Roberts: I'm so proud of the players

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Interim head coach reflects on 1-0 win over his former club.

2026-01-23T22:35+00:00

Delight for Jelena Cankovic and skipper Maisie Symonds after Albion went in front. 📷Craig Galloway

Interim head coach Chris Roberts paid tribute to the players for the way they have dealt with the absence of head coach Dario Vidosic after Jelena Cankovic's first-half goal secured a WSL victory that lifted them into the top six.

Cankovic's close-range strike sentenced Everton to a sixth successive league defeat at Goodison Park, but it needed a spirited defensive rearguard in the closing stages to clinch all three points, with keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie's outstanding late save typifying Albion's defiance.

Roberts, who spent almost six years on the Goodison coaching staff himself, said: "Dario isn't here - and we miss him because he's the boss.

"We tried to block it all out, but he's a very good friend of mine as well as a colleague.

"He has managed to stay in touch this week. He has been supporting us from a distance. The players have been so good. Three points, a clean sheet on the road, I am so proud of them.

"For the first 25 to 30 minutes we were so good. We controlled the game. In fact, we probably scored when they were starting to build some pressure.

"Everton are a team with a lot of rotation and it was always going to be a challenging game here.

"In the second half we defended so well. We were a bit wasteful with the ball, which isn't like us, and we will need to analyse and discuss that. We have to manage games better.

"But I don't think they created too many clear chances and that is really pleasing. Three points, a clean sheet, I am really happy."

Roberts admitted that he refused to allow the emotion of returning to his former club affect him.

He added: "I think the players saw the calmest version of me this week. I just tried to block it all out. The way the girls responded was fantastic. They took so much responsibility in the way they pressed and shut off dangerous attacks.

"It is a tough place to come and it's been a tough week for the group. To get two wins on the bounce and put in a performance like that is really special."