Aston Villa Women manager Gemma Davies praised her players' performances following their defeat to Manchester City.
Despite being newcomers to the top flight, Villa didn’t look out of place when facing potential champions. City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck had to be on top form in the second half to deny Emma Follis, while the Villa winger pickpocketed Gemma Bonner twice to create chances for her teammates.
Rogers reaction
Despite looking suspect for the first goal and making the error that led to the second, Davies singled out goalkeeper Sian Rogers for praise due to how she responded to her nightmare first half:
“Sian’s a professional. She’s a tremendous talent. She came out in the second half with a tremendous performance. It’ll be a game she reflects on, but she’ll come back stronger for it.”
Despite her error and incredibly difficult first half, Rogers came back fighting. She made a succession of smart saves to keep City at bay and keep her side in the match. Her performance encapsulates Villa as a whole against City. The newcomers battled and refused to lie down for Manchester City, giving Gemma Davies much encouragement going forward.
The kids are alright
Gemma Davies also reserved praise for the young players who came off the bench to feature for Villa.
These included Asmita Ale and Jodie Hutton, who are 18 and 19 respectively. Davies spoke of the need to give her young talent greater experience and exposure at the top level:
“It’s so important at this stage to give our young players some exposure. We have some terrific young players… there’s a lot of potential there. As the season goes on, they’ll grow in confidence and ability.
Davies also praised the performances of her new attacking players during the game:
“I’m really pleased. Considering that most of them haven’t played in this team before, it’s really pleasing to see them play well”.
Stine Larsen, Diana Silva and Ramona Petzelberger all made their Aston Villa debuts against Manchester City and all looked like bright sparks for Davies.