Amy Merricks says home form is going to be crucial for Albion during the run-in.
They get another chance to claim a first Barclays Women's Super League win of the season at the Broadfield Stadium today when they entertain Manchester United, two weeks before the sides meet again in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
In their last home outing Albion were only condemned to a 2-1 defeat by a last-minute goal against another of the title chasers Manchester City.
“We want to make it where teams dread coming to our ground,” said interim head coach Merricks. “We made it tough for Manchester City in the last home game and we want to do the same to Manchester United. They are a good side so we’re going to have to play very well. We’re going to have to compete but we will fight.”
Albion drew 2-2 at Reading last time out despite holding a 2-0 lead thanks to two goals by Vea Sarri. Merricks insists her players can use the frustration of not picking up three points to ‘fuel’ their performance on Saturday.
“We do feel we dropped two points last Sunday even though it was one of our best performances, so we have to pick those points up somewhere else. We’ve had some honest conversations about the game – we need to perform in both halves and not lose focus - and we know where we need to improve. But we’re optimistic about the direction we’re moving in."
With over 4,000 tickets sold, today’s attendance will be the biggest for a WSL fixture at the Broadfield Stadium.