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Birmingham City Women v Sheffield United Women

Blues News | Birmingham City Women v Sheffield United Women Barclays Women's Championship St. Andrew's Stadium | 21st April 2024

Blues News | Birmingham City Women v Sheffield United Women
Barclays Women's Championship
St. Andrew's Stadium | 21st April 2024

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Thank you for your support<br />

2023/24<br />

birmingham city women football club<br />

blues news<br />

SUNDAY 21 APRIL | KICK-OFF 2PM | £2


irmingham.<br />

on the rise again.<br />

2 0 2 3 / 2 4 .<br />

available<br />

i n - s t o r e<br />

& online<br />

blues.clubstore.co.uk<br />

2 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


irmingham city women football club<br />

CLUB DIRECTORY<br />

Chairman of the Board:<br />

Thomas Wagner<br />

Board: Thomas Wagner,<br />

Garry Cook, Matthew Alvarez,<br />

Andrew Shannahan, Kyle Kneisly,<br />

Laura Torrado, Wenqing Zhao and<br />

Gannan Zheng<br />

Chief Executive Officer: Garry Cook<br />

Managing Director: Ian Dutton<br />

Chief Financial Officer: Mark Smith<br />

Honorary Vice-President:<br />

Mike Wiseman<br />

Advisory Board Chairman:<br />

Tom Brady<br />

FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT:<br />

<strong>Women</strong>’s Technical Director:<br />

Hope Powell CBE<br />

<strong>Women</strong>’s Head Coach:<br />

Amy Merricks<br />

<strong>Women</strong>’s Assistant Head Coach:<br />

Emily Simpkins<br />

<strong>Women</strong>’s General Manager:<br />

Sarah Westwood<br />

Lead Goalkeeping Coach:<br />

Tony Elliott<br />

Head of Recruitment:<br />

Ed Filmer<br />

Physical Performance Coach:<br />

Lewis Gordon<br />

Analyst:<br />

Antonio Magalhaes<br />

Physiotherapists:<br />

Connor Mahon, Lucie Beech-Pickard<br />

Safeguarding Officer:<br />

Paul Dempsey<br />

Club Secretary: Zoe Jones<br />

CONTRIBUTORS<br />

Words: Samuel Ward, Ignition Sport<br />

Photography: Alex Styles,<br />

Joe Williams, Richard Hammersley<br />

Getty Images and Alamy<br />

Printed by Stephens & George<br />

Produced by<br />

Ignition Sports Media<br />

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com<br />

lee.berry@ignitionsportsmedia.com<br />

CONTENTS<br />

4. AMY MERRICKS<br />

5. CHRISTIE HARRISON-MURRAY<br />

6. INTERVIEW:<br />

AMY MERRICKS<br />

9. AROUND THE GROUNDS<br />

10. MATCH REVIEW<br />

Thank you for your support<br />

2023/24<br />

blues news<br />

SUNDAY 21 APRIL | KICK-OFF 2PM | £2<br />

11. MATCH REVIEW<br />

12. ROLL CALL<br />

13. OPPOSITION:<br />

SHEFFIELD UNITED<br />

15. PLAYER SPONSORS<br />

16. SQUADS<br />

COVER STORY<br />

The cover features words<br />

from the Club’s manifesto.<br />

Thank you to all of the<br />

supporters for all of their<br />

support throughout the<br />

2023/24 season.<br />

Keep Right On!<br />

CONTACT<br />

Address: St. Andrew’s Stadium, Cattell Road, <strong>Birmingham</strong> B9 4RL<br />

Telephone: 0121 772 0101 (Ticket Office, option 2 / Commercial, option 3 / Blues Store, option 4)<br />

Website: BCFC.com<br />

Twitter: @BCFC / @BCFC<strong>Women</strong> / @BCFCAcademy / @BCFCTickets / @BCFCEnquiries @BCFCCommunity<br />

Facebook: <strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong> FC / <strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong> <strong>Women</strong><br />

Instagram: @BCFC / @BCFC<strong>Women</strong> TikTok: @BCFC / @BCFC<strong>Women</strong><br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 3


TOUCHLINE TALK<br />

AMY MERRICKS<br />

Good afternoon, Bluenoses, and welcome<br />

to this afternoon’s Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />

Championship fixture against <strong>Sheffield</strong> <strong>United</strong>.<br />

I cannot overstate how proud I am to be Head<br />

Coach of the Football Club. <strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong> is<br />

steeped in the history of the <strong>Women</strong>’s game and now<br />

is the time to write the next chapter in that story.<br />

You only have to spend a short amount of time at<br />

St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park or The Knighthead<br />

Training and Academy Grounds to see the potential.<br />

The foundations exist and everything is either in<br />

place or being put in place to ensure the Owners’,<br />

Garry Cook and Hope Powell’s ambition becomes a<br />

reality. When an opportunity like this presents itself,<br />

you do not have to think twice about saying yes.<br />

This not only makes it an exciting time for me<br />

but also for the supporters and I want to take this<br />

moment to personally thank them for the warm<br />

welcome I have received since my appointment on<br />

Monday. I am excited for the future and delighted<br />

that you will be coming on this journey with us.<br />

Today’s match comes at a bit of a crossroads,<br />

with it being the team’s final home game of the<br />

campaign and my first one in charge. But I must<br />

make clear, that irrespective of circumstance,<br />

I want to win every time we play. Others may<br />

view these final few weeks of the season as a<br />

bit of a ‘free hit’ or a time to experiment without<br />

consequence, but our performances will determine<br />

how strong a platform we have for next season.<br />

It is certainly not uncommon that you can trace<br />

future successes back to finishing the previous year<br />

strongly and after taking training over recent days,<br />

I have every confidence this can be the case. The<br />

girls have been fully committed to their work and<br />

are showing the levels required. That also applies<br />

to those currently unavailable for selection, their<br />

application to recovering helps to further set the<br />

standards. All the players owe it to themselves<br />

and, as a collective, we owe it to the supporters.<br />

Since joining the second tier, Blues have a 100%<br />

record against <strong>Sheffield</strong> <strong>United</strong>. It is our primary<br />

aim to continue this run and, even better, we want<br />

to do it by entertaining the crowd. Of course, that<br />

is not a given and the opposition will bring their<br />

own ideas and challenges. It is, therefore, up<br />

to us as a group to overcome these and ensure<br />

that we set the agenda. To quote Chairman of<br />

the Board, Tom Wagner: “This is our house.”<br />

Keep Right On,<br />

Amy Merricks<br />

4 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


CAPTAIN’S COLUMN<br />

CHRISTIE HARRISON-MURRAY<br />

Good afternoon, Bluenoses, it is great to welcome you all back<br />

to St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park for our final home game of<br />

the season against <strong>Sheffield</strong> <strong>United</strong> in the Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />

Championship.<br />

I want to start by talking about the news from the start of the week.<br />

It was great to welcome our new Head Coach, Amy Merricks, to<br />

the Club who comes from a good pedigree of Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />

Super League club, Brighton & Hove Albion, and having also<br />

worked with England youth squads. The next two weeks<br />

give us a great opportunity to get a head start with<br />

what she wants to build going into the 2024/25<br />

season. It is very evident from the get-go that<br />

she has a clear vision for the direction of<br />

Blues and aims to drive that with high<br />

standards and expectations of the<br />

group. The first sessions this week have<br />

been really enjoyable and intense.<br />

Last weekend was a disappointing result<br />

against Crystal Palace, but I thought the<br />

team showed plenty of fight for each other,<br />

especially after going down to 10 players. It<br />

was a challenging week in the build-up, but we<br />

prepared well with support from Assistant Head<br />

Coach, Emily Simpkins, and it was good to be back out<br />

there with the team. We welcomed back Jade Pennock,<br />

who has been out for over four months, and you could see<br />

instantly the quality that she possesses, so we are excited<br />

to have her in the group for these final two games.<br />

Our final home game sees us take on the Blades,<br />

who are in inspired form at the moment. Four wins in<br />

a row have them chasing down a top-half finish, and<br />

they will be eager to make sure that this happens in<br />

the final two games. We know the quality that they have<br />

amongst their ranks, and we have done a lot of work<br />

this week to make sure that we are ready for them.<br />

This week I was named PFA Community Champion.<br />

I am happy to have been selected to win the award<br />

because the community is a vital part of this football<br />

club. It is our responsibility as players to ensure that we<br />

are doing the work to help inspire those people.<br />

Just finally, I want to thank all of you Bluenoses for your<br />

support throughout the season both here at home and<br />

also on the road. Results have not always gone our way,<br />

but you have helped us get over the line in some tough<br />

matches. Our attendances have continued to grow, and<br />

we cannot wait to see you all again next season.<br />

Christie<br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 5


INTERVIEW<br />

AMY MERRICKS<br />

It has been another landmark week at <strong>Birmingham</strong><br />

<strong>City</strong>, with the Football Club appointing one of the<br />

nation’s brightest young coaches as they strive<br />

to put their <strong>Women</strong>’s team back in the top flight.<br />

Amy Merricks was installed as Head Coach<br />

on Monday, being handed the remit of finishing<br />

the 2023/24 season strongly and using this<br />

period as the launchpad to fulfil the Owners’ and<br />

Hope Powell’s ambition in the years ahead.<br />

She comes armed with experience in both the<br />

Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s Super League from time spent<br />

at Brighton & Hove Albion, where she worked as a<br />

trusted aid of Blues’ vastly experienced Technical<br />

Director, and is fresh from a successful period<br />

leading some of England’s Young Lionesses.<br />

Now ready for her next challenge at St.<br />

Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, she has spoken<br />

about her aims for the immediate – a Barclays<br />

<strong>Women</strong>’s Championship fixture versus <strong>Sheffield</strong><br />

<strong>United</strong> – and her targets for the future,<br />

detailing how she sets out to achieve them.<br />

Amy, welcome to Blues. How does it feel to be<br />

Head Coach of <strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong> <strong>Women</strong>?<br />

Thank you. I feel incredibly honoured to be the<br />

new Head Coach and I am excited to get started.<br />

What was it about this opportunity that made you<br />

want to join?<br />

I have always recognised <strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong><br />

as a club that has been a pioneer here in the<br />

<strong>Women</strong>’s game in England. I think after having<br />

6 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


conversations with Hope Powell and Garry Cook<br />

about the ambitions moving forwards, it is a unique<br />

opportunity and something I became completely<br />

engrossed in taking forwards and being a part of.<br />

You mention Hope Powell, the <strong>Women</strong>’s Technical<br />

Director. You spent a lot of years working with<br />

her at Brighton & Hove Albion, how excited<br />

are you to be working with her again?<br />

Yes, of course. We developed a really close<br />

relationship over five years working at Brighton.<br />

That will hold us in good stead moving forward.<br />

This is your first permanent head coach position in club<br />

football, did you feel like the timing was right for you?<br />

Yes, absolutely. But I feel like, most importantly, the<br />

project is right, the club is right. It is a really exciting<br />

time to be at <strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong>. I love what the Club<br />

and city is about, and I can’t wait to move it forward.<br />

More recently, you were Head Coach of England Under-<br />

19s, how much did that experience help you to develop?<br />

Of course, it was a great opportunity to work on<br />

the international stage. There is lots of young talent<br />

coming through the England pathway. It was slightly<br />

different to the domestic game, but every opportunity<br />

to be on the grass with talented players is going to<br />

shape what I can do moving forward. I am excited to<br />

bring some of what I learnt there into this great club.<br />

And for our supporters, what can they expect<br />

to see from a team led by Amy Merricks?<br />

I see football as a dynamic game – I want to play<br />

exciting football with purpose. I want to dictate the<br />

game with and without the ball. Most importantly,<br />

you will see a team that is bold, brave, and wants<br />

to embrace the opportunity that we have.<br />

You come in at a time when the season is drawing<br />

toward its conclusion. How do you plan to use the<br />

time in the next two weeks with the group?<br />

It is a great opportunity to get on the grass<br />

with the players and staff, that is where you<br />

learn the most about them as individuals. It<br />

gives us the opportunity to leave the campaign<br />

with a statement of intent moving forwards.<br />

You have met the group, how was it<br />

getting on the grass with them?<br />

We have a talented group of individuals. Now it is<br />

about bringing that together. It is about making sure<br />

we have a clear playing style moving forwards, they<br />

understand exactly what is required of them and<br />

we can really showcase some good football here.<br />

You have been in the opposition dugout at St.<br />

Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park before. How excited<br />

are you to be in the home one moving forward?<br />

I am really excited. I think every time I have been here<br />

as a coach, the fans have been excellent, and we are<br />

going to need them on the journey moving forwards.<br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 7


8 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


around the grounds<br />

A grandstand finish is on the<br />

horizon next weekend to determine<br />

promotion to the Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />

Super League, but neither Crystal<br />

Palace <strong>Women</strong> nor Sunderland<br />

<strong>Women</strong> can afford anything<br />

less than perfection today.<br />

The division’s leading lights<br />

are separated by just two points<br />

with two fixtures remaining and<br />

face off against each other on<br />

the season’s final weekend for an<br />

all-or-nothing finale. To ensure that<br />

permutation is still achievable the<br />

Black Cats, who were 3-0 victors<br />

at relegated Watford <strong>Women</strong><br />

last time out, need to overcome<br />

Charlton Athletic on home soil<br />

this afternoon. The Addicks in<br />

third, and just a point behind the<br />

Wearsiders, will be no pushovers as<br />

they still harbour hopes of elevation<br />

themselves and can mathematically<br />

overtake the top two if they<br />

suffer any final-day jitters.<br />

Sunderland boss Mel Reay has<br />

overseen a remarkable turnaround<br />

at Eppleton. Last season the<br />

red and whites finished second<br />

bottom of the Barclays <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />

Championship but know that two<br />

victories would secure a return to<br />

the top-flight for the first time since<br />

the leagues were restructured.<br />

She told The Northern Echo: “The<br />

moment that you think you might do<br />

it is the moment you lose focus on<br />

the task in hand. It is in our hands.<br />

It’s quite easy to say all we’ve got<br />

to do is win two games, but they’re<br />

different games. They’re not easy<br />

games. We’ll prepare properly.”<br />

Free-scoring leaders Crystal Palace<br />

edged a narrow win over Blues last<br />

Sunday at the VBS Community<br />

Stadium in Sutton to keep their<br />

noses ahead at the summit and will<br />

not want any slip-ups as they travel<br />

to a Lewes side fighting for their<br />

lives. Scott Booth’s strugglers have<br />

lost their last two games but are<br />

only three points behind Reading<br />

with a superior goal difference.<br />

Palace end the campaign<br />

next weekend at Selhurst Park<br />

expecting a record crowd and a<br />

party atmosphere, and Eagles<br />

captain Aimee Everett hopes<br />

that home advantage can play<br />

its part in earning elevation after<br />

six seasons in the second-tier.<br />

She told Palace TV: “Obviously<br />

it was an amazing number of fans<br />

that came out against Watford. We<br />

appreciate every single one of them<br />

that made the journey, and they<br />

helped us in the game - we could hear<br />

them from minute one to minute 90.”<br />

Elsewhere this afternoon Reading<br />

<strong>Women</strong> know a point against<br />

Durham <strong>Women</strong> will confirm their<br />

second-tier status for another<br />

campaign. Wins have been rare<br />

occurrences for both sides of<br />

late. The Royals have gone five<br />

games without recording a victory,<br />

haemorrhaging 18 goals in the<br />

process, while the Wildcats remain<br />

winless in 2024 and have conceded<br />

10 times in their last two outings.<br />

Fourth-place Southampton<br />

<strong>Women</strong>, the only side without a draw,<br />

will rue dropped points at Blackburn<br />

Rovers <strong>Women</strong> which took them out<br />

of the title race last month. However,<br />

the Saints can end their home<br />

campaign - and a progressive season<br />

- on a high with victory over a London<br />

<strong>City</strong> Lionesses side this afternoon<br />

that have been underwhelming this<br />

term having finished third in 2022/23.<br />

THIS WEEKEND’S OTHER<br />

FIXTURES:<br />

Blackburn Rovers <strong>Women</strong> v<br />

Watford <strong>Women</strong> (SAT)<br />

Reading <strong>Women</strong> v Durham <strong>Women</strong><br />

Lewes <strong>Women</strong> v Crystal Palace <strong>Women</strong><br />

Southampton FC <strong>Women</strong> v<br />

London <strong>City</strong> Lionesses<br />

Sunderland <strong>Women</strong> v Charlton Athletic<br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 9


2<br />

blues women<br />

3<br />

under-21s<br />

vs<br />

brighton & HOVE ALBION under-21s<br />

Blues <strong>Women</strong>’s Under-21s were beaten by Brighton<br />

& Hove Albion Under-21s in the PGA League.<br />

<strong>Birmingham</strong> <strong>City</strong> fought back from two goals<br />

down to level the scores at the Knighthead<br />

Training and Academy Grounds, before a late<br />

effort secured the win for the Seagulls.<br />

Strikes from Evie Milner and Olivia Johnson<br />

put them two up, before Jess Hood and Lucy Day<br />

replied for Blues. However, Clarabella Hall put the<br />

visitors back in front to pick up the three points.<br />

Brighton were at it from the off and went<br />

ahead inside the opening minute. Ellianna Martin<br />

intercepted a pass inside the area and teed<br />

up Milner to roll in from the six yard box.<br />

Liam Parkes’ side responded and came close to<br />

a leveller through Hood. Vienna Tokam played a<br />

perfectly weighted pass through to the midfielder,<br />

who saw her effort well saved by Lily Murray.<br />

At the other end, the Seagulls doubled their advantage.<br />

Johnson picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area<br />

and shaped a right footed effort beyond Poppy Irvine.<br />

Soon after, Johnson had another attempt,<br />

but this time the ‘keeper made a brilliant save.<br />

A free kick was played short to the forward,<br />

but her strike was pushed away by Irvine.<br />

Blues got themselves back into the game late<br />

into the half. Millie Pullen was adjudged to have<br />

been fouled inside the area and Tokam stepped up<br />

from the spot. Her penalty was saved by Murray,<br />

but Hood reacted quickest to roll in the rebound.<br />

It did not take long after half-time for the hosts<br />

to level the scores. Hood’s free kick caused a<br />

scramble inside the area before it eventually went<br />

into the path of Day to tap in at the back post.<br />

Despite Blues applying plenty of pressure to the<br />

Brighton back line in the hunt for a winner, it was the<br />

visitors who found it. Hall was played in on goal and,<br />

despite Irvine’s best efforts, her effort crept over the line.<br />

Speaking to BCFC.com post-match, Head<br />

Coach Parkes was proud of his team’s ability<br />

to fightback from two goals down, and the<br />

learning they took from the match.<br />

“I’m proud of the performance. We were 0-2 down<br />

after 17 minutes and the girls dug deep, showed<br />

character and belief and played some really good<br />

football at times. I thought we created the better<br />

opportunities to score, but it wasn’t to be.<br />

“They never give up, never say die attitude and<br />

there is that belief that we can get back into it. It<br />

showed what we are about and our character.”<br />

Blues: Irvine, Robinson, Hall, Day, Thompson (Hicks-<br />

Kenward 60), Hood, Banaras (Ratcliffe 60), Hughes<br />

(Phillips 46), Tokam, Weaver (Murphy 60), Pullen.<br />

10 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


1<br />

crystal palace women<br />

0<br />

vs<br />

blues women<br />

HUGHES (45)<br />

SCORERS<br />

SUNDAY 14 APRIL | BARCLAYS WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP | VBS COMMUNITY STADIUM<br />

9/6<br />

4/0 63/37<br />

63+37+N 100+0+N 40+60+N<br />

SHOTS<br />

SHOTS ON TARGET<br />

POSSESSION<br />

CRYSTAL PALACE: Lambourne, Percival, Everett (captain), Nolan, Gibbons, Potter, Hopcroft (Guyatt 90+2), Blanchard,<br />

Sharpe, Hughes, Atkinson (Dennis 66). Subs not used: Negri, Doran, Reilly, Filbey, Arthur, Larkin, Watson<br />

BLUES WOMEN: Thomas, Herron, Quinn, Lawley, Holloway, Moore, Agg (Harrison-Murray 89), Devlin (Cho 69),<br />

Yuri (Pennock 69), Smith (Pullen 89), Lucy Quinn (Walker 46). Subs not used: Clarke, Dungate, Wilson, Hall.<br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 11


ROLL CALL & LEAGUE TABLE<br />

Roll Call BWC FA CUP CONTI CUP<br />

Lily Agg 16(3)/4 0(2)/0 1(1)/1<br />

Remi Allen 7(3)/1 0(1)/0 1(0)/0<br />

Layla Banaras 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Charlotte Clarke 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 2(0)/0<br />

Delphi Cole 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Abi Cowie 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Charlie Devlin 11(4)/4 1(2)/0 2(0)/0<br />

Katie Dungate 2(9)/0 0(1)/0 2(1)/0<br />

Jamie Finn 9(5)/0 3(0)/0 3(0)/0<br />

Ivana Fuso 9(3)/2 1(1)/1 1(2)/0<br />

Martha Harris 8(3)/1 1(1)/0 1(1)/1<br />

Christie Harrison-Murray 7(12)/0 3(0)/0 3(0)/0<br />

Neve Herron 18(1)/0 2(0)/0 3(0)/0<br />

Rebecca Holloway 5(0)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Abbi Jenner 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 1(2)/0<br />

Gemma Lawley 17(1)/2 3(0)/0 1(0)/0<br />

Ebonie Locke 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Ellie Mason 13(1)/1 2(1)/0 3(0)/0<br />

Riya Mannu 0(1)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Jade Moore 14(3)/2 3(0)/1 0(1)/0<br />

Jade Pennock 6(6)/1 1(0)/0 1(1)/0<br />

Millie Pullen 0(2)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Louise Quinn 11(4)/1 1(1)/0 2(0)/0<br />

league table<br />

P PL W L D GD PTS<br />

1 CRYSTAL PALACE 20 13 4 3 +33 42<br />

2 SUNDERLAND 20 12 4 4 +14 40<br />

3 CHARLTON ATHLETIC 20 11 3 6 +12 39<br />

4 SOUTHAMPTON 20 12 8 0 +14 36<br />

5 BIRMINGHAM CITY 20 10 7 3 +14 33<br />

6 BLACKBURN ROVERS 20 9 8 3 -6 30<br />

7 SHEFFIELD UNITED 20 9 9 2 +4 29<br />

8 LONDON CITY LIONESSES 20 6 10 4 -9 22<br />

9 DURHAM 20 5 10 5 -20 20<br />

10 READING 20 4 9 7 -20 19<br />

11 LEWES 20 4 12 4 -14 16<br />

12 WATFORD 20 3 14 3 -22 12<br />

Lucy Quinn 14(6)/2 2(1)/0 0(3)/0<br />

Libby Smith 13(4)/4 3(0)/2 0(1)/0<br />

Cho So-hyun 6(1)/1 2(0)/0 2(0)/0<br />

Lucy Thomas 20(0)/0 3(0)/0 1(0)/0<br />

Claudia Walker 9(6)/1 1(1)/1 3(0)/0<br />

Siobhan Wilson 0(1)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Louanne Worsey 0(0)/0 0(0)/0 0(0)/0<br />

Choe Yu-ri 4(6)/0 1(2)/1 1(1)/0<br />

remaining fixture<br />

DURHAM V BLUES WOMEN,<br />

SUNDAY 28 APRIL,<br />

MAIDEN CASTLE, KICK-OFF 2PM<br />

12 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


SHEFFIELD UNITED<br />

BLADES A CUT ABOVE<br />

heffield <strong>United</strong> <strong>Women</strong> have been<br />

in razor-sharp form in the Barclays<br />

S<strong>Women</strong>’s Championship throughout<br />

March with four consecutive wins.<br />

Despite defeats on the road at the start of last<br />

month, home victories over bottom-of-the-table<br />

Watford <strong>Women</strong> and against league-leaders Crystal<br />

Palace <strong>Women</strong> eased any lingering relegation<br />

fears. A 5-1 demolition of struggling Reading<br />

<strong>Women</strong> provided a third successive victory at<br />

their Bramall Lane home before the confident<br />

Blades maintained that winning momentum on<br />

the road at London <strong>City</strong> Lionesses last Sunday.<br />

A 1-2 win at Princes Park in the capital, courtesy<br />

of goals from Sophie Barker and Izzy Goodwin,<br />

provided a ninth win of the campaign and lifted the<br />

South Yorkshire side to seventh in the second tier.<br />

Interim Head Coach, Luke Turner, has been getting<br />

the best out of his side in recent weeks and is looking<br />

to end a turbulent campaign on a high by overhauling<br />

Blackburn Rovers <strong>Women</strong> and Blues in the table.<br />

Turner explained to ‘Up the Blades’ on Sunday: “I’m<br />

really proud of the girls as they’ve played two different<br />

halves of football. First-half, we really stuck to the<br />

game plan and created some good chances and<br />

probably should have got another goal or two. Secondhalf,<br />

we knew they’d come out fighting and put us under<br />

pressure. We had to dig in and play a bit of a different<br />

game to see it out. It’s a shame we couldn’t keep<br />

another clean sheet but it is good to get another win.<br />

“You need to be able to do both sides of the game<br />

and it’s good that we’ve been able to show that we<br />

can do that and we’ve shown a lot more grit and<br />

resilience now than maybe we have in the past.<br />

“We’ve got no pressure on us in the remaining<br />

games against <strong>Birmingham</strong> and Blackburn Rovers,<br />

so we can play with a bit of freedom and with real<br />

confidence, but we’ve also got to try and keep going,<br />

keep working and approach the last two games in<br />

the same manner and finish as high as we can.”<br />

The Blades could be without 17-goal leading scorer<br />

Goodwin for today’s trip to the West Midlands after<br />

the former Coventry <strong>United</strong> forward suffered an<br />

ankle injury last time out. Sharpshooter Sophie<br />

Haywood, two-time FA <strong>Women</strong>’s Championship<br />

Golden Boot winner Jess Sigsworth and ex-Blues<br />

forward Ash Hodson provide plenty of threat<br />

in the final third, while teenager Eva Butler and<br />

England youth Chene Muir are emerging talents.<br />

Leading by example in centre-midfield is<br />

experienced captain Sophie Barker, a promotion<br />

winner with Leicester <strong>City</strong> <strong>Women</strong>, while March<br />

Goal of the Month nominee Bex Rayner and<br />

former Manchester <strong>United</strong> youth Ella Kinzett<br />

have been growing influences this season.<br />

At the back, commanding shotstopper Fran<br />

Stenson has impressed in a first campaign away from<br />

Arsenal <strong>Women</strong> and has been shielded by a centreback<br />

partnership of former club Player of the Year<br />

Charlotte Newsham and the influential Molly Graham.<br />

England Under-23s player Tara Bourne had<br />

a loan spell with Blues in 2022/23 and is one to<br />

watch, Charley Docherty is a versatile option and<br />

Rachel Brown has a reputation as a goalscoring<br />

full-back. Down the left, Jodie Hutton was a<br />

promotion winner with Bristol <strong>City</strong> <strong>Women</strong>.<br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 13


14 | BLUES NEWS BIRMINGHAM CITY WOMEN V SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN


BIRMINGHAM CITY<br />

player sponsorship 2023/24<br />

For more information regarding<br />

player shirt sponsorship please<br />

phone 0121 772 0101 (option 3) or<br />

email Commercial@bcfc.com<br />

01 LUCY THOMAS<br />

HOME<br />

The Maggies<br />

Bar and Grill<br />

AWAY<br />

The Maggies<br />

Bar and Grill<br />

02 MARTHA HARRIS<br />

HOME<br />

Harry Watson<br />

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03 ELLIE MASON<br />

HOME AWAY<br />

04 LOUISE QUINN<br />

HOME AWAY<br />

Lindsay and<br />

Sharon Warren<br />

06 GEMMA LAWLEY<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

Harry Watson Redditch Blues<br />

Ellie Yates The Anderson<br />

Family<br />

07 JADE PENNOCK<br />

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08 JAMIE FINN<br />

HOME<br />

Terry Giblin<br />

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Terry Giblin<br />

09 LIBBY SMITH<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

10 CHRISTIE HARRISON-MURRAY<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

11 KATIE DUNGATE<br />

HOME<br />

Lindsay and<br />

Sharon Warren<br />

AWAY<br />

12 LILY AGG<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

Byron Park Properties<br />

13 IVANA FUSO<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

14 SIOBHAN WILSON<br />

HOME<br />

Terry Giblin<br />

AWAY<br />

Terry Giblin<br />

17 LUCY QUINN<br />

HOME<br />

JOBLOGIC<br />

AWAY<br />

Redditch Blues<br />

18 LOUANNE WORSEY<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

20 CHO SO-HYUN<br />

21 CLAUDIA WALKER<br />

23 CHARLIE DEVLIN<br />

HOME AWAY HOME AWAY<br />

HOME AWAY<br />

HOME AWAY<br />

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Jack Cardall<br />

24 JADE MOORE<br />

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the smiths the portmans<br />

26 CHOE YU-RI<br />

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27 ABBI JENNER<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

28 CHARLOTTE CLARKE<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

29 LUCY JONES<br />

30 NEVE HERRON<br />

32 ABI COWIE<br />

HOME AWAY HOME AWAY HOME AWAY<br />

Lindsay and<br />

Sharon Warren<br />

40 DELPHI COLE<br />

42 LAYLA BANARAS<br />

HOME AWAY HOME AWAY<br />

Blues4All Blues4All<br />

BCFC.COM BLUES NEWS | 15


BIRMINGHAM<br />

CITY<br />

HEAD COACH: AMY MERRICKS<br />

GK<br />

LUCY THOMAS 1 ■ ■<br />

MARTHA HARRIS 2 ■ ■<br />

ELLIE MASON 3 ■ ■<br />

LOUISE QUINN 4 ■ ■<br />

GEMMA LAWLEY 6 ■ ■<br />

JADE PENNOCK 7 ■ ■<br />

JAMIE FINN 8 ■ ■<br />

LIBBY SMITH 9 ■ ■<br />

CHRISTIE HARRISON-MURRAY 10 ■ ■<br />

KATIE DUNGATE 11 ■ ■<br />

LILY AGG 12 ■ ■<br />

IVANA FUSO 13 ■ ■<br />

SIOBHAN WILSON 14 ■ ■<br />

REBECCA HOLLOWAY 15 ■ ■<br />

LUCY QUINN 17 ■ ■<br />

CHO SO-HYUN 20 ■ ■<br />

CLAUDIA WALKER 21 ■ ■<br />

CHARLIE DEVLIN 23 ■ ■<br />

JADE MOORE 24 ■ ■<br />

CHOE YU-RI 26 ■ ■<br />

ABBI JENNER 27 ■ ■<br />

GK<br />

CHARLOTTE CLARKE 28 ■ ■<br />

NEVE HERRON 30 ■ ■<br />

LAYLA BANARAS 42 ■ ■<br />

SHEFFIELD<br />

UNITED<br />

INTERIM HEAD COACH: LUKE TURNER<br />

■ ■ 1 FRAN STENSON GK<br />

■ ■ 2 CHARLEY DOCHERTY<br />

■ ■ 3 CHARLOTTE NEWSHAM<br />

■ ■ 4 SOPHIE BARKER<br />

■ ■ 5 MOLLY GRAHAM<br />

■ ■ 6 TARA BOURNE<br />

■ ■ 7 JESS SIGSWORTH<br />

■ ■ 9 BEX RAYNER<br />

■ ■ 10 ISOBEL GOODWIN<br />

■ ■ 11 ASHLEY HODSON<br />

■ ■ 12 JODIE HUTTON<br />

■ ■ 13 OLIVIA PAGE<br />

■ ■ 14 ELLIE MAY<br />

■ ■ 15 TAMARA WILCOX<br />

■ ■ 16 CHENE MUIR<br />

■ ■ 17 SOPHIE HAYWOOD<br />

■ ■ 18 ELLA KINZETT<br />

■ ■ 19 ALANTA BROWN<br />

■ ■ 24 RACHEL BROWN<br />

■ ■ 29 FALLON CONNOLLY-JACKSON<br />

■ ■ 32 JULIET ADEBOWALE-ARIMORO<br />

■ ■ 33 BETHAN DAVIES GK<br />

MATCH OFFICIALS | REFEREE JADE WARDLE | ASSISTANT REFEREES HANNAH GARDNER | MICHAEL BUTCHER | FOURTH OFFICIAL AIMEE KEIR

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