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Arsenal book their place in the Conti Cup final thanks to Stina Blackstenius' extra time goal Back Match Report Conti Cup: Arsenal v Manchester City Arsenal book their place in the Conti Cup final thanks to Stina Blackstenius' extra time goal Arsenal WFC 10 February 2023 By Paul Donegan Arsenal reached the 2023 Conti Cup final with a 1-0 win over holders Manchester City in what was a closely fought game. Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the match during extra time after it had finished 0-0 after 90 minutes at Meadow Park on Wednesday evening. Jonas Eidevall made five changes to the Gunners starting line up from Sunday’s goalless draw at West Ham in the Women’s Super League (WSL). He also changed formation and played three at the back. Gareth Taylor made two changes for Man City from their 2-0 win at Leicester City with Sandy MacIver and Alanna Kennedy coming in for Ellie Roebuck and Steph Houghton. Arsenal had the first chance of the match in the 6th minute but Laura Wienroither’s shot was well saved by MacIver. The visitor’s first attempt came after 12 minutes when Lauren Hemp’s effort from out wide was caught by D’Angelo. Frida Leonhardsen Maanum’s free kick went into the side netting for Arsenal five minutes later. At the other end, Chloe Kelly forced D’Angelo into a good save in the 23rd minute. Man City had a few more chances in the next ten minutes but Filippa Angeldahl, Khadija Shaw and Kelly all put the ball over the bar. Arsenal then had a couple of opportunities of their own but Caitlin Foord shot over and Leah Williamson put an effort wide. The visitors had the final chance of the first half in stoppage time but Hemp blasted the ball over from the edge of the area. In the first minute of the second half, Angeldahl shot straight at the Arsenal keeper. In the 59th minute, Manchester City went close again when Hemp’s cross was deflected just wide. Laia Aleixandri volleyed into the side netting for the visitors after a corner. A few minutes later, Angeldahl and Shaw both saw efforts go over. Arsenal came closest to scoring so far in the 67th minute when Lina Hurtig, who had just come on as a substitute, saw an effort from close-range hit the crossbar before Kim Little’s shot was deflected wide. The visitors were continuing to have more of the chances though with Kerstin Casparij seeing a shot blocked as City put pressure on Arsenal’s defence in the 69th minute. A minute later, Kelly was allowed to run forward and sent a powerful shot into D’Angelo’s hands. Shaw then shot over two minutes later. Steph Catley had an important interception for Arsenal in the 74th minute when she got to a City cross first to put the ball behind after a quick counterattack. Arsenal finished the game well and had chances to win it in the final five minutes. Another second half substitute, Blackstenius, saw her shot saved by MacIver in the 85th minute. Hurtig then headed just wide a minute later. Maanum saw a shot saved as the 90 minute mark approached. Seven minutes of stoppage time were signalled, and four minutes into those MacIver spilled a cross but Alex Greenwood blocked Blackstenius’ effort near enough on the goal line. Blackstenius then saw a header saved before the referee blew the final whistle, and with the score at 0-0 it meant extra time. Three minutes into it, Blackstenius gave Arsenal the lead. Hurtig’s pass found her and she finished from about 8-yards via a slight deflection off City defender Leila Ouahabi. Manchester City did have some opportunities during the remaining 27 minutes of extra time with Deyna Castellanos, Angeldahl and Hayley Raso all seeing efforts saved whilst Hemp also put a shot wide. Maanum had the home sides only other chance but this was easily saved. The win sees the Gunners end City’s 16 game unbeaten run and reach their first Conti Cup final since 2020. Jonas Eidevall said that he switched to a back three to “have the ability to stop City’s crosses and be well positioned inside the area when they do come in” when speaking to the press after the victory. Going into extra-time, he told the team to keep doing the basic well and to “trust the game plan”. He also spoke about Blackstenius playing in a more central position when she came on, that she had four or five really good opportunities and is working really well on that. When speaking to the press afterwards, Gareth Taylor felt City “had played very well in large parts of the game, lacked a bit in the final third, that final bit of quality or their keeper really good saves or we didn’t make most of our number of attempts” . Taylor also said he was proud of the players and performance. Arsenal, who have won the cup five times before, will play Chelsea in the final at Selhurst Park on Sunday 5th March. Before that, the Gunners and City play each other again on Saturday at 12:30pm at the Academy Stadium in Manchester in the WSL. Line ups Arsenal: D’Angelo, Williamson (Beattie 83’), Wubben-Moy (Catley 64’), Rafaelle, Wienroither (Maritz 76’), Little (c), Maanum, McCabe, Pelova (Hurtig 64’), Foord, Khul (Blackstenius 65’) Substitutes: Zinsberger, Marckese, Walti, Agyemang Goal – Blackstenius 93’ Booked – Wubben-Moy 53’, Little 71’, Rafaelle 81’, Maritz 92’, Foord 116’ Manchester City: MacIver, Casparij (Coombs 101’), Kennedy (Houghton 89’), Greenwood (c), Aleixandri (Ouahabi 80’), Hasegawa, Castellanos, Angeldahl (Fowler 113’), Kelly (Raso 90’), Shaw, Hemp Substitutes: Roebuck, Blakstad, Dahou Booked – Kelly 35’, Hemp 90+5 Referee – Abigail Byrne

A huge 4-2 victory for Liverpool means the Reds secure promotion to the Women's Super League! Back Match Report FAWC: Bristol City v Liverpool A huge 4-2 victory for Liverpool means the Reds secure promotion to the Women's Super League! Hana Basir 4 April 2022 By Paul Donegan The top two in the Championship played each other at Ashton Gate on Sunday with Liverpool knowing that if they avoided defeat then they will be crowned champions and with it promotion to the WSL. Liverpool started brightly and Leanne Kiernan had the first chance in the 4th minute when her shot from the edge of the penalty area was easily saved. A Megan Campbell long throw was headed just over by Kiernan in the 8th minute. Liverpool did take the lead in the 13th minute when another long throw from Campbell bounced around in the penalty area before falling to Niamh Fahey who scored from about 6 yards out. Bristol City equalised straight away when Aggie Beever-Jones scored from an angle with the ball looping over the Liverpool goalkeeper and into the net. Liverpool went close to regaining the lead in the 20th minute when Rachel Furness smashed a shot just wide. Campbell then saw her free kick saved. Bristol City had a chance at the other end five minutes later when Beever-Jones saw her low shot saved by the legs of Rachael Laws with Liverpool then being stopped by a good tackle as they broke quickly. Furness had another effort for Liverpool that went over. Liverpool went back ahead in the 39th minute when Jasmine Matthews scored against her former club from inside the area after a free kick had not been cleared. Liverpool saw another opportunity go high and wide in first half injury time as they went into the break ahead. It was Liverpool who had the first efforts in the second half with Furness seeing her shot tipped over by Fran Bentley then they saw another shot go wide. A misplaced pass from Liverpool was picked up by Abi Harrison but Laws rushed out and gathered as Bristol City went looking for an equaliser. It was Liverpool though who scored the next goal when in the 59th minute, a Campbell long throw was flicked on and finished from close range by Katie Stengel to make it 3-1. In the 69th minute, Bristol City got a goal back when Harrison’s shot found the corner of the net from about 12 yards for her 15th league goal of the season. It was 4-2 in the 79th minute when Missy Bo Kearns finished a low cross from Stengel from close range. Liverpool went looking for more goals and in the 86th minute, Carla Humphrey rounded the Bristol City goalie but saw her shot blocked. From the resulting corner Jade Bailey headed over. In injury time, Liverpool saw a shot go over and Bristol City had the final opportunity of the afternoon when a long range effort from Jasmine Bull was tipped over. As the final whistle went, Liverpool started the celebrations on the pitch having secured the title and promotion back to the WSL after two seasons away. All of this in front of a Bristol City and Championship record attendance of 5.752. Teams: Bristol City: Bentley, Cataldo (J. Bull 59’), Layzell, Aspin (Wilde 83’), Murray, Allen (Powell 59’), Davies, Beever-Jones, C.Bull, Morgan, Harrison Unused substitutes: Whitehouse, Kuyken, Jhamat, Collis, Cook, Woolley Goals – Beever-Jones 14’, Harrison 69’ Booked – Wilde Liverpool: Laws, Roberts, Fahey, Matthews, Campbell (Wardlaw 67’), Hinds, Holland (Kearns 73’), Furness (Bailey 84’), Lawley (Humphrey 84’), Stengel, Kiernan (Daniels 67’) Unused substitutes: Clarke, Hodson, Moore, Silcock Goals – Fahey 13’, Matthews 39’, Stengel 59’, Kearns 79’ Referee – Lisa Benn Attendance – 5,752

The Arsenal come from one behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in front of a sell-out crowd at Meadow Park Back Match Report WSL: Arsenal v Manchester City The Arsenal come from one behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in front of a sell-out crowd at Meadow Park Ryan Asman 3 April 2023 By Charlotte Stacey The visitors seized the first advantage, breathing down the necks of the Gunners and pressing intensely early doors. Bunny Shaw’s bullet header earned City the lead within five minutes of kick-off following a passage of rather lovely build-up play between Lauren Hemp, Laura Coombs and Chloe Kelly. Shaw had another opportunity open up a few minutes later and, although the chances were not falling thick and fast, the scales were tipping in City’s favour throughout the first half. The makers of City’s midfield, Yui Hasegawa, Laura Coombs and Filipa Angeldahl, held control in the middle third, as well as offering a higher quality on the ball and in their passing. Arsenal found Hasegawa in particular difficult to deal with throughout. But with the addition of fullbacks Esme Morgan and Laia Aleixandri cutting inside, the visitors were able to overload Arsenal in the midfield whilst leaving Hemp and Kelly high and wide. Yet, as is becoming something of a theme, Jonas Eidevall’s gameplan began to take shape and the Arsenal began to get more of a foothold towards the end of the half. When they concede, the Gunners are not impulsively reactive. Rather than dropping their heads or panicking, they allow themselves to settle which is definitive of a collective culture developing. There was concern for Arsenal as Caitlin Foord was replaced by Laura Wienroither 35 minutes into the first half after suffering a knock. The Gunners will have everything crossed that nothing substantial is afoot after captain Kim Little became the latest name on their growing injury list last week. City had their chances in the second half and will be disappointed not to have netted at least one of them with the space Arsenal repeatedly gifted at the far post. Eidevall’s side dodged a bullet more than once in leaving Hemp unmarked when City’s whipping crosses came in and it is an area they will need to tighten up on. Frida Leonhardsen Maanum managed to poke the ball though the mountain of bodies in the area to score the equaliser just after the hour mark. Arguably City still had greater control of the ball up to this point, yet this served as somewhat of a catalyst for Arsenal to take the upper hand. Eidevall’s decision to shift his formation just minutes later further contributed to this mentality. Centre-back Jen Beattie was brought on and the Arsenal switched to a back three. This was clever for two reasons. One - to add another body into midfield and neutralise City’s overload, and two - to have a single central figure to occupy Bunny Shaw. Shaw is quite simply an exceptional striker. She has the movement, she has the finish, but what makes her truly brilliant is her intelligence and hold-up play. As she has done all season, Shaw had repeatedly dropped deep, earned possession and held-up the ball to allow teammates to flood forward. By introducing Beattie, Shaw was more closely pressed, limiting her allocation to retrieve the ball. Katie McCabe then went on to seal the deal for the Gunners with a rocket of a shot that defied numerous bodies, as well as Ellie Roebuck, to thump the back of the net. In a move that has clearly been rehearsed, McCabe received the short corner, nudged it into enough space to create an opening and unleashed a beauty that sent Meadow Park into orbit. City couldn’t bag themselves an equaliser and Arsenal ultimately earned the precious three points. Neither side outplayed the other, yet the Arsenal recognised and adjusted to the themes of the game more quickly and more sufficiently than their visitors. City, along with their uncharacteristically poor finishing, perhaps left it a little too late to respond to Arsenal’s tactical changes and fell just short of the mark. Line-ups Arsenal (4-2-3-1): D’Angelo (GK), Raffaele, Wubben-Moy, McCabe, Maritz (67’), Williamson (C), Leonhardsen Maanum, Wälti, Foord (35’), Pelova (67’), Blackstenius (67’) Substitutes: Zinsberger (GK), Marckese (GK), Beattie (67’), Gio, Kühl (67’), Wienroither (35’), Taylor (67’), Reid Goals – Leonhardsen Maanum 61’, McCabe 74’ Yellow – McCabe, Wälti Manchester City (4-3-3): Roebuck (GK), Aleiandri (81’), Greenwood, Houghton (C), Morgan, Coombs (81’), Angeldahl (87’), Hasegawa Kelly (79’), Hemp, Shaw Substitutes: MacIver (GK), Casparij (81’), Fowler (87’), Castellanos (81’), Raso (79’), Ouahabi, Dahou Goals – Shaw 4’ Attendance - 3, 982 Referee – Abigail Byrne

Tottenham manager Vilahamn addresses professional relationships as well as looking ahead to this weekend's match against Leicester City Back "It’s totally unacceptable to be in a relationship with a player" says Spurs boss Robert Vilahamn Tottenham manager Vilahamn addresses professional relationships as well as looking ahead to this weekend's match against Leicester City Getty 14 March 2024 By Finley Chung Spurs boss Robert Vilahamn spoke to the media ahead of his sides clash with Leicester City on Sunday. The Swede spoke about the issue of player and coach relationships, the rise of Spurs Women, loanees Amanda Nilden and Grace Clinton, Amy James-Turner and the challenge of Leicester. Firstly, Vilahamn, like 99% of Women’s Super League coaches this weekend, was pitted the question surrounding player coach relationships, which has become a lot more prevalent after Willie Kirk was suspended by Leicester City pending an investigation into a relationship with a player. “I think it’s completely unacceptable, me as a coach is in a power position with the players and the staff. I think it’s totally unacceptable to be in a relationship with a player, it’s not even a question that should be raised here, it’s crazy. For me, it’s not professional and it should not be like that.” The rise of Spurs Women has been nothing short of meteoric over the last eight or so years, from a quadruple winning and promotion season in 2016/17, to winning the Championship two years later and competing in the Women’s Super League, Spurs have enjoyed a stunning rise to competing with the top teams. The latest chapter in the clubs history saw Spurs beat Manchester City on penalties last weekend to reach the FA Cup Semi Final’s for the very first time in their history, meaning they are just one game from Wembley and an FA Cup final, with a semi final date with Saturday’s opponents, Leicester. “I think this is why I joined this club, to be able to be competing with titles and the top teams. The fact that we are already close to Wembley shows that we are doing the right thing.” The hero from the penalty shootout, Amy James-Turner has had to bide her time to be in the Spurs side this season. The day Robert Vilahamn arrived at Hotspur Way, James-Turner had an injury which ruled her out for a while, which allowed Swiss International, Luana Buhler to play herself into a formidable partnership with Molly Bartrip. James-Turner has had to bide her time as mentioned. But after coming in due to an injury to Buhler in the historic North London Derby win, she has been pretty much an ever present in the Spurs backline since. “I am full of admiration for her. She is good in the one on one’s, good in the duels and had a supreme amount of confidence in the penalty shootout. I was so impressed with her. “I actually had a meeting with her today about how she has been for me as a coach and she has been fantastic, she is a role model and the role model I want for my players, she’s fantastic.” The semi final pits Spurs against Leicester, with the game this Sunday just a month before the showpiece FA Cup occasion. This often happens across all levels of football, leading to one of the clashes at least, being labelled as a ‘dress rehearsal’, but Vilahamn, was coy on that regard. “What I want to do, is put full intention on this game first. We have the challenge of Leicester in the league first and the FA Cup in the future. You could see it as competition for the big game and you could practice something for the big one, but on the other hand, we have a big competition in the Women’s Super League because they could go above us in the table. For me we have to have 100% focus in going into the game on Sunday.” Two of Spurs’ brightest sparks this season have been players they acquired on loan moves. Grace Clinton from Manchester United and Amanda Nilden from Juventus. The former has arguably been Tottenham’s poster girl and star turn this season, while the latter has been pretty much ever present in the side since joining from Juventus. There is a lot more uncertainty in the waters surrounding the post loan future of Grace Clinton, with seemingly the question being asked every week if Spurs are going to break the bank to sign the Liverpudlian. “I’m very much someone who wants to work with players who are here right now, so even if she is on a loan, I am not going to bench her because I might not have her next season. We want to continue to develop her and develop us. Last game we moved her into a 10 and she was exceptional, so I am just enjoying working with her.” Contrast this with Amanda Nilden, who has starred on the left hand side of Spurs’ defence since joining from Juventus, has a certain air of inevitability of where she will end up playing next season. “It’s funny because I had a left back at Hacken, who kept not getting picked over her (Nilden) for the international team, so I signed her here instead! “I love working with Amanda, she’s very good on the ball and she’s very good in many scenarios, she gives us a left foot in the build up which we never had before and you see her attitude in the penalty shootout, it’s a cool girl who can do that, I love to work with players that have that coolness, that passion that she has. “There’s a plan for her to stay next season too, we didn’t go for a loan player in the winter window without having a smart plan of how we can execute them staying. I am quite sure she is going to stay next season.” News

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall reacts to 0-0 draw against West Ham United Back Eidevall insists there is no issues with goal scoring at Arsenal Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall reacts to 0-0 draw against West Ham United Getty 7 February 2023 By Paul Donegan Arsenal’s head coach Jonas Eidevall spoke to the media after their 0-0 draw away at West Ham United on Sunday. Here is what he had to say. A lot of the challenges of the first half of the season were around building a new defensive structure and now the challenge of the second half is to build those relationships in attack? Jonas Eidevall answered by saying, “you might be right with that with players coming in and of course it is about building relationships, but when I see the game and I see the chances that we created, we created a lot of chances today and we don’t finish them well enough to force their goalkeeper to make any really good saves, could have had more finishes on target, but the structure when we attack, we are working on it, but it actually pays off a lot of time today but we don’t get the end product and that is frustrating but it is not due to a lack of goalscoring opportunities because there are plenty, and especially in the second half, more pleasing for me because there we are not giving them anything either, in the first half there still being able to hit us a little bit on the counterattack but in the second half nothing, but we have a structure where we control it”. Frida Maanum attacked the right half space in the first half then moved back to the left half space in the second half, what were the reasons for this? Eidevall wouldn’t give much away about tactics incase they have to play West Ham again this season and said the change in the second half was more due to how the game panned out. Are you worried about the confidence of the attack and is this an issue having not scored from open play against Chelsea and not scoring today? The Arsenal head coach didn’t think it was an issue with the quality that they have, “I don’t think there is any reason, like today we need to do better with our goalscoring opportunities. It is small details” Eidevall continued and that he was open and transparent that they needed another forward in the transfer window (especially with a hectic Spring coming up), but also that he believes in the players they have and there is a lot of quality there. Eidevall also said that all the forward options were ready to play today so there are plenty of options and no need for any excuses. What do you think is the biggest thing stopping the side putting away those opportunities at the moment? Eidevall responded by saying they scored nine goals against Leeds United and three against Aston Villa and he can’t see a pattern. He added the sample size is too small to draw conclusions from one game. “If it had been a trend I had been seeing then I would be really worried about it but to be honest we played West Ham, Leeds, Villa, Chelsea and Zurich, how many goals have we scored in those games? I think it is 22 in five games with these forwards available so I am not going to say there is a problem scoring goals when we scored 22 goals in the last five games” What do you think the biggest difference was in the two recent league games (West Ham and Chelsea) and not being able to score when creating a lot of chances (21 shots against West Ham)? “It is football, of course we want to score in every opportunity that we have, we don’t have robots, it is a human element, it is small details if you put a goalscoring opportunity away or not and my belief in these players doesn’t change because we didn’t score a goal today” Eidevall said. He carried on to say that they were disappointed with the result but not with the performance. He finished by saying “that if they get the same opportunities next game, they put it away, I am 100% confident of it”. With the competitiveness of the WSL this season, a result like this isn’t going to determine if you win the league of not? Eidevall said he was more worried about the use by date on his milk in the fridge than what is happening in the other games. He continued by saying it is a competitive league but it was a dominant display by Arsenal and that West Ham would be happy with the point. “If you play this game 100 times with these goal scoring opportunities, there will be a lot of Arsenal wins." News

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Katie Robinson Brighton’s Katie Robinson is a relatively new name on the senior roster, having made her first appearance for England in November of last year. Robinson’s form at Brighton has gone from strength to strength and she has served as a light in a dark spiral amidst their poor performances this season. Robinson is capable in assisting others, as well as being a goal scorer herself. The twenty-year-old likes to put pressure on defenders and is direct in her approach. She is also an ever-testing threat to goalkeepers and usually does well with her targeted efforts. With her desire to ‘make things happen’ Robinson is able play a key part in transitioning build-up play into substantial attacks. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Back Steph Houghton Club Manchester City Position Defender D.O.B 23/04/1988 Bio Houghton has been a staple in the Lionesses defensive structure for a number of years and still has plenty to offer. The centre back has shown off her stout commitment to keeping a clean sheet this season with her timely challenges and goal line clearances. Houghton is also an indirect free kick specialist and can pot the ball from the most incomprehensible angles. With ample international experience, Houghton’s leadership and calming presence should not be underestimated in a tournament of such prestige. Girls on the Ball B2

More transfer news from the Women's Championship Back Women's Championship Round Up More transfer news from the Women's Championship London City Lionesses 5 August 2024 By Paul Donegan London City Lionesses have announced the signing of China international Shen Mengyu. The 22-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the Pride after leaving Celtic during the summer where she won the Scottish Women’s Premier League last season. The midfielder made her international debut during the 2023 World Cup. Speaking after joining London City, Shen said, “I can feel everyone’s ambition, we all have a clear goal, which is to win promotion to the WSL. I’m very proud to play for a team with this kind of ambition and believe that we will surprise everyone, with the support of Michele (Kang) and Jocelyn (Precheur).” Serbia international Miljana Ivanovic has joined London City Lionesses for an undisclosed fee from Norwegian side LSK Kvinner. The forward has signed a four-year contract with the Pride. 24-year-old Ivanovic has been capped 19 times by Serbia and scored six goals. Explaining her reasons for joining London City, she commented, “I was really interested in the whole programme. I felt that the club had a lot of belief in me and they wanted me to be part of the project. With Michele (Kang) doing everything she can to support us, it was a no-brainer for me to join this team and try to help us reach the Super League. Charlton Athletic have announced that Ellie Brazil has signed a one-year contract with the club. The 25-year-old spent the last two years with Tottenham Hotspur having previously played for Brighton & Hove Albion for four years. The forward explained her reasons for joining the Addicks saying, “It’s really exciting, it a really great time to be at the club. I think off the back of how close they were last year to promotion I think that our ambitions align with what we want from the season, I’m grateful to be here.” Blackburn Rovers FC Blackburn Rovers have confirmed that midfielder Jemima Dahou has joined the club permanently after leaving Manchester City. Dahou spent last season at Rovers on a dual-registration deal with the 18-year-old making 13 appearances and scoring one goal. Sophie Haywood has joined Newcastle United after her contract with Sheffield United expired. The striker was part of the Aston Villa side that won the Championship in 2020 before joining the Blades in 2022. 28-year-old Haywood remarked, “I’m really proud to be part of this great club. The ambition and support around the team is clear to see and I’m excited to get started.” Bristol City Women Bristol City have signed Harley Bennett from Watford. Bennett has signed a one-year deal, with the option of a further year. The 34-year-old defender signed for the Hornets in 2023 after spending four years with London City Lionesses. After joining the Robins, Bennett commented, “I’m delighted to be here. The club have huge ambitions and want to go straight back up, so I’m excited to be part of it. To get such great crowds like the club have been doing is amazing too, and I can’t wait to meet the fans.” Jessie Stapleton has joined Sunderland on a season-long loan from West Ham United. The defender joined the Hammers in 2023 from Shelbourne and spent the second half of last season on loan at Reading where she made 11 appearances and scored one goal. The 19-year-old has represented the Republic of Ireland at senior level, making her debut in 2022. Stapleton said after joining for the season, “I’m delighted and I just can’t wait to get going now. I’ve only been here a couple of days so far but I’m delighted to just be here, properly settle in a hit the ground running.” Birmingham City have announced that Ashanti Akpan has joined on loan from Chelsea for the season. The 18-year-old made her first team debut in 2023 and has represented England at youth levels. Akpan said, “It feels great to be here. This is going to be a really good experience for me and I’m just excited that it is here where I’m starting this next part of my journey” after joining the Blues. Georgia Walters and Emma Taylor have both signed one-year contract extensions with Blackburn Rovers. Sheffield United have confirmed that Bethan Davies, Molly Graham and Ella Kinzett have all signed new contracts with the Blades. Bristol City have announced that Megan Connolly has left the club following the conclusion of her contract. Ash Hodson has confirmed she has retired from playing football at the end of the 2023/24 season. Hodson made over 100 appearances for Liverpool as well as winning the WSL and Championship titles there. She spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Birmingham City before joining Sheffield United last summer where she featured in all of their league games during her sole campaign with them. Sheffield United forward Jess Sigsworth has announced she has retired from playing football. Sigsworth won the second-tier title with both Doncaster Rovers Belles and Manchester United as well as the Golden Boot in both championship winning seasons. The forward also played for Notts County and Leicester City. News

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Lauren Hemp Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp is the Lionesses’ ‘not so secret’ weapon. The left sided winger is unfathomably quick and uses her pace to propel England’s transitional play. Hemp is an absolute headache of a forward for defenders, relentlessly darting through oppositions and shattering lines with ease. Whether an opponent or a viewer, you simply cannot switch off when Hemp is on the ball. Hemp is charismatic, bold, at times audacious, and due to this magnetism, she is often sought out by the Lionesses’ deep ball playing contingent as their initiating attacker. She is also a fine crosser of the ball which suits England’s typical 4-3-3 system down to the ground. Hemp is still only in the beginnings of her career, yet she already approaches matches with a confidence that will only lead to extraordinary things. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Marc Skinner calls for "investment in officials" after United are denied two penalty shouts Back United boss Skinner laments ‘massive decisions’ as the Red Devils face defeat at Kingsmeadow Marc Skinner calls for "investment in officials" after United are denied two penalty shouts Getty 12 March 2023 By Finley Chung Manchester United boss, Marc Skinner lamented the referees performance as he felt “two stonewall penalties” were not given to his side in the crucial clash at Kingsmeadow on Sunday. Sam Kerr’s 22nd minute strike was enough to separate the sides, but it could’ve been oh so different on another day. Kadeisha Buchanan’s challenge on Nikita Parris, and Jess Carter’s on Ona Battle, were both deemed fair challenges by referee Cheryl Foster but it’s fair to say that Skinner didn’t see eye to eye with the officials. “They’re big decisions in big games, we’ve come here, had 62% possession, forced Chelsea into playing counter attack and we’ve had two penalties not given, that’s the reality. I’m hopeful that we see things balance out”. As a result of the decisions, Skinner calls for “investment in the officials and the technology that can help. You see the same challenges not given in the box, that are given in the middle of the park, so something isn’t connecting here.” Chelsea’s goal came about after a stunning long ball from Lauren James found Sam Kerr in behind the back line of United before the Australian striker dinked it over Mary Earps for the eventual winner. “It’s a switch off moment for us, Sam Kerr is really good at getting in behind the back line, we’ve spoken about it all week, one long ball should be able to be dealt with, but we have to learn from it.” The United gaffer said that "|the girls will be fuming (with the decisions), but we need to be sharper in their box” , with United having not forced Chelsea keeper Ann Katrin-Berger into any real save in the ninety minutes. “If we play that game again we don’t lose it”, commented the United boss. On the performances of Leah Galton and Ella Toone, who weren’t at their best for the Red Devils, Skinner admitted, “we tried to get Leah into the game in the first half, there were moments we need to be braver between the lines to play the ball. Tooney gets into some great positions but we didn’t play her. We could’ve invaded Chelsea’s backline a lot quicker, but Chelsea sat in a block, so it’s very difficult to play around or in behind them”. Marc Skinner and Man United will have to dust themselves off and go again quickly, with their next game an FA Cup Quarter Final, against Championship side Lewes, where Skinner’s side will no doubt look to avoid a cup upset. News

Chelsea goalkeeper Carly Telford departs Chelsea and joins San Diego Wave Back Carly Telford’s time with Chelsea comes to an end Chelsea goalkeeper Carly Telford departs Chelsea and joins San Diego Wave via Goal 24 January 2022 By Charlotte Stacey The England international has been with the Blues for five years in her second stint with the club. Telford first signed for Chelsea in 2011 before joining Notts County in 2014. She then returned to London in 2017, racking up a total of 76 appearances overall. During her time with Chelsea, Telford has been crowned a champion of England four times, won both the FA Cup and Continental Cup twice, as well as securing the Community Shield once. Telford has been an essential figure within the Chelsea camp both on and off the pitch and has enjoyed noteworthy spells between the sticks. This was perhaps most apparent during her stellar season of 2018-19, in which she earned 10 clean sheets in 14 appearances. Although Telford’s role with the Blues has somewhat changed in recent times, with her taking up a part-time coaching as part of her contract, supporting Chelsea’s under-16 and under-18’s, her bounty of experience and irreplaceable presence has remained an integral feature of the senior side. During this period, Chelsea have gone on to reach the final of the Champions League for the first time and obtain the domestic quadruple. Internationally, Telford has been called up numerous times for the national side and has made 27 appearances for her country. Telford’s performances on the world stage have been no less impressive than those domestically. After patiently plugging away waiting to stamp her mark in a major competition, Telford confidently stepped up in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup and asserted a standout performance at the 2020 SheBelieves tournament in the States. Most recently, Telford was a part of the Team GB squad that competed in the Olympic games last year. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes commented, “Carly has been a fantastic servant to the club across two different spells. A big character in the dressing room and a hugely valued member of our squad.” “We didn’t want to lose her, but we could not hold her back from taking this fantastic opportunity in the States. We wish Carly well in this next chapter of her career and she knows she’ll always be welcome back here any time.” Telford will now link up with former England teammate and ex-Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, joining Stoney’s new club, NWSL side San Diego Wave. News

Back Sandy MacIver (Reserve) Club Everton Position Goalkeeper D.O.B 18/06/1998 Bio With a significant amount of game time behind her this season, MacIver is a keeper that should be carefully considered. MacIver presents a favourable outright shot stopping rate and a distributive passing ability that reflects her skill in being as well versed with her feet as she is with her hands. The Everton keeper presents a confident solidarity at the back and is a suitable addition to the squad. via Sandy MacIver Twitter E1