“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.
The 2022/23 Barclays WSL finally got underway on Friday evening as Arsenal cruised past 10-player Brighton. Over 3,200 fans turned out at a packed Meadow Park to watch Jonas Eidevall’s side register their first three points on the board.
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.
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.