Southampton lose 2-0 to visitors Charlton Athletic in a thrilling opening match to the 2022/23 Women's Championship. Back Match Report WC Opener: Southampton v Charlton Athletic Southampton lose 2-0 to visitors Charlton Athletic in a thrilling opening match to the 2022/23 Women's Championship. Ryan Asman 25 August 2022 By Paul Donegan Charlton won the first match of the 2022/23 Women’s Championship season with a 2-0 victory over league newcomers Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. Emily Simpkins and Mel Johnson scored the goals and Charlton also had a penalty saved during the second half. Southampton did have some chances during the match and should take some encouragement from their performance. Marieanne Spacey-Cale named four of Southampton’s new players in the starting line-up. Ashleigh Ward, Paige Peake, Megan Wynne and Katie Wilkinson all made their debuts whilst Beth Lumsden made her first appearance for the club from the bench. Karen Hills included six of Charlton’s summer signings in their starting 11, those being Sian Rogers, Sophie O’Rourke, Emily Simpkins, Heidi Logan, Angela Addison and Mel Johnson. Freda Ayisi and Corinne Henson also made their debuts as second half substitutes. Southampton started well and had a few chances in the first 10 minutes with Wynne seeing her effort easily saved and Wilkinson’s long range free kick being tipped over by Rogers. Charlton’s early efforts were blocked by Southampton’s defence, and it took until the 21st minute for their most threatening moment when there was a scramble in the Southampton penalty area that finished with Addison being brought down and a penalty was awarded. Simpkins scored from 12 yards to give Charlton the lead. Charlton created chances after going ahead with Mia Ross shooting over and Johnson just being unable to get on the end of a cross in front of goal. It wasn’t one way traffic though as Wilkinson sent another effort from long range narrowly wide. It was Charlton who finished the first half well though with Addison seeing her shot deflected over, Johnson having a shot easily saved and O’Rourke seeing her effort tipped behind. Southampton had an early chance in the second half when a Lucia Kendall header was saved. Charlton made it 2-0 in the 47th minute when Johnson controlled the ball from a throw in and finished low into the net. Southampton continued to look to get back into the game with Kendall shooting over from the edge of the area and Alice Griffiths seeing her shot from long range easily saved. In the 71st minute, Charlton were awarded their second penalty of the match when Beth Roe was fouled in the area. Addison took the spot kick this time but saw her effort saved by Kayla Rendell who dived to her left and pushed the ball away. Georgia Freeland came on for Southampton in the 79th minute to make her 100th appearance for the club. Charlton restricted Southampton from having many opportunities after the early stages of the half with some good defending. The Saints did have a few chances in the last ten minutes with Lumsden dragging a shot wide, Kendall shooting over, Lumsden seeing her low shot saved, and Peake headed the resulting corner wide. There was a really good attendance of 2,444 at St Mary’s to watch this Championship opener. Southampton go to The Dripping Pan next Sunday to play Lewes whilst Charlton are at home to London City Lionesses. Line ups Southampton: Rendell, Ward (Collett 55’), Parnell, Peake, Mott, Rutherford (Williams 68’), Griffiths, Morris, Kendall, Wynne (Freeland 79’), Wilkinson (Lumsden 68’) Unused substitutes : Harris, Watling Booked: Wynne 42’ Charlton Athletic: Rogers, Roe, Godfrey, Skeels, O’Rourke, Simpkins (Ayisi 67’), Logan (Henson 67’), Follis, Ross, Addison, Johnson (Rutherford 78’) Unused substitutes : Soper, N’Dow, Watson, Bashford Goals: Simpkins 22’ (pen), Johnson 47’ Referee: Chloe-Ann Anderson Attendance: 2,444

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.