Sam Kerr’s solo effort earns Chelsea their third consecutive FA Cup win as the Red Devils fall short in front of record-breaking crowd Back Match Report FA Cup Final 2023: Chelsea v Manchester United Sam Kerr’s solo effort earns Chelsea their third consecutive FA Cup win as the Red Devils fall short in front of record-breaking crowd Chelsea FCW 14 May 2023 By Charlotte Stacey It took the Manchester United “rebels” just 23 seconds to hit the back of the net, but as the already bubbling volcano of red erupted behind Mary Earps’ goal, Leah Galton’s effort was chalked offside. An impressive start for Marc Skinner’s side in their first ever major final and a warning for Chelsea as the Red Devils took the opening minutes of the first half by the horns, showing little fear of the occasion and even less of the reigning champions. Certainly, it was United who had the better of the ball in the first forty-five minutes, as well as the better chances. Millie Turner’s bobbling poke almost found its way over the line half an hour in but the outstretched hand of Ann-Katrin Berger was just enough to keep the score even. Minutes later, Galton found herself with a clear-cut chance at her feet as Alessia Russo’s cross whipped along the wrong side of Maren Mjelde, yet the winger - who one would’ve bet their house on scoring the sitter - thumped it wide. United had the tenacity, the drive and the desire, but that clinical touch was lacking. On another day, against another team, these half-hearted efforts have just been enough to eventually open the door, but not in an FA Cup final and not against Chelsea. The Blues were lacklustre in the first half. In fact, so flat was the first half by both Chelsea and United’s standards that the crowd broke out the Mexican waves (yes, plural) before the clock hit thirty. Chelsea found themselves restricted to the middle third much more so than they would have liked and offered minimal threat upfront. Emma Hayes however always has a trick or two up her sleeve, along with a bench to make the eyes of oppositions tear up, and it wouldn’t be long before the Chelsea boss pulled rank. Midfielder Jessie Fleming hadn’t quite brought the creativity or the service needed to draw the best of Sam Kerr, and wingers Lauren James and Guro Reiten had been kept quiet enough that - bar one headed effort from James – Earps had not been troubled much at all. Enter Pernille Harder. Enough was enough. Hayes made her first substitutions and the moment Fleming was replaced by Harder the tide turned. Within ten minutes of the Dane coming on Chelsea’s momentum had galvanised tenfold and the Blues had taken the lead. With the same move that had caught United out just moments before, Harder thundered past Hannah Blundell and Millie Turner and crossed the ball to an onrushing Kerr, who beat Maya Le Tissier in the footrace and slotted the ball past Earps. It was a tall order for United to recover from the Chelsea beast that had finally awoken, but the Reds did well to minimise the damage and hold down a one-goal deficit. Marc Skinner’s side showed up and played the big game, and should take immense pride in the show they put on for their incredibly vocal supporters. Chelsea, on the other hand, are inevitable. The quality the Blues exude on the pitch, as well as the quality that sits patiently on the bench, provoked gently until it was time to bite. Cued by Emma Hayes, captains Magdalena Eriksson and Millie Bright lifted the silverware to the delight of the thousands in Blue and Chelsea were Champions once again. Line-ups Chelsea : Berger (GK), Perisset, Mjelde, Eriksson (C), Charles (72’), Leupolz (57’), Cuthbert, Fleming (57’), James (87’), Reiten, Kerr Substitutes: Musovic (GK), Ingle (57’), Carter (72’, Svitkova, Rytting Kaneryd, Harder (57’), Buchanan (87’), Abdullina, Cankovic Goals: Kerr 68’ Booked: Charles , James, Manchester United: Earps (GK), Batlle, Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell (76’), Zelem (C), Ladd (90’), Toone (76’), Galton, Parris (60’), Russo Substitutes: Baggaley (GK), Mannion (76’), Boe Risa, Thomas (90’), Riviere, Naalsund, Garcia (76’), Williams (60’), Cascarino Booked: Williams Officials : Emily Heaslip, Georgia Ball, Chloe-Ann Small, Abigail Byrne Attendance : 77, 390

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Jordan Nobbs Arguably one of England’s most naturally gifted footballers, Jordan Nobbs’ international career has unfortunately been plagued by injury meaning she has missed out on some of their pivotal moments. Having been with the Arsenal for 12 years, Nobbs took the decision to move to Aston Villa in January and has enjoyed an illustrious run of form since. Nobbs is a direct player. She enjoys injecting intensity into play, both defensively and offensively, and a notable shift in pressing is always sensed when Nobbs is on the pitch. Typically, Nobbs is deployed higher up the field as her ability to find space, thread passes and unlock her venomous strike make her an ever-present attacking threat. However, Nobbs is also well played as a no.8. with the acumen to link play and provide balance box-to-box. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Re-cap all of the latest news from the Women's Championship Back Women's Championship News: Round-Up Re-cap all of the latest news from the Women's Championship Newcastle United FC Women 6 July 2024 By Paul Donegan Shania Hayles has become Newcastle United’s first signing of the summer, joining from Bristol City for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old forward has won the Championship title with both the Robins in 2023 and Aston Villa in 2020 and has also played for Birmingham City. Hayles has won 3 caps for Jamaica. Sunderland have confirmed that goalkeeper Claudia Moan has left the club after her contract expired. Moan won the Championship Player of the Season and Golden Glove awards at the end of the 2023/24 season after she kept 10 clean sheets in 22 league games and helped the club to finish in a very impressive third place. Birmingham City have signed Northern Ireland international defender Rebecca McKenna on a two-year contract. McKenna played for Charlton Athletic last season in the Championship where she made 25 appearances in all competitions and featured in all their league games. The 23-year-old had previously spent two seasons at Lewes in the second tier as well as playing for Glentoran and Linfield in Northern Ireland. She has been capped 43 times by her country and made two appearances at Euro 2022. Goalkeeper Demi Lambourne has joined Sunderland after signing a two-year contract with the club. The 28-year-old recently left Leicester City, who she helped win the Championship in 2021. She spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace where she kept 7 clean sheets in 15 league games as the Eagles won the second tier title and promotion to the WSL. Tegan McGowan has signed two-year contract with Birmingham City. The 20-year-old forward recently left Charlton Athletic where she spent two seasons and made 25 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals. McGowan came through the Chelsea academy before joining the Addicks when she was 18. An ACL injury ruled her out for nearly a year before returning in October 2023 and she scored a brace for Charlton in her final match for them against Southampton. McGowan has represented Wales internationally at youth levels. 22-year-old striker Eleanor Dale has signed for Sunderland. Dale had been at WSL side Everton during the second half of the 2023/24 season joining them from US College team Nebraska Huskers where she broke their goalscoring record with 28 goals. Photo: Simon Lapwood Lucy Fitzgerald has signed a new one-year contract with London City Lionesses which will keep her with the club for a record-setting sixth season. The 23-year-old was a member of the Pride’s inaugural squad and has made 102 appearances in all competitions in the last five seasons. Fitzgerald has played as a full-back, wing-back, winger and central midfielder during her time with them and has represented England as a youth international. Her new contract includes the option of a further season with the Pride. Goalkeeper Anna King has signed her first professional contract with Durham. The 22-year-old joined the club at 14 and has represented their Professional Game Academy under-21 side over the last two seasons. King has gained experience of senior football with Durham Cestria in the FA Women’s National League. She has signed a long-term contract with the Wildcats and will wear the number 13 shirt in the 2024/25 season. 19-year-old Emily Pitman has signed a one-year professional contract with Portsmouth. The forward joined from Arsenal in 2023 and scored 7 goals in 29 appearances during her first season with Pompey as they got promoted to the Championship. Durham have announced that Grace Ayre, Olivia Bramley, Dee Bradley, Lily Crosthwaite, Beth Hepple, Eleanor Ryan-Doyle and Ella Wilson have all been retained by the club for the 2024/25 season whilst Becky Salicki, Sarah Wilson, Sarah Robson, Tatiana Saunders and Abby Holmes have all signed new contracts with the Wildcats. News

Travel brand unveils ‘The Ellen White Cliffs of Dover’ ahead of UEFA Women’s Euros 2022 Euro's Information and News The Ellen White Cliffs of Dover Snaptrip 5 July 2022 Travel brand Snaptrip has projected an enormous 200ft (60m) tall image of England forward Ellen White onto The White Cliffs of Dover ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euros 2022. Rebranding the iconic landmark The Ellen White Cliffs of Dover for the night, England women’s leading goalscorer was seen defiantly staring France and the rest of the continent down ahead of the tournament. On a clear evening, the White Cliffs are visible from the French coastline. Snaptrip is also encouraging members of the public to sign its petition cheekily asking authorities to rename Kent’s most famous tourist destination The Ellen White Cliffs of Dover for the duration of the tournament. Photograph: Snaptrip White, who received her first senior England cap in 2010, is the Lionesses’ leading goalscorer, having netted 50 goals in just 107 international appearances. In her domestic career, she is one of England’s most decorated footballers, lifting 10 trophies in the past twelve years. The Lionesses kick off their Euro 2022 against Austria at the Theatre of Dreams: Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. Sarina Wiegman’s side are second favourites to win this summer's prestigious silverware. Snaptrip Group, the group behind the likes of LateRooms and Last Minute Cottages , has 60,000 holiday cottages, lodges & apartments across the UK, meaning fans up and down the country will have no problem securing a stay close to one of nine host cities for this summer's competition. Matthew Fox, CEO of Snaptrip Group said: “When Great Britain won gold at the Olympics, we painted post boxes. During the men's World Cup in 2021, we woke up to the news that Southgate Street in Gloucester had been renamed ‘Gareth Southgate Street’, and we wanted to add a little of that magic ahead of the Women’s Euros. With this summer's tournament taking place in England it seemed only right to celebrate one of the best footballers the country has to offer, at one of the UK’s most iconic landmarks. “The petition started out as a bit of fun, but it would be fantastic to see such a famous landmark embrace a temporary new identity in support of the national women’s team. I know all of us at Snaptrip are looking forward to cheering on the Lionesses; fingers crossed we’re all planning a trip to the open top bus parade in a few weeks time!” Sign the petition to rename the White Cliffs of Dover in honour of Ellen White for the Euro's here . The Lionesses kick off the Euro's against Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday 6th July at 8pm.

Full season review of every team in the Women's Super League Barclays WSL: 2023/24 Season Review Saturday, 25 May 2024 By Paul Donegan Full season review of every team in the Women's Super League Ryan Asman The 2023/24 Women’s Super League season is over, and Chelsea claimed their 5th successive title in one of the closest finishes in years. The Blues lifted the trophy after finishing level on points with Manchester City but with a better goal difference. Winning it again seems a fitting way for Emma Hayes, the most successful manager in WSL history, to sign off her time at the club. Plenty else happened throughout the league so here is our look back at the 2023/24 WSL season. 1st Chelsea In November after their 6-0 win at Aston Villa, it was announced that Emma Hayes would be leaving the club in the summer after 12 years to take up the US women’s national team head coach position. After they had lost to Liverpool in May, it looked like their title chances might have gone but they won their last 3 games, scoring 15 and conceding 0 in those, and with a bit of thanks to Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius, they won their fifth championship in a row. The chances of winning the quadruple went when they lost to Arsenal in the Conti Cup final and they were also defeated in the FA Cup and UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals. The Blues scored 71 goals, a record amount in a WSL season, despite missing Sam Kerr, Mia Fishel, Catarina Macario and other attackers for spells, whilst defender and captain Millie Bright was also out injured for 5 months. Lauren James, who was voted PFA WSL Fans Player of the Year, and Aggie Beever-Jones stepped up to the mark though scoring 24 goals between them in the league whilst January signing Mayra Ramirez put in some impressive performances. It isn’t only Hayes leaving this summer but club legend Fran Kirby (who scored in her final appearance against Manchester United) and Maren Mjelde are also departing so things might look a bit different as they try to make it 6 in a row. 2nd Manchester City Manchester City took the title fight to the final game and only missed out on winning it on goal difference. This marks a big improvement after Gareth Taylor’s side finished last year in fourth place. Netherlands international Jill Roord was their only major summer signing so they had consistency in their squad going into this campaign. Roord though sustained an ACL injury in January, whilst leading goalscorer, and WSL and FWA Player of the Season, Khadija Shaw missed their last three games with a foot injury. The Cityzens might rue their home defeat to Brighton in November when looking back to how close they came to winning the league, as well as the late defeat to Arsenal in their penultimate game which gave Chelsea belief they could still win the title. In the cups, they reached the FA Cup quarter-finals and Conti Cup semi-finals. City players finished top of a lot of the WSL stats this season with Shaw finishing as top scorer with 21 goals, 19-year-old goalkeeper Khiara Keating won the Golden Glove, and Lauren Hemp got the most assists as well as scoring 11 times. In March, Manchester City and England legend Steph Houghton announced she would retire from playing football at the end of the season and made her final appearance as a substitute in their final game against Aston Villa. 3rd Arsenal It has been a bit of a mixed season for the The Gunner’s with highlights including defending their Conti Cup crown thanks to Stina Blackstenius’ extra time goal as they beat Chelsea 1-0, whilst in the WSL they beat the Blues 4-1 and did the double over Manchester City. Lowlights include an early exit from the UEFA Women’s Champions League in the first qualifying round, being knocked out of the FA Cup in the fifth round, and defeats in the league to Liverpool at home and away at Tottenham and West Ham. Off the pitch, the Arsenal continued to lead the way with attendances with a WSL record of 60,160 for their match at the Emirates against Manchester United, and an average home attendance of 29,999. With the majority of matches at the Emirates next season, this average might be even bigger then. Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Leah Williamson and Laura Wienroither all returned during the year after recovering from ACL injuries. Summer signing from Manchester United Alessia Russo finished up as the Gunners top scorer with 12 goals, whilst Lotte Wubben-Moy had some outstanding performances in defence and won the club’s Player of the Season award. In May, it was announced that WSL record top scorer and club legend Miedema would be leaving when her contract expires, and she scored her final goal for them with her first touch after coming on as a substitute in her last appearance. 4th Liverpool What a brilliant season Matt Beard’s Liverpool had as they finished in fourth place, their highest finish since they won the WSL in 2014 (though also finished fourth in the Spring Series)! This year’s achievements saw Beard named as WSL Manager of the Season. After failing to win away last time around, the Reds started this one by beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on the opening weekend, and good results continued to come including doing the double over Manchester United and beating eventual champions Chelsea 4-3 at Prenton Park late in May. In the end, they won half of their away games but there is still work to be done if they want to break into the top three. Marie Hobinger joined the Reds in the summer from FC Zurich, and the Austrian international midfielder has proved to be one of their players of the season by scoring 5 goals and assisting another 6 in the WSL. Others that have stared include Fuka Nagano, Gemma Bonner and Sophie Roman Haug. Liverpool reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup but didn’t get beyond the group stage of the Conti Cup. It has already been announced that Liverpool will be moving to play home games at St Helens Stadium next season and they will be looking to carry on the progress made there. 5th Manchester United The high point for Manchester United was winning their first major trophy, the FA Cup, with a 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur but in reality this masks what has been a poor season for the Red Devils. After finishing runners-up last year, more was expected of them but they had inconsistent form, failed to beat any of the top 4, and there is general unhappiness with manager Marc Skinner from supporters as they finished in their lowest position since they have been in the WSL. They lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying stage and didn’t make it through the group stage of the Conti Cup. Nikita Parris finished as top goalscorer, whilst Ella Toone got a combination of 10 goals and assists as well as scoring their goal of the season in the FA Cup final. Skinner has signed a new contract to stay with the club for next year but there is still uncertainty about some of their star players with contracts up, such as Mary Earps and Lucia Garcia, and apparent interest from other clubs for others. United will be looking for an improvement in the league next time around as their fans might not tolerate another unsatisfactory season on the pitch. 6th Tottenham Hotspur Robert Vilahamn joined Spurs as head coach from Swedish side BK Hacken in July last year, and he has led them to an amazing season. The highlight was reaching their first FA Cup final but they lost in that 4-0 to Manchester United at Wembley Stadium. There was a big improvement in the WSL from flirting relegation last season to a comfortable mid-table finish this. They beat Arsenal for the first time, getting a 1-0 win in the North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December. But there were still heavy defeats to both Manchester sides so still some progress to be made. Manchester United loanee Grace Clinton was one of their best players this season, putting in some superb performances and finishing up with 4 goals and 4 assists in the league. The Lillywhites have already expressed an interest in signing her permanently in the summer transfer window. Martha Thomas finished as their top scorer in the WSL with 7 goals whilst Bethany England who missed the first part of the season with a hip injury scored in 4 of their last 5 league games. As well as reaching the FA Cup final, they also made it to the quarter-finals of the Conti Cup. Tottenham will be looking to carry on their upward momentum next year. 7th Aston Villa A lot was expected of Aston Villa, at least from quite a few on the outside, after they finished 5th in the league last year but, after the expectations, it finished up being a bit of a damp squib this time for Carla Ward’s side. The Villans lost their first five games, slipping to the bottom of the table after their 6-0 defeat to Chelsea in November. They had a bit of a problem of holding onto leads having gone ahead against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester City in the first half of the season but finishing up losing all of them. Things picked up but their form was still inconsistent and they only won one home game. Rachel Daly was named as their Supporters Player of the Season for the second year in a row after she scored 8 goals in the WSL. Villa did suffer some injuries to key players with the likes of goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, Lucy Parker and Lucy Staniforth missing for spells. In the cups, they lost in the FA Cup in the fourth round to Everton, whilst in the Conti Cup they made it to the semi-finals despite playing an illegible player, Noelle Maritz, in their final group game. In May, manager Ward announced she would be leaving the club in the summer after three years there. 8th Everton Brian Sorensen led his side through a steady season, during which they had plenty of players out injured and not having money to spend in the transfer window, eventually finishing comfortably in 8th place. They only picked up one home win all season which was a 2-0 victory over West Ham in February. They did though draw against Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool at Walton Hall Park in the latter part of it. Away from home, they beat Liverpool at Anfield, and also won against most of the other sides around them in the bottom half of the table. With their hefty injury list, Sorensen literally brought a list with him to one press conference in April to remind him who was missing for that match, and in some matches they were missing up to 8 or so players. Megan Finnigan, Aurora Galli and Katja Snoeijs finished up as their joint top scorers with 3 goals each. One star of the future might be 16-year-old Isabella Hobson who scored the late equaliser against Arsenal in May and became the youngest ever goalscorer in WSL history. They lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter finals but finished bottom of their Conti Cup group after losing all four games. Manager Sorensen sign a new contract in April for another two years with the Toffees and he will surely be hoping for less injuries next season. 9th Brighton & Hove Albion After being appointed as manager in April last year, Melissa Phillips made some impressive signings for the Seagulls in the summer including Pauline Bremer from Wolfsburg, Vicky Losada and Portuguese international Tatiana Pinto. They won their first game against Everton, then drew against Manchester United at home and beat Manchester City away in successive weekends in November. Things seemed to going along okay for Albion but not well enough as Phillips was perhaps surprisingly sacked by the club on the 1st February. Mikey Harris took interim charge and he guided them to safety with two wins against Bristol City and Leicester City and a few draws including away at Spurs as well as being nominated for the March manager of the month award. Over the course of the season at home, they only won once against Bristol City. They had decent runs in the Conti and FA Cup’s, reaching the quarter-finals in both but then losing to Aston Villa and Manchester United. Their star player was Elisabeth Terland, with the Norwegian international scoring 13 league goals out of a total of 26 that Brighton scored. Her brilliant year led to her winning the clubs Player of the Season and being nominated for the equivalent WSL and PFA awards. 10th Leicester City Willie Kirk was suspended then sacked as Leicester manager in March following allegations of a relationship with a player with the club saying after an internal disciplinary process that he had “breached the team’s code of conduct”. Jennifer Foster took over as interim head coach until the end of the season but confirmed she will not be in charge after May. The highlight on the pitch was their FA Cup run where they reached the semi-finals for the first time in their history before losing to a goal late in extra-time from Spurs. They failed to get through the Conti Cup group stage though. They made a good start in the league, picking up 7 points in their first 3 games but then didn’t win again until the end of January. The only sides they beat were Bristol City and Everton home and away. They only got 2 points from their last 8 games but still finished with their highest points tally in the WSL and equalled their best finish. Finnish international Jutta Rantala joined in the summer from Vittsjo GIK and finished as the Foxes top scorer in the league with 6 goals but also assisted 5 others whilst also finding the net 3 times in their FA Cup run. Her performances saw her nominated for WSL Player of the Season as well as winning the clubs award. Captain Alieen Whelan announced that she will be retiring at the end of the season and made her final appearance against Liverpool in the last game in May. 11th West Ham United Former Tottenham boss Rehanne Skinner was named their new manager in July becoming the Hammers first female manager since they have been in the WSL. In the first half of the season, they only picked up only 5 points out of 30 and were in a relegation battle having only beaten Brighton away in their first 10 games. Skinner brought in Kristie Mewis, Shelina Zadorsky, Katrina Gorry and Marika Bergman in January and things improved on the pitch with a narrow lose in a high scoring game against Spurs (in possibly the wildest weather a WSL match has been played in), then the week after they beat fellow strugglers Bristol City 2-1 away. A week later they got their result of the season when they beat Arsenal 2-1 in Dagenham and then got a draw at home against Manchester United a month later. They did fail to win in any of their last nine games though and their only home win all year was against the Gunners. They had early exits in both cup competitions with going out in the group stage of the Conti Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup. Viviane Asseyi and Riko Ueki both finished up as the Hammers joint top scorers in the league with 6 goals each. 12th Bristol City 2022/23 Championship winners Bristol City returned to the WSL after two seasons away. Manager Lauren Smith signed a new contract in August and brought in the likes of Amy Rodgers, Carrie Jones, Jamie-Lee Napier as well as Brooke Aspin back on loan after she had signed for Chelsea from the Robins. It was a struggle all year for Bristol City though with them only picking up one win away to West Ham and failing to get a single point at their new permanent home of Ashton Gate. Even January signings Lisa Evans and Sarah Stratigakis couldn’t help turn the tied and they lost a 6-pointer at the bottom to West Ham at the end of the month. They only got 1 point in the second half of the season and have failed to score a goal since the 3rd March. They were relegated back to the Championship after losing to Manchester City with a couple of games remaining. The cups didn’t bring much joy either, going out in the FA Cup fourth round and Conti Cup group stage. Amalie Thestrup won their Player of the Year and was top scorer after finding the net 9 times during the season and scoring half of the Robins goals in the WSL. A positive for Bristol City is the attendances at Ashton Gate with an average of 7,260, the highest outside the top four in the league.

London City Lionesses suffer heavy 4-1 defeat to the Hammers Back Match Report West Ham go to the top of Group C after triumph at Hayes Lane London City Lionesses suffer heavy 4-1 defeat to the Hammers Ryan Asman 27 November 2024 By Paul Donegan West Ham United beat their Women’s Championship opponents London City Lionesses 4-1 in the Women’s League Cup on Sunday afternoon. Viviane Asseyi scored a brace whilst Manuela Pavi and Riko Ueki also found the net for the Women’s Super League side. Sofia Jakobsson scored the Prides consolation goal late in the first half. There were no clear chances in the opening 10 minutes at Hayes Lane as both sides settled into the match and got used to conditions with the strong wind caused by Storm Bert. In the 14th minute, Asseyi opened the scoring for the Hammers when she was played in by Marika Bergman Lundin and finished low past Grace Moloney from the edge of the area. The next effort on target didn’t come until the 29th minute when Bergman Lundin’s strike for the visitors was held by London City’s goalkeeper. The closest the home side went to finding the net in the opening 30 minutes or so was a deep cross from Emma Mukandi that just went wide of the far post. A couple of minutes before half time, Mukandi’s lofted ball forward found Isobel Goodwin but her low shot rolled wide of the post for London City. In the final minute of the first half, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah’s 30-yard strike dipped just over the crossbar as the Pride came close to equalising. London City Lionesses did equalise in the first minute of stoppage time when a ball forward from Boye-Hlorkah found Jakobsson and her curling shot from 18-yards found the corner of the net. After London City’s half time substitute Miljana Ivanovic’s run forward, Boye-Hlorkah’s shot was rather tame and dealt with by Megan Walsh in West Ham’s goal early in the second half. Bergman Lundin shot from 25-yards for the Hammers in the 55th minute was easily saved by Moloney. West Ham retook the lead in the 71st minute when a loose ball from London City was picked up by Colombian international Pavi and she finished to score her first goal for the club. A minute later, the visitors made it 3-1 when Ueki played in Asseyi who went around the keeper and slotted low into an empty net to score her second of the match. Ruesha Littlejohn saw a shot deflected behind for the hosts in the 75th minute as they looked to get back into the match. Boye-Hlorkah’s strike from 25-yards was stopped by the visitors goalie in the 88th minute. In the fourth minute of additional time, Ueki scored West Ham’s fourth with a low shot from 12-yards. All four goals conceded by London City Lionesses could be seen as avoidable with the ball being lost fairly easily in midfield or from sloppy passes that the visitors benefited from. The Hammers top Group C with 6 points from their 2 games whilst the Pride are in 3rd place on 3 points, level with Southampton. Line ups London City Lionesses (4-2-3-1): Moloney, Neville, Meyong (Imuran 79’), Campbell (Littlejohn 57’), Mukandi, Scofield (Fitzgerald 79’), Brougham, Jakobsson (Wilde 69’), Asllani (c) (Ivanovic 46’), Boye-Hlorkah, Goodwin Unused substitutes: Orman, Goldie, Brown Goal – Jakobsson 45’+1 West Ham United (4-2-3-1 ): M. Walsh, Mengwen (Denton 63’), Cooke, Zadorsky (c) (Saez 46’), Smith, Brynjarsdottir, Bergman Lundin, Harries (Siren 63’), Piubel (Ueki 68’), Pavi, Asseyi Unused substitutes: Szemik, Tysiak, Houssein, S. Walsh Goals – Asseyi 14’, 72’, Pavi 71’, Ueki 90’+4 Referee – Grace Lowe

Aston Villa manager speaks to the media ahead of her sides WSL clash with Everton at the weekend. Back “We have shown an awful lot of character all season” says Villa boss Carla Ward Aston Villa manager speaks to the media ahead of her sides WSL clash with Everton at the weekend. Getty 3 March 2023 By Rosa Maitland Carla Ward confirmed that she has a fully fit and available squad for the match up on Sunday, “everyone is good, fit and available, obviously Rach [Rachel Daly] came off in the West Ham game with a knock, but she has come through training and she is fit and ready.” Sunday’s game will be a match-up between two sides who seem to be battling it out for 5th spot, with just one point separating one another. Ward admitted that Everton may be one of the hardest teams they have faced this season: “they are a good footballing side, I think what you will see this weekend is a good game of football, proper football is what I would call it. The two times we have played them what you have seen is an exceptional game of football, both teams want to play and look after the ball and attack in the right way, so credit to Everton they have had a really good season…I admire the way they play but they play in a similar way, so it will be a good matchup I think, it will be a tight one but hopefully a good one for the neutral.” When asked how much confidence she has taken following two positive away performances, ahead of another tough trip on the road Ward responded: “I think we have shown an awful lot of character all season. Last week we needed it more than ever. "We were tired mentally and physically after the international break, but we have shown that we have a lot of character in this dressing room. So yes we are a team that has played free flowing football and yes it creates opportunities, and we want to continue in that way, but we also know we are coming up against a team that has a lot of quality, so we are going to absolutely have to be at our best to try and take the three points.” When the two teams last met, in October last year, Everton came away with all three points. In this time Ward has strengthened her squad during the January transfer window. Ward was asked if this would give her side an edge over Everton as they will prep to play against a side who are playing in a slightly different set up. “They have changed the way they play as well in all honesty in the last five games, they have slightly adapted the way that they play, you can see that so I think it will definitely be a different game but still certainly it’s going to be two good footballing teams out there, so we are looking forward to it.” Following the FA Cup quarter-final draw midweek, Aston Villa will host Manchester City. When asked if they will be underdogs going into the game Ward responded: “Absolutely we are underdogs to City, not many teams take points off City. Not many teams take points off them in two games so that will give us a little bit of hope and a little bit of heart, but let’s be honest there is no beating around the bush when we saw that draw you want to avoid the top three.” Ward went on to praise Manchester City and manager Gareth Taylor: “City have been in unbelievable form and still I don’t think they are getting the plaudits they deserve; I think Gareth has done an unbelievable job and I think your starting to see a really tough team to play against so I think it will be a tough one but one we will certainly enjoy.” Aston Villa head to Walton Hall Park to face Everton on Sunday at 3pm (GMT). News

The Hammers earn another crucial point at home against top table team Manchester United Back Match Report West Ham fend off the Red Devils in another impressive display The Hammers earn another crucial point at home against top table team Manchester United West Ham United Women 20 April 2025 By Paul Donegan On Saturday afternoon at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, Manchester United missed the chance to close the gap at the top of the Women’s Super League to three points as they were held by West Ham United to a 0-0 draw. The Hammers came into this game on a three-match unbeaten run which included draws against Manchester City and Chelsea, and they had the first opportunity of the match in the 3rd minute when Eva Nystrom headed a free kick wide of goal. The visitors, who had won their last two league games as well as the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, first effort at goal didn’t come until the 18th minute when Grace Clinton’s half volley flew over the crossbar. A minute later, United went close to taking the lead when Celin Bizet’s shot from 8-yards hit the woodwork before the ball was cleared. After a fantastic run where she turned Maya Le Tissier inside out, Riko Ueki’s cross was headed clear by United’s defence as the half-hour mark approached. At the other end, Hinata Miyazawa’s shot from outside the area was blocked by Shelina Zadorsky before Elisabeth Terland’s strike was saved. In the 32nd minute, Terland had a good chance to give the visitors the lead but headed the wrong side of the post from close range. United had another chance shortly after when a whipped in free kick was deflected wide of her own goal by a Hammers defender. A dangerous corner from Gabby George for the away side clipped the top of the bar before going over. Leah Galton then saw her header saved by Kinga Szemik towards the end of the first half. The first chance of the second half came in the 47th minute and went United’s way when Terland’s header was saved low down. Clinton’s half volley from 15-yards for the visitors went wide in the 56th minute. Szemik pushed away United’s substitute Melvine Malard strike in the 66th minute as they had another chance. The Hammers own substitute Seraina Piubel put in a good cross which was caught by Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Katrina Gorry’s shot from distance took a slight deflection into the United States international goalkeepers hands. West Ham’s WSL Player of the Month for March, Shekiera Martinez, strike from 20-yards flew over the crossbar in the 74th minute. A minute later, Clinton’s fierce shot from 25-yards sailed over the bar for the visitors. With nine minutes remaining, Terland headed over. Martinez tried an acrobatic effort at goal for the hosts which came to nothing. Malard’s shot from 12-yards didn’t find the target for United in the 83rd minute. Both sides were having opportunities in the closing stages with Piuble having the next one for West Ham. As the match entered stoppage time, play on the pitch got a bit frantic with Ueki’s the long-range strike for home side going well over. Terland’s shot was blocked for United before Piubel saw an effort saved at the other end. These turned out to be the final chances of the match as neither side could break the deadlock and they took a point each. Line ups West Ham United (3-4-2-1): Szemik, Nystrom, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Mengwen, Siren, Gorry (c) (Brynjarsdottir 79’), Hanshaw, Martinez (Pavi 88’), Asseyi (Piubel 62’), Ueki Unused substitutes: Walsh, Smith, Harries, Saez, Denton, Ademiluyi Booked - Mengwen Manchester United (4-1-4-1): Tullis-Joyce, Riviere, Le Tissier (c), Turner, George (Sandberg 64’), Miyazawa (Janssen 83’), Bizet, Clinton, Toone (Williams 73’), Galton (Malard 64’), Terland Unused substitutes: Rendell, Middleton-Patel, Mannion, Awujo, Naalsund Booked – Turner, George Referee – Harrison Blair

Aston Villa v Leicester City Photographer Ryan Asman Points were shared at the Bescot Stadoum as Aston Villa and Leicester City drew 2-2. Goals from Adriana Leon, Rachel Daly, Yuki Momiki and Sam Tierney.

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Alex Greenwood For the majority of her career Greenwood played as a left-back, however over the past two years Greenwood has converted into a left-sided centre-back. Adapting to this role remarkably well, Greenwood has developed a heightened defensive acumen and is reliable in putting in play breaking challenges. Greenwood brings a finesse to England’s backline offering a favourable counterbalance to Millie Bright’s more physical approach. Greenwood is tidy and rarely takes rash action, however her biggest strength undoubtedly lie in her technical skill. With a weapon of a left foot, Greenwood is able to find teammates across the pitch with a single impeccable pass. Due to this gift of precision, Greenwood also acts as England’s principal set-piece taker. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Groundhopper Paul Donegan shares his Euro's Diary with us as he travels up and down the country to catch as many games as he can. Euro's Information and News Euro's Diary: Part One Paul Donegan By Paul Donegan 24 July 2022 I am planning on going to 16 matches during the Women’s Euro’s and thought I would write a diary type thing about them, plus other matches I watch on the telly. Not quite sure how this will turn out but I will probably write about things I remember, see, people I talk to and maybe a bit about the actual matches! I will probably publish it a couple of times a week. Here is a look back at the first two days. Wednesday 6th July Arriving at Euston station in London, it was nice to see quite a few other people wearing Lionesses/England shirts. No issues on the train journey up to Manchester. As the train pulled into Piccadilly station, there were a few spots of rain on the window. Leaving the station, I walked under some Euro’s banners that were hung up. The fan festival in Piccadilly Gardens looked busy as I walked past on my way to the Banyan bar and the Free Lionesses Fans’ Embassy. It was nice to see Debs and it is a good place to meet other Lionesses fans. I also picked up a copy of a free supporters guide there. The hotel I was staying in was a few minutes walk from there. There were three lifts but only one went to the lower ground floor where reception/entrance was whilst the other two went to the floor above and there were escalators down to reception. My room was on the seventh floor and offered a view of a car park below. Having booked a lot of hotels over the next month, I did have to check if I had booked breakfast in this one or not (I had)! Just after 4 o’clock, I got the Metrolink tram out to Old Trafford. Well to be honest, I got on the wrong tram and had to walk a bit further than planned (maybe I should have checked the ground guides I wrote!). I passed Old Trafford cricket ground walking up to the football stadium. There were lots of burger vans and merchandise sellers as I got closer to the stadium. It was already very busy around the stadium when I got there at 5pm, three hours before kick off. There were official merchandise stalls about and I bought the official tournament programme which cost £8. I had a look around the fan festival there before waiting for the turnstiles to open at 6. There was a cool breeze and I am pleased I had taken a jacket with me. My seat was in the upper tier of the east stand. Getting to it involved climbing a lot of steps! Before the match there was a DJ playing in the ground, finishing with the crowd singing along to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Then there was the Opening Ceremony but I couldn’t see much of it due to the amount of smoke from the fireworks and pyrotechnics. There was a good atmosphere and the cheer after the national anthem was one of the loudest I have ever heard at a Lionesses game. There were some Austria fans there too with a large group sat below where I was. Tiny Football Car (or Tiny Buzz) drove on with the ball which also got a loud cheer. Beth Mead scored the only goal of the game for England during the first half. England had other chances but didn’t take them. I thought both defences played well though I was getting a bit nervy in the last 15 minutes with the score still at 1-0, especially when Austria had a few chances. The attendance was 68,871, which is a record for the Women’s Euros. After the final whistle, “Sweet Caroline” was played which got a lot of the crowd singing again! There was a long queue and wait for the tram back into Manchester at the Old Trafford stop. The tram was packed and I could hear someone singing “Footballs Coming Home” as it made its way back. I got back to my hotel at about 11:15pm after a very good day! Thursday 7th July No match for me today. After having breakfast at the hotel, I got the train back to London. Again there were no issues but I am waiting for some train problems during the Euro’s for me. I was home in north London by 1:30pm. I watched Norway v Northern Ireland on the telly in the evening. Norway’s attack looked very good with Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten especially impressing me. Norway were 3-0 up before half-time and I worried for Northern Ireland. Julie Nelson scored Northern Ireland’s first goal in a major tournament early in the second half which was a special moment. Reiten’s free kick for Norway shortly after made it 4-1 and that is how it finished. It will be interesting to see how England defend against Norway’s attack on Monday. Friday 8th July It was hot and sunny, feeling like proper summer football tournament weather! Arriving at Gunnersbury station, there were volunteers outside guiding people to the stadium. In the pub over the road from the station, there were Germany fans along with a bus! Closer to the ground, Denmark fans had taken over a pub next to the River Thames. It was nice just walking around and taking in the atmosphere. Outside the ground, there were face painters and people walking around on stilts. I then saw the two sides arrive at the ground in their coaches. The Brentford Community Stadium is an impressive, slightly odd shaped ground fitted in a triangle shaped area of land between three railways. I especially loved the different colour seats. I stayed in the concourse area as it was a bit cooler and even from there could hear the Denmark fans who were already in the stadium making a lot of noise. It was a bit weird to be sat in the same block in the ground as both Jess (waved at before the match) and Chris (had a chat at half time) who I know and it was nice to see them. Germany really impressed me in their 4-0 win. They hit the woodwork three times and the Denmark goalkeeper had made a fantastic save before they did take the lead in the first half. They scored another three goals in the second half and had another one disallowed for offside. Denmark had a player sent off right at the end of the match. I had a nice view of a lovely coloured sky as the sun set. There was a really good atmosphere, but please can the Mexican waves stop along with the silly cheer that goes with them! There are a number of stations closer to the stadium, but after the match I walked 25 minutes to Acton Town and it wasn’t too busy. One of the nice things about have a tournament like the Euros in your home country/city is being able to get home from some matches before midnight! Saturday 9th July After a late night, it was an early start as I was on my way north to Sheffield (well Chesterfield first as I was staying there) before 9am! There were engineering works on the railway between Derby and Sheffield so there was a replacement bus (and a hold up on the M1 due to traffic). The joys of travelling by train at the weekend! I even saw a few people wearing Sweden shirts on the way up. Chesterfield is famous for the crooked spire and being the birthplace of Millie Bright! After having lunch with a friend and checking into the hotel, I got a normal bus to Sheffield. There were plenty of Sweden and Netherlands shirts on show as soon as I got off the bus. I made my way to the fan park in Devonshire Green which was busy and very yellow and orange! A Dutch DJ played some tunes, including “Dancing Queen” by ABBA for the Swedish people that were there! There was a great atmosphere there in the hot sunshine! The Sweden fans had made themselves at home on a side street near the fan park and were making a lot of noise. The Netherlands did their fan walk to the ground, led by an orange bus, and this was amazing to see. At Bramall Lane, I was sat on The Kop. For someone like me who is over 6 foot tall and has long legs, there wasn’t much leg room. Netherlands v Sweden was a match I had been looking forward to attending since the draw was made and I had got a ticket last November. Sweden took the lead before half time, but the Netherlands equalised shortly after the break as it finished 1-1. The Swedish supporters sang and chanted throughout the match whilst the Dutch had a small band and they could be heard from the other end of the ground. It was very colourful with so many fans wearing yellow and orange shirts. There were 21, 342 fans at the match, which was a record attendance for a group match not involving the host nations at a Euros (breaking the previous record that had been set the day before at the Spain v Finland match). This was probably the best atmosphere at a match I have been at and one of my favourite football days. After the match, I eventually found the right stop to get the bus back (turned out to be the last bus at 10:50pm)! Some Dutch and Swedish fans also got on it as they also seemed to be staying in Chesterfield too! It took about an hour to get back and I went straight back to my hotel, passing a bar that was blasting out a Spice Girls song! Sunday 10th July I knew this would happen with the amount of travelling and matches I am watching but I woke up and had to think where I was and was it Sunday! I quickly remembered and went and met friends for breakfast. The same Swedish people who had been on the bus back to Chesterfield last night were on the rail replacement one back to Derby. It was a stunning day and the Derbyshire countryside looked lovely as the bus made its way. Part of the train had a problem so everyone was crowded into five coaches instead of ten. I got home by mid-afternoon, and then watched the two matches on the telly. The atmosphere at the Academy Stadium during Belgium v Iceland sounded great. I can’t wait to see and hear the Thunderclap live at Rotherham next Monday when I watch Iceland v France. At half time, I thought it had 0-0 written all over it, especially after Iceland had a penalty saved. Shortly after halt time, Iceland did take the lead but Belgium equalised later in the half as it finished 1-1. Another draw after the two matches on Saturday had also finished level. The later match was France v Italy, and in my opinion two of the best national anthems. France looked great attacking in the first half and were leading 5-0 at the break. Italy did have a player sent off in the second half but this was overturned after a VAR check. Italy got a goal back but France’s first half performance meant they won 5-1. The France home shirts are also the best I have seen so far. That match also brings an end to the first set of group games. In those, Germany and the first half performance from France have impressed me the most. After two nights of getting home/to hotel at nearly midnight, it was nice to be in bed by 10:30! Monday 11th July It was the Lionesses second game day in Brighton and I headed south at lunchtime. As the hotels in Brighton were very expensive, I decided to stay in Haywards Heath. After dropping my bag off at the hotel, I arrived in Brighton at about 3:30 and headed down the road to the seafront. Along the way, there were quite a few Euro’s banners up. The Free Lionesses Fan Embassy was at the Tempest Inn which is right by the sea. With clear blue skies and warm temperatures, it could have been Nice rather than Brighton! There I caught up with Jess, who I had met at the World Cup in France in 2019. I also got a free ‘tweets on scarves’ scarf. As the ground at Brighton is a bit out from the city, getting a train was the best way for me to get there. It seemed a bit disorganised at the station as to where to queue but I got a train fairly quickly and was at the stadium by about 6. The train after that one broke down and caused delays and queues snaking around Brighton station later on. My seat was in the top tier of one of the stands again so there were a lot of steps to climb but I had a good view. The concourse area felt like a greenhouse after the sun had been shining in through the windows all afternoon. I saw Jess again (not the one from earlier today but the one from Friday) and her dad and we had a chat this time! I also had a good view of Gabby Logan, Ian Wright, Alex Scott and Jonas Eidevall in the TV presentation area. I was expecting it to be a difficult game against Norway but England blew them apart with some sensational play, winning 8-0! Beth Mead scored a hat-trick, Ellen White scored two, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp (after a VAR check) and Alessia Russo scored the others. There was an amazing atmosphere with “Its Coming Home” being sang a few times during the match by most of the 28,847 fans. After seeing the players do their lap of the pitch, I joined the queue at Falmer station for the train back to Brighton. It seemed disorganised again with not many people about telling you were to queue so there was just one mass of people instead. I eventually got a train at 11:15 and after changing trains in Brighton, I was back at my hotel at 12:30am! Maybe I should get a train to Lewes and back next time?! Tuesday 12th July I decided to go straight from Haywards Heath to Milton Keynes for today’s match between Denmark and Finland. On my way, I left my bag at a left luggage place at Euston station. The fan park was in a square over the road from the station and there was a nice mix of Danish and Finnish fans along with a few people wearing Sweden shirts. I also saw Chris again and had a catch up with him. I bought a ticket for the shuttle bus from the bus station next to the fan park to near the stadium. The bus journey took about 10 minutes and then it was a 10 minute walk but there were lots of volunteers and signs pointing you in the right direction. After having mainly hot dogs and burgers to eat at matches, at Stadium MK they do small pizzas so I had one of those as something a bit different. Denmark won 1-0 thanks to Pernille Harder’s header during the second half. Both goalkeepers made some good saves. A good atmosphere again with the Danish fans being very noisy. There seemed to be a lot of school groups at this match too (my first 5pm kick off so not sure if it was the same for all at that time). After being cloudy for most of the day, it rained during the second half which meant those sat near the front moving further back to keep dry. After the match and the 10 minute walk back to the buses, I was straight on one and back at the station by 7:30. On the train back I had a chat to a Danish family who had come over for a couple of the matches and how it was their first time in the UK. After picking my bag up, I was home by 9:30 and managed to catch the end of the Germany v Spain match on the telly. Wednesday 13th July With Sweden v Switzerland kicking off in Sheffield at 5pm, it meant I could do this one as a day trip from London. I got the train at 11:30am and was surrounded on it by Sweden fans. Some I had a chat with had flown over just for this match! I was in Sheffield by 2pm and headed to the fan park there again. On another sunny and warm day, Division Street had again been taken over by the Swedes whilst in the park there was a mixture of fans again. Close to the stadium, there was a band playing close to it providing some entertainment for fans. I also saw a Switzerland fan walking along with a cow bell! The Swedish had their fan walk to the ground lead by a drummer with their supporters chanting and waving flags. I was sat in the John Street stand this time and there was a lot more leg room than in The Kop. I was sat near the main group of Sweden supporters and they sang and chanted the whole game, with a lady walking along the front of the stand with a megaphone leading them. This was the best atmosphere I have ever experienced at a football match (women’s or men’s). I saw a couple of friends at this match. Jess again (third time so far) before the match and Josh at half time. Sweden won 2-1 with Rolfo giving them the lead after the break. Switzerland quickly equalised when Bachmann scored. Bennison scored the winner with a cracking strike with about 10 minutes left. There was still time for Sweden to have two goals disallowed before the final whistle went. I was back at the station with some time to spare before my train at 7:40pm. After no delays, I was home in north London at 10:35pm after a really good day. I was pleased to have the following day off going to football after getting some blisters on my toes after doing a lot of walking the previous couple of days. Thursday 14th July This was a catch up day at home with some admin, emails, shopping, hoovering, cleaning and washing to do. I watched the two matches on the telly with Italy and Iceland drawing 1-1, and France winning 2-1 against Belgium. These results meant that France won the group and qualified for the quarter-finals. It was an early night for me after that with four matches over the next four days planned to go to. Friday 15th July The Lionesses final group game was in Southampton against Northern Ireland, so naturally I decided to stay somewhere else fairly local, in Portsmouth this time, as the hotels there were cheaper! The hotel was right next to the station so after dropping my bag off, I got the train to Southampton and was there just after 4pm. I walked down to the Town Quay and the Dancing Man Brewery where the Free Lionesses Fan Embassy was and had a drink there. After that, I went to the fan park which was busy with lots of England and Northern Ireland fans. The Northern Ireland ones were making more of the noise. I saw my friends Flora and Ben there and it was nice having a catch up with them. The stadium was about a 10/15 minute walk from the fan park. I got there in time to see the teams arrive on their coaches. I was sat a lot lower down for this match, about 12 rows from the pitch and just to the side of one of the goals, which made a nice change after being up in the gods for the first two Lionesses games. The bad news though was I was sat just in front of where the England band were positioned! More bad news was when the stadium announcers trying to get the crowd to do a Mexican wave before the start of the match! Northern Ireland started okay and I thought caused England a few more problems than Norway had in the last match. England were awarded a penalty for handball, but this was overturned after a VAR check as there had been an England handball in the build up. It took until nearly half time for Fran Kirby to open the scoring for the Lionesses with Beth Mead quickly adding a second before half time. Alessia Russo came on at half time and scored twice early in the second half. An own goal from Kelsie Burrows later in the half completed the scoring. There was another great atmosphere at this match with the Northern Ireland fans singing non-stop throughout it! Southampton was busy, maybe as expected on a Friday evening, as I walked back to the station. There was a singer performing outside one of the bars on what was a mild evening. The train back to Portsmouth was busy, all four carriages being standing room only for most of the journey. I was back at my hotel before midnight which wasn’t too bad! Saturday 16th July After having breakfast at the hotel (it was a buffet one and I was wondering how many times it would be acceptable to go up for food), I got the train back to London and home for a few hours. For the final games in group B, I went to Brentford again to watch Denmark v Spain. A nice easy trip across London for me for this one. Near Gunnersbury station was the hotel that Spain were staying at and their coach was ready outside to drive them over to the stadium. Outside the ground, I saw both sides arrive, Denmark followed by Spain! The Spain fans made a lot of noise when they arrived! I was sat at the opposite end this time at the Brentford Community Stadium, but again the main section of Denmark supporters were in the corner close to where I was sitting. My brother came to this match with me for his first (and maybe only) experience of Euro 2022! I also knew a few other people at this match but missed them! In terms of entertainment and chances, this was the worst match I have been to so far during the Euros. Denmark were happy to defend and counter, whilst Spain didn’t create that much despite a lot of possession. I was thinking this was going to be the first 0-0 of the tournament after the first half. One of the highlights of the evening was a girl getting 16 out of 16 in the half time competition by naming all the competing sides in group order. Denmark started to attack a bit more as the second half went on, they had to win to get through, but Spain scored the only goal in the 90th minute thanks to Marta Cardona’s header. Instead of going to Acton Town like I did last time, I walked to Chiswick Park station this time and had to wait 15/20 minutes for a train to arrive! This meant I didn’t get home until after midnight. Sunday 17th July I headed north for a few days to watch the final games in groups C (Switzerland v Netherlands) and D (Iceland v France) in Sheffield and Rotherham. I got an early morning train to Chesterfield again as this is where I was staying and the group C games kicked off at 5pm. It was too early to check in to the hotel but I could leave my bag there. I got a slower bus to Sheffield this time which took me through some Derbyshire/South Yorkshire towns and villages. The fan park was busy again, lots of Netherlands fans in orange shirts and Switzerland in their red ones. The Dutch bus was there, as were some singers on stage which got the crowd swinging scarfs above their heads and doing the conga to some of the songs! There are seriously no other fans like the Dutch pre-match! Then it was time for the fan walk to Bramall Lane. I walked along with it this time and what an experience that was, one I will never forget on the way to a football match! It went along at a sedate pace, stopping a couple of times along the way. There was music playing from the bus and most of the fans were wearing orange and waving flags. It took about 45 minutes to get to the stadium. I was sat in the John Street stand again, with the Netherlands fans in front of me. With the hot weather arriving, there was a cooling break during the match for the first time during there Euro’s. Switzerland had to win to have any chance of going through to the quarter-finals. There were no goals in the first half, but the Netherlands took the lead in the 49th minute when Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic scored an own goal. Switzerland weren’t behind for long as Geraldine Reuteler equalised. Both goalkeepers made some good saves during the match. Netherlands scored three times in the last ten minutes with Leuchter getting two of them and Victoria Pelova the other. One did take a long VAR check with those of us in the stadium not knowing exactly what was being checked as no additional info is given on the screens. The 4-1 win for the Netherlands saw them get through to play France next. Their players and fans celebrated by dancing along to “Links Rechts” in the stadium and there was more singing and dancing in the concourses as the fans left! The attendance of 22,569 was a record for a group game in the Women’s Euros not involving the host nation, and the third time during these Euro’s that record had been broken. I got the rail replacement bus back to Chesterfield, once I had found the right queue and not finish up going to Stockport along with the majority of the Netherlands fans! It was nice to be at the hotel by just after 9pm after a couple of late nights! Monday 18th July It was hot!! I stayed in my hotel room most of the day (thankful for the air-conditioning), but did got for a slow walk around Chesterfield when I went out to get some lunch. With the trains starting to muck around because of the heat, I decided to get the quick bus to Sheffield and a train to Rotherham from there. This all worked out and I was in Rotherham by 6:30pm. It took about 15 minutes to walk to the stadium from the station. My seat for this game was on the second row from the front, just to the side of the goal! It was baking just sat there so god knows what it would be like for the players of Iceland and France running about on the pitch. France had already qualified as group winners and Iceland knew a win would see them go through too but a draw or loss could still see them go through depending on the result between Italy and Belgium. France took the lead in the first minute when Melvine Malard scored. Iceland had chances to equalise that went narrowly wide, France had two goals disallowed after VAR checks and between them the woodwork was hit three times. Iceland were awarded a penalty in injury time which Dagny Brynjarsdottir socred in the 102nd minute of the match, 101 minutes after France had scored! The referee blew the final whistle straight after this. With Belgium winning the other match it meant Iceland were out. It was a really good atmosphere again and it was amazing to see and hear the Iceland fans do the Thunderclap live! I had a bit of a wait for a train back to Sheffield but by the time I got back there, all the trains to Chesterfield had been cancelled and the last bus had left! I finished up getting a taxi back! We will post the next installment of Paul's diary in due course.

Everything you need to know on each of the 23 Lionesses that will represent England at this years Euro's. Euro's Information and News Get to know the Lionesses Girls on the Ball By Charlotte Stacey 1 July 2022 The Euro’s are fast approaching, and with this, so does the anticipation surrounding the host nation, England. This summer’s European Championships will be only the second tournament England have played since Sarina Wiegman took charge last September. The first being the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup that took place earlier this year, in which England rose as victorious winners. Former Dutch midfielder Wiegman has not only brought a wealth of playing experience to camp, but also a positive international managerial record, having led the Netherlands to their first European victory in 2017. Wiegman has injected new life into a previously wilting English side. She has set standards, raised expectations and moulded the Lionesses into a well-functioning unified collective. Since Wiegman’s appointment the Lionesses have not lost a single match, they simply could not have set themselves up in better stead for the main event after remaining undefeated in their last eleven games. So, without further ado, here are our 23 Lionesses bidding to bring the trophy home this summer. Goalkeepers Mary Earps - No. 1 Manchester United’s number one has now asserted herself as Wiegman’s first choice between the sticks after being absent from the international stage for a couple of years. Earps is a goalkeeper who does her homework, she is evidently well prepared against individual opponents and knows exactly when to put her game face on. The 28-year-old is a capable shot-stopper and is unafraid to step out and take defensive work into her own hands. Known to be vocal, Earps ensures she is in constant communication with those around her. Her direct nature allows her to articulate exactly what she expects of her defensive line, which is a critical when defending set-pieces. Earps also demonstrates accuracy with passing and is comfortable to sit between centre-backs to allow fullbacks to stretch the pitch when playing out from the back. Hannah Hampton – No.13 Aston Villa’s Hannah Hampton may have the fewest number of caps under her belt, but she is arguably the most multifaceted of England’s three goalkeepers. The 20-year-old uses her feet as much as she uses her hands, often actively participating in build-up play, entering the fray almost as an auxiliary outfield player. Whilst Hampton is still a developing outright shot-stopper, she is a dab hand at cutting out crosses and demonstrates intelligence and accuracy with her distribution. Domestically, Hampton achieved a favourable 69.2% save percentage this season. This figure is just shy of 10% lower than the league leader, however it remains impressive when considering this was accomplished without a row of international defenders in front of her. Ellie Roebuck – No. 21 She may only be 22, but Manchester City’s Ellie Roebuck has long been on the scene, having made her senior debut back in 2018. Roebuck was a regular feature for England throughout the youth age groups and has a growing amount of international experience to her name. She is also the only goalkeeper selected to have played in last year’s Olympic Games, in which she donned the gloves as Team GB’s number one. Despite being out for part of the season with injury, Roebuck returned as sharp as ever. Of the ten league games she played, the youngster let only three goals slip past, alluding to her perceptive and quick movement. Roebuck is perhaps the most agile of Wiegman’s keepers, using her quick footwork and sudden shifts of weight to execute effective body position. Roebuck is also known for her ‘sweeper’ abilities and is aware enough to come some way off her line to tidy up without compromising readiness to protect the goal. Defenders Lucy Bronze – No.2 Lucy Bronze has arguably been England’s most important fullback over recent years, and even more so, their most versatile fullback tactically. An inverted right-back, she is one of England’s primary sources of build-up, interchanging in position with the right-winger with the ability to keep her width. Bronze’s crossing skills and spatial awareness are difference makers and give England a spirited drive along the right touchline. The 30-year-old is also known for her tendency to drift into the midfield to create overloads in the middle. As a progressive fullback, Bronze likes to carry the ball high up the pitch with a habit of cutting in centrally and decoying opponents when the space is afforded. Bronze’s role in both defence and in attack cannot be understated. Millie Bright – No. 6 No-nonsense centre-back Millie Bright is possibly England’s most ‘traditional’ defender. The 28-year-old is a staple figure in the Lionesses line-up and has been named as vice-captain after displaying desirable leadership qualities across the previous few seasons with Chelsea. Bright is assertive and aggressive and uses her physicality, as much as her feet, to escort attacking threats away from goal. Usually the last woman standing, Bright is unafraid to put her body on the line to block or intercept in timely fashion. Bright has a keen eye for a cross ball and her launched passes often act as catalysts for attacking phases of play further up field. Standing at 5ft 9, Bright also provides a serious aerial threat at set-pieces. Further than this, Bright boasts a killer strike and has been known to hit the target from distance. Jess Carter – No.12 Chelsea’s Jess Carter is a relatively new addition to the national squad after being out of the fold for the last few years. However, the 24-year-old has broken out once again with an outstanding season in Chelsea blue and has rightly caught the eye of Wiegman. Carter is a well-rounded and functional defender who is able to slot in anywhere across the backline. One-v-one situations and man marking is where Carter truly excels, demonstrating her insightful timing. Carter is intuitively defensively minded and offers the Lionesses a stable marshal allowing her fellow defenders to progress and support in attack. Rachel Daly – No.3 Houston Dash captain Rachel Daly is an experienced and adaptable player with a unique skillset. When playing domestically, Daly occupies the centre forward role and is currently the Dash’s all time top scorer. Her forward role is that of a deep-lying striker who excels in linking play, playing in other attacking players, and creating interchangeable sequences of play. Internationally, however, Daly is usually situated further back, primarily featuring for England as a left-back. Here, Daly utilises her strikers’ tendencies and pairs them with the defensive qualities developed as a result of her slightly unusual placement. Daly’s ‘off the ball’ traits are under appreciated at times, but her pressing and positional awareness are key in bringing a balance to England’s backline. Alex Greenwood – No. 5 For the majority of her career Greenwood played as a left-back, however over the past two seasons Greenwood has converted into a left-sided centre-back. Adapting to this role remarkably well, Greenwood has developed a heightened defensive acumen and is reliable in putting in play breaking challenges. Greenwood brings a finesse to England’s backline offering a favourable counterbalance to Millie Bright’s more physical approach. Greenwood is tidy and rarely takes rash action, however her biggest strength undoubtedly lie in her technical skill. With a weapon’of a left foot, Greenwood is able to find teammates across the pitch with a single impeccable pass. Due to this gift of precision, Greenwood also acts as England’s principle set-piece taker. Demi Stokes – No. 15 Manchester City’s Demi Stokes has been a regular feature for the Lionesses for a number of years, racking up over 65 caps for her country so far. The 30-year-old is a slightly more defensively inclined fullback than right-sided counterpart Lucy Bronze. This is beneficial in offering England cover when facing high pressing and counterattacking teams. Stokes is savvy with her forward runs, timing the overlap with the winger without detriment to the space behind her. Keeping width is a key aspect of Stokes’ game and her residence is key in stretching the lines of play. Stokes is also a notable willing runner and will fight tooth and nail to retrieve a loose ball or recover lost possession. Lotte Wubben-Moy – No. 22 Arsenal centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy continues to gain senior international experience after representing the Lionesses at U15, U17, U20 and U21 levels. Much like Millie Bright, Wubben-Moy offers a testing physical presence at the back and uses her height, fitness and strength to deny strikers scoring opportunities. At 23, Wubben-Moy is England’s youngest trade defender, however the North London native plays with maturity and demonstrates sensible judgement. Aside from being a dependable central defender, Wubben-Moy is also developing into a skilled ball player. She typically likes to dribble toward the half way line before releasing passes through the central channels, by doing so, encouraging positive forward movement from those around her. Midfielders Fran Kirby – No. 14 A fit and match ready Fran Kirby is always a tremendous boost. After taking a break and missing part of the season due to severe fatigue, the Chelsea attacker has worked her way back to fitness and onto Wiegman’s roster. An experienced international, Kirby knows how to handle the pressures tournament football can throw up and is well known for sprinkling moments of magic along the way. A diminutive and lively attacking player, Kirby is hard to keep hold of, finding space between lines to propel fast moving transitions. While Kirby typically plays on the right side of the forward line for Chelsea, it is likely she will adopt an attacking midfield role for England due to her ability to seamlessly roam between central and wide channels. Kirby acts as a decoy and has a knack of knowingly drawing in defenders to open up space for others. She will outwit, outfox and outplay at every twist and turn. Jill Scott – No. 16 With over 150 international caps, nine major tournaments and 26 goals to her name, Jill Scott really hasn’t left any stone unturned. An established box-to-box midfielder, Scott is well versed in doing the dirty work, keeping an intense press fixed on opponents when they are both on and off the ball. Scott boasts incredible fitness levels and is able to comfortably keep up and present a hardy challenge to younger oppositions. With a direct approach to the game, Scott’s actions out of possession sometimes fall under the radar but they are nevertheless crucial to England’s progression. She may not bring the same frills and skills of more ‘inventive’ midfielders, but what Scott does always offer, is a job well done. Georgia Stanway – No. 10 Bayern Munich’s new signing is spirited and gutsy. Stanway is an aggressor, and to describe her as anything less would be inimical of the passion she exudes. Stanway is a versatile and positionally disciplined player having played stints as a right-back, a holding midfielder and a forward. However, perhaps Stanway’s most natural role falls as a number 10, bridging the defensive lines of midfield to the forward troupe. Stanway is a significant attacking facet for England with an ability to facilitate successful and consistent passes and carries into the penalty area. Yet, she is also a considerable defensive asset who is particularly knowing of the importance of defensive unity across the whole pitch. At just 23, Stanway is already affluent in international experience with over 30 senior caps and eight goals for her country. Ella Toone – No. 20 Manchester United’s creative dynamo has certainly impressed Wiegman and has been a mainstay in her reign so far. The 22-year-old is a fantastically innovative number 10 who is able to find creative ways to thread key passes that often lead to shot and goal creation. Toone openly invites tight pressure and enjoys using her ‘tricky feet’ to weave her way through defensive lines, ball-in-tow. This affords others the time and space to take up advanced and threatening positions. Not just a prolific assistant, Toone is also a respectable goal scorer having already netted two hat-tricks for England this year. Toone will certainly offer an essential dose of creativity against sides who prefer to sit back in a low block. Keira Walsh – No. 4 Deep lying midfielder Keira Walsh is the Lionesses’ linchpin. She is, quite simply, the key that unlocks the very best of England’s potential. Walsh demonstrates remarkable vision and makes good on this ability to forward think with her diverse passing range. The 25-year-old is able to spray passes any which way across the pitch with acute accuracy, and routinely spots the key space and off-the-shoulder runs that others tend to miss. Although she may not be the most physical defensive midfielder, Walsh shows capability in dispossessing at crucial moments and adds a layer of protection ahead of the backline with her intelligent positioning. It is not an overstatement to say that Walsh occupies the Lionesses’ most organic ‘footballing brain’. She is a truly gifted midfielder. Leah Williamson – No. 8 Arsenal centre-back and newly names Lionesses captain Leah Williamson may well take up a different role to her usual domestic placement. Due to her progressive nature and exceptional ball playing skill, Williamson could assume a variation of the number 6 role, pairing up with Keira Walsh in a double pivot. However, she is also able to slip back into her trade centre-back role at the drop of a hat, further gifting England with a number of potentially fluid formation options. Williamson is decisive and rational; a player who is largely purposeful with every touch. The 25-year-old harbours quality passing abilities, so much so in fact, that she could easily be regarded as one of the best in the world at filtering progressive passes from back to front. The benefits of having Williamson on the field are endless; from leadership and tact, to playmaking and quality possession. Forwards Bethany England – No. 19 Chelsea’s Bethany England is an out-and-out number 9. England ensures she is where she needs to be to get on the end of incoming through balls, passes and crosses. She is knowing in her movements and whether the ball reach her on the ground or in the air, England works tirelessly to be readily available to complete the exchange. Internationally, the 28-year-old has been nothing but patient, determinedly chipping away to improve her game in order to catch the eye of the national side. England eventually made her senior debut in 2019 and has gone on to tally an impressive nine goals in 19 appearances, signifying, not only a composed finish, but an intelligence in anticipating the key points of attacking play. Lauren Hemp – No. 11 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, and 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. At just 21, Hemp is only in the beginnings of her career, yet she already approaches matches with a confidence that will only lead to extraordinary things. Chloe Kelly – No. 18 The return of Chloe Kelly has given the Lionesses yet another dynamic option along the wing. The Manchester City forward, who has recently recovered from an ACL injury, offers an alternative profile to that of fellow wingers Beth Mead and Nikita Parris. Kelly is possibly best described as a ‘traditional winger’. Usually situated on the right, Kelly prefers to keep her width but is equally capable of drifting into the interior channels as an inside-forward. The 24-year-old boasts a devastating crossing ability and her pace is complementary to that of left-sided colleague Lauren Hemp. Beth Mead – No. 7 Beth Mead has arguably played her best season to date with domestic club Arsenal, having racked up eight assists and 11 goals this term. The energetic winger likes to cut inside in possession and divert into the narrower lanes of play. By doing this, Mead draws in wide opponents as well as occupying a central defender, allowing the fullback to overlap and take advantage of the now open space on the wing whilst affording the central striker the opportunity to move beyond their marker. Mead is a highly valuable assistant and it is her quick releasing of the ball that further permits this. With a quick lift of the head, Mead is able to pick out and execute an optimal pass. Aside from this, Mead herself is pretty deadly in the area having potted a colossal 12 goals in Wiegman’s first ten games at the helm. Nikita Parris – No. 17 Arsenal’s Nikita Parris is no stranger to an international tournament, having made over 60 appearances in an England shirt. The 28-year-old is able to play along either wing, offering England different possibilities upfront depending on the gameplan of their varied oppositions. A definitive workhorse, Parris delivers constant movement to distract and disorientate. Whilst she is a natural forward, Parris is excellent at implementing pressing actions that cut off supply to teams playing out from the back. She is also, perhaps, the most inclined to track back and reclaim possession of all of England’s forwards. Alessia Russo – No. 23 The integration of Alessia Russo into a regular face on game days is proving to be increasingly beneficial. The Manchester United striker gives the Lionesses’ forward line something altogether compelling; a buoyant point of reference to target. Russo is adaptable and has experience in playing out wide, however she is most effective when stationed in the centre as a number 9. Using her physicality, Russo likes to put the pressure on and strongly contest for the ball, thus causing her to have quite the presence in the area. Russo is a capable dribbler, and is also a willing runner, which leaves England in good stead when using quick transitions. Finally, Russo is extremely good in the air adding further element to her layered abilities. Ellen White – No. 9 Tried and tested, seasoned striker Ellen White knows exactly what to do in an England shirt. White has enjoyed a number of milestone occasions with the Lionesses, including reaching 100 caps and making history as the first female player to score 50 goals for the country. White is second only to Wayne Rooney’s 53 goals on England’s all-time record goalscorer list. A classic centre forward, White excels close to the goal and exudes an innate poacher’s instinct. She likes to peel off the shoulder of the defender to sink the ball past the keeper whilst being up close and personal. The 33-year-old is a notable runner and she is prepared to pull back and offer support in times of collective defending or when her required service is not being provided. White brings quality and expertise and that cannot be understated. The Lionesses will kick off the Euro's at Old Trafford on Wednesday 6th July at 8pm (BST) when they face Group A opponents Austria.