2020–21 Aston Villa W.F.C. season

Aston Villa
2020–21 season
OwnerNSWE Group
ChairmanNassef Sawiris
ManagerGemma Davies
(until 25 January)
Marcus Bignot (interim)
(from 25 January)
StadiumBescot Stadium, Walsall
FA WSL10th
FA CupFourth round
League CupQuarter-final
Top goalscorerLeague: Ramona Petzelberger (3)
All: Shania Hayles and Nadine Hanssen (4)

The 2020–21 Aston Villa W.F.C. season was the club's 25th season under their Aston Villa affiliation and the organisation's 47th overall season in existence. It was their debut season in the FA Women's Super League following promotion from the Championship, and as a fully professional team.[1] Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Ahead of the campaign the team relocated from the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground to Bescot Stadium in Walsall.[2]

On 25 January 2021, it was announced Marcus Bignot had been appointed interim manager with the current coaching team, including head coach Gemma Davies, all retaining their positions parallel with the appointment.[3][4]

Current squad

As of 12 January 2021.[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Sian Rogers
3 DF England ENG Asmita Ale
4 DF England ENG Ella Franklin-Fraiture
5 DF England ENG Elisha N'Dow
6 DF England ENG Anita Asante
7 MF England ENG Emma Follis
8 MF Scotland SCO Chloe Arthur
9 FW Denmark DEN Stine Larsen
10 MF Germany GER Ramona Petzelberger
11 MF England ENG Amy West
12 FW England ENG Jodie Hutton
13 DF Germany GER Caroline Siems
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF England ENG Emily Syme
15 DF England ENG Natalie Haigh
16 DF England ENG Olivia McLoughlin
17 FW England ENG Sophie Haywood
19 FW Portugal POR Diana Silva
20 FW Japan JPN Mana Iwabuchi
21 MF Germany GER Marisa Ewers (captain)
22 FW England ENG Shania Hayles
23 MF Netherlands NED Nadine Hanssen
27 GK England ENG Charlotte Clarke[a]
29 GK Germany GER Lisa Weiß
  1. ^ Dual registration with Derby County, remains eligible for Aston Villa when called upon

Pre-season

2 August 2020 Friendly Aston Villa Arsenal Aston
Report Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Note: No official scoreline released
16 August 2020 Friendly Aston Villa Manchester City Bodymoor Heath
Report Stadium: Bodymoor Heath Training Ground
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Note: No official scoreline released
23 August 2020 Friendly Manchester United Aston Villa Leigh
Report Stadium: Leigh Sports Village
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Note: No official scoreline released

FA Women's Super League

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
22 3 6 13 15 47  −32 15 1 3 7 5 25  −20 2 3 6 10 22  −12

Last updated: 9 May 2021.
Source: FA WSL

Results by matchday

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
GroundHAHAHHAAAHHHHAHAAAHAHA
ResultLLLWLLWLLDLWLLLLLDDDDD
Position910111010119111111111010101011121111111110
Source: [citation needed]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

5 September 2020 1 Aston Villa 0–2 Manchester City Aston
14:30 Report
  • Stanway 6', 21'
Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Abigail Byrne
13 September 2020 2 Reading 3–1 Aston Villa Reading
14:00
Report
Stadium: Madejski Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Emily Heaslip
3 October 2020 3 Aston Villa 0–6 Everton Walsall
12:30 Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Kirsty Dowle
11 October 2020 Bristol City P–P Aston Villa Bath
14:00 Stadium: Twerton Park
Note: Postponed following a positive COVID-19 test from an Aston Villa player[6]
17 October 2020 Aston Villa P–P Chelsea Walsall
12:30 Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Postponed following a positive COVID-19 test from an Aston Villa player[6]
8 November 2020 4 Brighton & Hove Albion 0–2 Aston Villa Crawley
14:00
Report
Stadium: Broadfield Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Stacey Pearson
14 November 2020 5 Aston Villa 0–1 Birmingham City Aston
14:30
Report
Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Rebecca Welch
5 December 2020 6 Aston Villa 0–2 Manchester United Walsall
12:30
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Abigail Byrne
9 December 2020 7 Bristol City 0–4 Aston Villa Bath
18:30
Report
Stadium: Twerton Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Amy Fearn
Note: Rescheduled from 11 October 2020, following positive a COVID-19 test from a Aston Villa player.
13 December 2020 8 Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Aston Villa Canons Park
14:00
Report
Stadium: The Hive
Attendance: Sarah Garratt
20 December 2020 West Ham United P–P Aston Villa Dagenham
14:00 Stadium: Victoria Road
Note: Postponed following positive COVID-19 tests at the West Ham training ground[7]
10 January 2021 Aston Villa P–P Arsenal Walsall
14:00 Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Postponed due to a COVID-19 case at Arsenal[8]
17 January 2021 9 Manchester City 7–0 Aston Villa Manchester
12:30
Report Stadium: Academy Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Amy Fearn
23 January 2021 10 Aston Villa 2–2 Reading Walsall
12:30
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Kirsty Downie
27 January 2021 11 Aston Villa 0–4 Chelsea Walsall
19:00
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Helen Conley
Note: Rescheduled from 17 October 2020 following positive COVID-19 test by Aston Villa player
31 January 2021 Aston Villa P–P Arsenal Walsall
14:00 Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Rescheduled from 10 January 2021 following positive COVID-19 case at Arsenal. Postponed due to waterlogged pitch.[9]
6 February 2021 12 Aston Villa 1–0 Tottenham Hotspur Walsall
12:30
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Elizabeth Simms
10 February 2021 Birmingham City P–P Aston Villa Solihull
18:00 Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Postponed due to frozen pitch[10]
14 February 2021 Aston Villa P–P Arsenal Walsall
14:00 Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Rescheduled from 31 January 2021 due to waterlogged pitch. Postponed due to frozen pitch.[11]
28 February 2021 13 Aston Villa 0–4 Arsenal Walsall
14:00
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Lisa Benn
Note: Rescheduled from 14 February 2021 due to frozen pitch
7 March 2021 14 Manchester United 3–0 Aston Villa Leigh
12:00
Report
Stadium: Leigh Sports Village
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Helen Conley
17 March 2021 15 Aston Villa 0–2 Brighton & Hove Albion Walsall
19:30
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Helen Conley
28 March 2021 16 Chelsea 2–0 Aston Villa Kingston upon Thames
14:30
Report
Stadium: Kingsmeadow
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Sarah Garratt
4 April 2021 17 Everton 3–1 Aston Villa Liverpool
13:00
Report
Stadium: Walton Hall Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Stacey Pearson
20 April 2021 18 West Ham United 0–0 Aston Villa Dagenham
18:00
Report
Stadium: Victoria Road
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Amy Fearn
Note: Rescheduled from 20 December 2020 following positive COVID-19 tests at the West Ham training ground
24 April 2021 19 Aston Villa 2–2 Bristol City Walsall
12:30
Report
Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Emily Heaslip
28 April 2021 20 Birmingham City 1–1 Aston Villa Solihull
18:00
Report
Stadium: Damson Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Jane Simms
Note: Rescheduled from 10 February 2021 due to frozen pitch
2 May 2021 21 Aston Villa 0–0 West Ham United Walsall
12:30
Report Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Rebecca Welch
9 May 2021 22 Arsenal 0–0 Aston Villa Borehamwood
14:30 Report Stadium: Meadow Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Abigail Byrne

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
8 Tottenham Hotspur 22 5 5 12 18 41 −23 20
9 West Ham United 22 3 6 13 21 39 −18 15
10 Aston Villa 22 3 6 13 15 47 −32 15
11 Birmingham City 22 3 6 13 15 44 −29 14[a]
12 Bristol City (R) 22 2 6 14 18 72 −54 12 Relegation to the Championship
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ On 7 May 2021, Birmingham City were deducted one point for fielding an ineligible player in a draw against Reading on 25 April 2021.[12]

Women's FA Cup

As a member of the top two tiers, Aston Villa will enter the FA Cup in the fourth round proper. Originally scheduled to take place on 31 January 2021, it was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.[13][14]

17 April 2021 Fourth round Manchester City 8–0 Aston Villa Manchester
13:00
Report Stadium: Academy Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors

FA Women's League Cup

Group stage

7 October 2020 Group stage Aston Villa 1–0 Sheffield United Walsall
19:30
Report Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Elizabeth Simms
10 November 2020 Group stage Coventry United 0–9 Aston Villa Coventry
19:45
Report
Stadium: Butts Park Arena
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Amy Fearn
Note: Rescheduled from 3 November following positive COVID-19 cases in Coventry squad[15]
19 November 2020 Group stage Durham 1–1
(2–4 p)
Aston Villa Durham
19:45 Report
Stadium: Maiden Castle
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Christiana Hattersley
Penalties

Pos Team Pld W WPEN LPEN L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AST DUR SHU COV
1 Aston Villa 3 2 1 0 0 11 1 +10 8 Advanced to knock-out stage 1–0
2 Durham 3 2 0 1 0 12 3 +9 7 Possible knock-out stage based on ranking 1–1 5–2
3 Sheffield United 3 1 0 0 2 4 7 −3 3 0–6
4 Coventry United 3 0 0 0 3 2 18 −16 0 0–9 0–4
Source: thefa.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record

Knockout stage

13 January 2021 Quarter-final Bristol City 2–1 Aston Villa Bath
19:30
Report
Stadium: Twerton Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

Squad statistics

Appearances

As of 9 May 2021

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.

No. Pos Nat Player Total FA WSL FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK England ENG Sian Rodgers 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
3 DF England ENG Asmita Ale 23 0 16+2 0 1 0 4 0
4 DF England ENG Ella Franklin-Fraiture 11 0 10 0 0 0 1 0
5 DF England ENG Elisha N'Dow 25 0 16+4 0 1 0 3+1 0
6 DF England ENG Anita Asante 23 1 19 1 0 0 3+1 0
7 MF England ENG Emma Follis 19 2 9+6 0 0 0 2+2 2
8 MF Scotland SCO Chloe Arthur 19 1 15+2 1 0 0 1+1 0
9 FW Denmark DEN Stine Larsen 20 2 16+1 1 0+1 0 0+2 1
10 MF Germany GER Ramona Petzelberger 13 3 9+2 3 0 0 1+1 0
11 MF England ENG Amy West 10 0 2+4 0 1 0 3 0
12 FW England ENG Jodie Hutton 19 2 12+5 1 0 0 1+1 1
13 DF Germany GER Caroline Siems 17 0 10+3 0 1 0 3 0
14 MF England ENG Emily Syme 20 1 1+14 0 1 0 4 1
15 DF England ENG Natalie Haigh 22 1 18 1 1 0 2+1 0
16 DF England ENG Olivia McLoughlin 9 0 7+1 0 1 0 0 0
17 FW England ENG Sophie Haywood 10 0 3+5 0 0 0 1+1 0
18 MF England ENG Freya Gregory 10 1 4+5 1 1 0 0 0
19 FW Portugal POR Diana Silva 19 3 4+10 1 1 0 4 2
20 FW Japan JPN Mana Iwabuchi 14 2 11+2 2 0 0 0+1 0
21 MF Germany GER Marisa Ewers 22 0 16+3 0 0 0 2+1 0
22 FW England ENG Shania Hayles 23 4 13+6 2 1 0 2+1 2
23 MF Netherlands NED Nadine Hanssen 21 4 9+7 1 0+1 0 3+1 3
27 GK England ENG Charlotte Clarke 1 0 0 0 0 0 0+1 0
29 GK Germany GER Lisa Weiß 23 0 21 0 0 0 2 0

Transfers

Transfers in

Date Position Nationality Name From Ref.
2 July 2020 MF Scotland Chloe Arthur England Birmingham City [16]
4 July 2020 DF England Freya Gregory England Birmingham City [17]
6 July 2020 DF England Anita Asante England Chelsea [18]
15 July 2020 FW Portugal Diana Silva Portugal Sporting CP [19]
23 July 2020 GK Germany Lisa Weiß France Olympique Lyon [20]
29 July 2020 DF Germany Caroline Siems Germany Turbine Potsdam [21]
MF Germany Ramona Petzelberger Germany SGS Essen [22]
30 July 2020 FW Denmark Stine Larsen France FC Fleury 91 [23]
5 October 2020 GK England Charlotte Clarke[a] England Derby County [24]
21 December 2020 FW Japan Mana Iwabuchi Japan INAC Kobe Leonessa [25]
  1. ^ Dual registration with Derby County

Transfers out

Date Position Nationality Name To Ref.
11 June 2020 DF England Jade Richards England Blackburn Rovers [26][27]
FW England Kerri Welsh [26]
MF England Alice Hassall England Coventry United [26][28]
MF Republic of Ireland Phoebe Warner England Coventry United [26][29]
FW England Melissa Johnson England Sheffield United [26][30]
DF England Charlotte Greengrass England Nottingham Forest [26][31]
MF Austria Sophie Maierhofer Germany MSV Duisburg [26][32]
GK Poland Daniela Kosinska England Stoke City [26]

References

  1. ^ Association, The Football. "Chelsea Women awarded Barclays FA WSL title and Aston Villa win Women's Championship". www.thefa.com.
  2. ^ "Aston Villa Women to play home games at Walsall's Banks's Stadium". BBC Sport. 12 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Marcus Bignot joins Aston Villa Women as Interim Manager". Aston Villa Football Club.
  4. ^ "Aston Villa Women appoint Marcus Bignot as interim manager; Gemma Davies remains as head coach". Sky Sports.
  5. ^ "Women's Team". www.avfc.co.uk.
  6. ^ a b "Two Villa games off after Covid-19 test". BBC Sport.
  7. ^ "West Ham United postpones U18s, U23s and women's fixtures". www.whufc.com.
  8. ^ "Saturday's WSL games off over Covid cases". BBC Sport.
  9. ^ "Arsenal fixture postponed for a second time". Aston Villa Football Club.
  10. ^ "Second City Derby: Postponed". Birmingham City Football Club.
  11. ^ "Villa-Arsenal WSL game frozen off". BBC Sport.
  12. ^ "Blues Women deducted one point". Birmingham City Football Club. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  13. ^ "The Women's FA Cup Season 2020–21 List of Exemptions" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 10 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Women's FA Cup to remain suspended during coronavirus lockdown". Sky Sports.
  15. ^ "Aston Villa and Coventry United clash is off". www.newschain.uk.
  16. ^ "Chloë Arthur signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  17. ^ "Freya Gregory joins Aston Villa". Freya Gregory. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Anita Asante signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  19. ^ "Diana Silva signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  20. ^ "Lisa Weiß signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  21. ^ "Caro Siems signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  22. ^ "Ramona Petzelberger signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  23. ^ "Stine Larsen signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
  24. ^ "England Under-21 international goalkeeper signs dual registration terms with Aston Villa". FAWSL Full-Time. 5 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Villa sign Japan captain Iwabuchi". BBC Sport.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h "Villa Women announce player departures". www.avfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  27. ^ "Rovers complete Richards deal". www.rovers.co.uk.
  28. ^ "Alice Hassall joins Coventry United". Coventry United LFC. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  29. ^ "Phoebe Warner joins Coventry United". Coventry United LFC. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Mel Johnson signs". www.sufc.co.uk.
  31. ^ "Greengrass becomes newest arrival". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk.
  32. ^ Presseabteilung, MSV Duisburg. ""Werden uns weiterhelfen": Neuzugänge für die ZebraFrauen". MSV Duisburg.