Albion Women head coach Siobhan Hodgetts-Still believes her side created chances but could’ve been more clinical in their league defeat to Liverpool Feds on Sunday.
Feds scored in each half without reply through Paige Cole and Bethany Donoghue as the Baggies were beaten in their second FA Women’s National League North clash of the calendar year.
And head coach Siobhan Hodgetts-Still says there were points to improve upon after a disappointing afternoon at the Valley Stadium.
She said: “I thought in the first half that we competed, for the neutral in the first half it was a great game to watch, I thought it was end to end. We created some very good chances, we hit the crossbar and we had a goal disallowed.
“We created good chances that we should’ve finished if we were a bit more clinical. In the second half I thought we struggled at times and overplayed in our half, we didn’t exploit those spaces in wide areas.
“In the last 15, we did put pressure on them and go and create but credit to Feds in and around the box, their tackling and blocking stopped two or three clear-cut opportunities. Credit to them for their defensive display.”
Hodgetts-Still welcomed the return of defender Taylor Reynolds whose last competitive matchday squad appearance was back when the Baggies beat Feds 3-2 in the FA Women’s National League Cup earlier in the season.
The full-back should provide another boost to the squad ahead of a busy few weeks for Albion and the head coach is pleased with the options available to her.
She said: “I think it’s been 12 weeks without her, she got 35 minutes in a friendly last week and this week she got 55 minutes. I thought she did well, so it’s great to have her in and around the squad again.
“For me it’s hard every week, the girls are pushing in training and there are hard decisions to pick a squad of 16. That’s what we want, we want the competition and it pushes players and keeps them on their toes, we want that as a group of staff to be able to have those options.
“The competition for places just gets better and better.”
Before they return to league action, the Baggies have a local derby to play as they take on Wolves Women next weekend in the Birmingham County FA Senior Challenge Cup, a prospect Hodgetts-Still is hoping to relish.
“Wolves are a good side, it is a local derby, and the competition is a big one for us. Whenever we play Wolves it’s a big competition, it’s the semi-final of the cup and the girls are buzzing, the staff are buzzing.
“Last time, we did create chances, we did work hard and our defensive display was excellent but I’m hoping the girls are up for it, we’ll fight. Let’s go and see if we can win to get ourselves into the final.”