Brighton & Hove Albion women’s first-team manager Hope Powell is looking for her team to convert impressive performances into goals as they prepare to face Liverpool in the FA Women’s Super League this afternoon, kick-off 2pm.
Albion head into the match following a three-week break over the Christmas period, and Powell is happy with what she has seen from her players in training.
She said, “It was nice to have the break, and it was good for the players to get a bit of downtime and be with their families and friends, especially over the festive period.
“But now, it’s good to be back and it has refreshed the players, especially leading into a very important game.
"Training has been good and everyone has been quite lively. They have all come back focussed and it’s nice to be back on the grass especially after the break.
“Everyone recognises the challenge ahead now and the importance the next few months are in relation to the season.”
Powell also highlighted how the 4-1 victory over Yeovil in their final match of 2018 can benefit the team heading into today’s game, and that the focus is now on getting more points on the board.
“The good thing for us coming into this match is that we had a good result in our last game of 2018 against Yeovil, albeit in a Continental Cup match. But we scored four goals, and the manner in which we scored them and the variation of players who scored meant it was nice to end the year on a high.
“Every game we play, the players are definitely learning and the players are definitely improving. I think now that final piece of the puzzle is winning matches because it’s the points that count at the end of the day.
“However, I can’t criticise their effort and endeavour but it’s now about converting that into goal scoring opportunities and more importantly, scoring the goals.”
Today’s opponents come into today on a six-match winless run, and while Powell believes this could work as an advantage to her team, she recognises the tough task ahead.
“Liverpool will be as desperate as us to pick up the three points. It will be a hard-fought contest and we will have to be at our best in order to get the win.
“Both teams know what’s at stake and we’re under no illusions that it is going to be tough. It might work in our favour that they haven’t had a good run recently and we did well towards the back end of 2018.
“Even though we didn't win, we played well at times against Chelsea, and also in the win against Yeovil. Hopefully, that will give us confidence going into this game.”