Powell eyes top-six finish in WSL finale

Head Coach Hope Powell insists Albion have as much to play for as opponents Bristol City in Sunday's Barclays FA Women’s Super League finale against Bristol City.

Albion have already claimed their highest place in the League, with seventh place guaranteed.

But they are aiming for a top-half finish and will achieve that if they win and Reading, who are currently sixth, fail to beat leaders Chelsea.

For Bristol City the stakes are even higher. Matt Beard’s side need to win and hope Aston Villa don’t beat Arsenal otherwise they will be relegated to the Championship.

Powell said, “To be honest, we’re not concerned about what might happen to Bristol City. We understand what is at stake for them, but we’re only interested in how we’re going to manage ourselves and how we’re going to perform.

“We’re more than capable of winning the game and we will be taking it very seriously because we want to finish in the top six.”

Whatever the result, Powell says it has been a season of progress despite the off-field issues created by the Covid-19 pandemic, most notably the absence of fans for all but two games of the season.

Her team were looking anxiously over their shoulders after losing 3-0 to Bristol City in January, but then won four in a row to move up the table.

“It’s been a good season for us despite all the adversity,” said Powell. “I’d say the standout moment was the way we reacted to that Bristol defeat. To then go and beat Chelsea, win four in a row and also to bounce back after losing to Everton by beating Manchester United was a real turning point.

“The players had some challenging conversations with each other after the Bristol game, so they deserve a lot of credit for what they have achieved since. We have had some challenging times but there has been a real camaraderie among the players and everyone in the backroom staff to get us to this point.”