Albion head coach Melissa Phillips says the strength of her squad is “incredible” after their 2-1 win over Everton in their Women’s Super League opener.
Elisabeth Terland’s first-half double got Brighton off to an ideal start at Walton Hall Park on Sunday, only for Everton captain Megan Finnigan to give her side hope with 25 minutes remaining.
But Albion, for whom four players six players made their debut, showed some grit, and combined with the impact of the second-half substitutes they did enough to secure the three points. While there is work to do, Phillips was delighted with the victory.
“We said before the game, the new era of Brighton Women's football didn't start today it started three months ago when we assembled this squad," she said. And the strength of the squad is really incredible, you saw with the players that came on at the end of the game and changed the tempo and saw out the match.
"There is always going to be building and growing that needs to happen throughout the season, it's going to be a journey but getting three points here builds belief.”
Albion were dominant in the opening 20 minutes but the hosts came to life and after Finnigan’s strike Brian Sorensen's side looked like they could equalise.
However, second-half substitutes Veatriki Sarri, Tatiana Pinto, Maisie Symonds, and Charlie Rule helped take the sting out of the game after their teammates laid the foundations for the win.
"I think 2-0 is a hard lead to protect going into the second half. When we went 2-0 up it woke them up and it was probably a tale of two halves,” added Phillips.
“I think our press was excellent in the first half, it really rattled them and we created some goals from that. In the second half we had to weather the storm a little bit and I think the players that came on really helped change the tempo and were excellent in seeing out the game.”
Albion take on West Ham at the Broadfield Stadium for their first home game of the season next Sunday.
Looking ahead to that match, Phillips added: "We are only as good as our next performance. There's a lot to build on from this but ultimately we need to hit the ground running going into next week and all eyes are now on the West Ham game."