Carla Ward admitted that her Aston Villa side did suffer the effects of having to play 120 minutes last Sunday, but that didn't stop her players from running out 5-0 winners against Leicester City.
Braces from Alisha Lehmann and Rachel Daly combined with a Kenza Dali goal gave the Claret and Blue Army all three points, meaning that they only need one more win to secure a top six place.
"We’ve spoken all week about today not being a hangover from last week. You can see today that there’s been tired legs… it was a tired performance at times, there were times we didn’t look after the ball well enough but that was because of last week, they put everything into that game and it was unbelievable - the efforts that went in. Today was a focused, professional performance and we’ve got through today with five goals and a clean sheet", Ward admitted.
Their 2-1 win after extra time over Manchester City at Walsall's Poundland Bescot Stadium last weekend gave Villa a place in the semi finals of the FA Cup, but they were not stuck on that win as they returned to league action.
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On course for top six ambitions
Villa are set for their best season since returning to the top flight of women's football and look set to reach the target set by manager Ward at the start of the season.
"It’s big", she admitted. "When we started at the start of the season I said to the players and the staff that we wanted top six and that was the reality. We are close to that - I think we need one more win to achieve that, to be mathematically there, I think it’s just important that we continue to keep building and I say this all the time but it’s not about running before you walk - it’s about continuing to grow on and off the pitch."
Having beaten high fliers Manchester City in both the league and cup this season and drawing the other game between the two sides, Ward was asked about the possibility of sneaking into the top four.
She replied, "In the last couple of years you’ve seen people come out and say ‘we’ll break into the top four’ and they’re nowhere near. I think you have to have everything in place infrastructure wise, on and off the pitch. It’s not just about getting players in, there’s so much that goes on and the top four are there for a reason. It’s about closing the gap but that doesn’t happen overnight."
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Academy players making their mark on first team
At the full time whistle, five of the Aston Villa eleven were academy players and this was encouraging for their manager.
Speaking about the squad, she admitted, "We’ve got a good mix, and a couple of injuries in the week meant that Evie Rabjohn made her debut, Alice (Keitley) got her debut which is great. They’re young kids that have been training really well… Credit to them all and we’ve finished the game with five young academy players on the pitch which is fantastic but it’s what this football club is about - not just us but the men too, it’s important that we continue to develop youngsters and it’s a big priority at this football club and it’s something we’ll continue to do."
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Lehmann an "unbelievable talent"
Swiss winger Alisha Lehmann came back from being dropped to the bench against Man City last week for tactical reasons and netted twice today, and Ward was full of praise for her at full time.
"Alisha Lehmann is a wonderful human being", she stated. "She's such an unbelievable talent but as a person she’s a really good person, she’s great to have in the building, she’s a great teammate… I said to her before the game ‘you’ll score today’ which is why she came over when she scored but it’s really important we have people like Alisha Lehmann in the team."
Lehmann is a crucial player in Villa's attacking trio in their 4-3-3 formation that has proven to be the downfall of so many teams this season, not just attacking but defensively with players in claret and blue able to stop Leicester's wingers by doubling up.
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Villa the "only team in the WSL not to give tickets away"
Over 6,000 fans were in attendance at Villa Park for a celebration of football on Women's Football Weekend, and despite the West Midlands outfit not regularly playing at their men's team ground unlike their East Midland counterparts who play at the King Power Stadium for every league home game, Ward was still happy with the direction the club are taking.
"We’re the only team in the WSL not to give tickets away", Ward claimed in comparison to other Women's Super League clubs having larger attendances. "Week in, week out every team is giving away tickets. What we’re doing is building a brand of football that people want to come and pay to watch. I think that’s really important and I think that if we’re looking at long term and who’s coming to games, you give tickets away too often and in a couple of years time those people potentially don’t come back because they’re not getting free tickets any more.
"What this club’s doing is, they have a great strategy and I think it’s great, every single person in this ground today paid to be here, so it’s a credit to Aston Villa."
