Defender Victoria Williams says Albion should be looking to have their best season in the Women’s Super League when the new campaign kicks off on Sunday.
The Seagulls start their third season at this level with a home game against Birmingham City and after two ninth-placed finishes Williams believes Albion have the players to kick on.
Rebekah Stott became the sixth summer signing earlier this week and Williams is excited to see how far Albion can progress after fighting relegation for the last two years.
“Our mentality this pre-season has shifted,” said Williams. “We want to get out of the relegation battles we have been involved in previously.
“We’re trying to have a bit of a culture shift and say, ‘this is the third year that Brighton have been in the WSL, so there are no excuses now’. In a 12-team league if you are not aspiring to win as many games as possible and get as far up the league as you can you’re missing a trick. There’s a good opportunity for us to look upwards and take the horse by the reins.”
Birmingham have also strengthened this summer and will arrive at The People’s Pension Stadium under a new head coach after Carla Ward joined them from Championship side Sheffield United.
“The opening game will be an interesting one,” said Williams. “Both squads have changed dramatically and it’s an exciting game because you don’t know what to expect.
“Because we’ve got quite a few new signings it’s a different squad to what we had last season. But I am excited to see how we progress, both in the league and the FA Cup.”