West Ham United Women vs Reading
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MEET THE<br />
OPPOSITION<br />
t was a difficult 2021/22<br />
Icampaign for Birmingham<br />
City, who despite the arrival<br />
of Darren Carter in November<br />
2021, were unable to avoid<br />
to the drop to the Barclays<br />
<strong>Women</strong>’s Championship.<br />
Come the final standings in the<br />
<strong>Women</strong>’s Super League last<br />
May, Birmingham sat bottom of<br />
the table.<br />
They had recorded just three<br />
wins, having taken one point<br />
from their opening ten matches.<br />
Still, the Blues stuck with Carter,<br />
who was appointed head coach<br />
on a permanent basis in May<br />
and has since led the Midlandsbased<br />
side in their FA <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />
Championship campaign this<br />
time around.<br />
In 2022/23, Birmingham City<br />
have won four of their first<br />
eight league fixtures including<br />
an impressive 1-0 triumph<br />
over then-leaders Bristol City,<br />
who fell to their first loss of<br />
the season against the Blues<br />
on November 20. Birmingham<br />
currently sit fifth in the <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />
Championship table.<br />
But the Blues have also<br />
shown their ability to compete<br />
with WSL sides this season<br />
too, however. A 3-2 win over<br />
Brighton & Hove Albion in their<br />
first match of Continental Tyres<br />
League Cup Group C shows that<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Ham</strong> <strong>United</strong> will have to<br />
be at their best should they take<br />
the points from today’s clash.<br />
PREVIOUS MEETINGS<br />
BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-4 WEST HAM UNITED<br />
CONTI CUP, ST ANDREW’S, 17 NOVEMBER 2022<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Ham</strong> <strong>United</strong> <strong>Women</strong> took huge strides<br />
towards the knockout stages of the Continental<br />
Tyres League Cup with a convincing 4-0 victory<br />
over Birmingham City in November 2021.<br />
The <strong>Ham</strong>mers controlled proceedings in the Midlands and<br />
were two goals ahead at the break thanks to an own goal<br />
from Blues’ skipper Louise Quinn and later a placed effort<br />
from Claudia Walker, who had earlier struck the post.<br />
After the interval, Lucy Parker – who netted for a successive<br />
game in the Conti Cup - and Katerina Svitkova added a<br />
fourth to secure a four-goal triumph for the <strong>Ham</strong>mers.<br />
BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-1 WEST HAM UNITED<br />
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE, ST ANDREW’S, 13 MARCH 2022<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Ham</strong> <strong>United</strong> <strong>Women</strong> climbed into the top half<br />
of the Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s Super League table with a<br />
narrow 1-0 victory over a battling Birmingham City.<br />
In a close contest in the Midlands, Adriana Leon’s second<br />
strike of the season was enough to see the <strong>Ham</strong>mers headed<br />
back to London with a crucial three points secured.<br />
Olli Harder’s side did well to hold on to the one-goal<br />
margin as the Blues pushed for a response, although<br />
there would be no further change to the scoreline after<br />
Kateřina Svitková’s superb delivery from a corner found<br />
Leon unmarked in the box just before the break. A 1-0<br />
triumph was enough to see the <strong>Ham</strong>mers move above<br />
<strong>Reading</strong> and Brighton & Hove Albion to go sixth.<br />
20 COME ON YOU IRONS
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