The only statistic that counts will show an imperious Arsenal scored six yet again in a familiarly one-sided victory but those who watched saw the champions matched stride for stride before the hapless referee - who had already aggrieved the visitors by failing to spot a blatant piece of obstruction in the build-up to the hosts’ second goal - decided to play nine minutes of injury time. (read more)
Arsenal Ladies 6 Birmingham City Ladies 2 (Report to follow). The match was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests.
Birmingham City Ladies Reserves 1 Leicester City Womens Reserves 1
Doncaster Rovers Belles plan to have a “Festival of Football” when Birmingham travel to their stadium on 12 October in order to try to keep the Belles team going. Their male counterparts will play a showcase match against the legends and hopefully attract a large crowd.
Redditch have advised that there is an FA Youth Cup match being held on Wednesday evening. This takes preference over the planned Premier League Birmingham Ladies match against Everton, which has therefore been postponed.
This afternoon the first team went out of the Premier League cup in the First Round with a narrow 2-1 deafeat at Everton. However the reseves on their return to the Northern Premier Reserve league after a three year absence recorded a 11-0 victory away to Stockport County.
The First Team have proved they are up for a challenge and that is what they have over the next seven days. On Sunday, 14 September they are away to last season’s League Cup winner’s, Everton, in the first round of the League Cup. Arsenal, like Chelsea and Everton, have six players in the recently chosen England squad and Birmingham travel away to them on Sunday 21 September to take on a team who have scored 33 goals in winning five matches but who are expected to be missing crucial players Kelly Smith (suspension), Ciara Grant and Emma Byrne (International duty). It could be interesting, very interesting - you go girls!
Despite not playing today results went in Birmingham’s favour. They are still in sixth place after Liverpool and Fulham drew 2-2 and Watford beat Leeds 1-0. Bristol failed to pull away from Birmingham after their 3-0 defeat against Chelsea. In the other game played Arsenal beat Doncaster 6-1. This was Arsenal’s fourth match in a row in which they have scored six goals or more. Everton’s match with Nottingham Forest was postponed.
Losing 3-1 and comprehensively outplayed by big spending Chelsea at half time, Birmingham looked dead in the water, but Stuart Wilson has fostered a new fighting spirit in a group of players determined to prove they are no weaker after high-profile summer departures and Blues rolled up their sleeves and bloodied the noses of their shell-shocked hosts. (read more)
…Doncaster Rovers Belles are the latest Women’s football club to announce financial difficulties.
The Reserve team play their final pre season freindly tomorrow night (Tuesday 2nd Sept) against Wolves at Holyfields Sports Centre Woodacre Rd Erdington B24 0JT.
Map Directions to the Ground
Kick off will be at 6:30pm
