly at the Olympics in 2012. While we’d watched matches, when available, on TV, Team GB against Brazil in Wembley was our first proper foray into the women’s game. This was just one year after the inaugural FA Women’s Super League season. How things have grown!
This was supposed to be Jess Fishlock’s farewell to Reading. Having joined the club on loan for 8 months, she was finishing up and heading back stateside to re-join OL Reign ahead of the NWSL season. In her pre-match video, she touched on her team’s frustrating inconsistencies, stating it made the wins more difficult to enjoy. The match that was to follow was the perfect example of this and if Reading were hoping to give her something to celebrate in her final fixture, it wasn’t to be.
Today is a ground-breaking day in the history of the women’s game in England. The announcement of a three-year rights agreement with Sky Sports and the BBC to broadcast the Barclays FAWSL from next season is another huge WOW moment in its progress.
At 14:30 on Sunday, Bristol City will walk out at Vicarage Road for their first ever appearance in the Continental Cup final. It is a feat than even just a few weeks ago seemed slightly impossible.
Amongst the big-name derbies that this set of mid-week fixtures in the Barclays FAWSL presented, there was another game that was of equal importance. As the relegation battle heats up at the bottom, Brighton hosted West Ham in a game that would provide vital relief to whichever side could seal the victory.
There have been many surprises in the Barclays FAWSL this season, but the development of Birmingham City has certainly been one of them. They may currently sit 11th in the table but have multiple games in hand over their rivals and have conceded the least number of goals (16) of anyone outside the top four. They produced another shock on Sunday afternoon, earning a valuable point away to Everton.
This weekend’s Barclays FAWSL action started with a potentially significant fixture at Twerton Park as the relegation battle gathers pace. Brighton travelled to Bristol, sitting seven points over the league’s bottom side but well aware that in football the tide can turn very quickly.