Kirby sees positive signs despite opening-day defeat

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Midfielder reflects on Sunday's 1-0 loss in the WSL opener against Arsenal.

Heather Miller

2026-09-07T06:00+01:00

Fran Kirby puts Arsenal under pressure. 📷Kyle Hemsley

Fran Kirby reflected on a competitive opening-day display against Arsenal, pointing to clear signs of progress under new head coach Arturo Ruiz despite a narrow 1-0 defeat. After an early goal proved the difference at Broadfield Stadium, the experienced midfielder praised her team's resilience and tactical adaptation, emphasising that the squad is fully bought into the new manager's vision for the season ahead.

She said, "It is always tough for the first home game of the season when you're playing a team like Arsenal. But I think there were some really positive moments. We probably didn't have them for long enough spells, but we created some really good chances, especially in the second half. It's just about building on that and putting them to bed.

"I'm really proud of the way the team played. We stuck to the game plan really well. Obviously, with a new manager coming in to implement his way we will have to take some time to build and learn from him. To win or draw football games you've got to put the ball in the back of the net, and we have to start being more clinical. We're putting bodies on the line and Chi is making some fantastic saves, so we have to repay it at the other end and start scoring.

"Today was probably a little bit different because we had to respect the opponent — we know how good Arsenal are on the ball, so we had to be a little bit more defensive than we're used to.

"But you could see what we were trying to do. The transitions worked really well for us, and when we did have the space to play we were really good in those moments as well. It's going to take a bit of time to learn under a new manager, but we're excited with the changes that he's bringing in right now.

Kirby voiced her appreciation for the home crowd's backing in the opening day fixture at Broadfield Stadium. She said, "The support was incredible. We always get a good crowd here and they always bring the noise - they're always supporting us whether we win, lose, play well, or play badly. We really appreciate it, and hopefully we can keep building the fan base here and keep people backing us."