it’s matchday
Welcome back to the VBS Community Stadium in Sutton, where Crystal Palace Women take on Sheffield United in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2!
Today marks our ‘Palace for All’ fixture, a club-wide campaign that proudly shows that Crystal Palace F.C. is a club where everybody is welcome.
With the game starting at 14:00 GMT, why not visit our Fanzone, where we will have our 'Women of SE25' station. You can find out more about what they do and they will also be handing out Palace for All wristbands and Palace for All string bags.
We also have our ‘Celebrating Black Legacy in British Football’ exhibition in the Fanzone, where you can find out more about the achievements of Black British football pioneers.
As always there will be live music from DJ SRae, free facepainting and a special Arts and Craft station in the Fanzone!
Like you do every week, get behind the team – and be loud, be proud...be Palace!
jopotter
Welcome to the VBS Community Stadium, where we face Sheffield United in another vitally important game in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2. Following the disappointment of last Sunday's defeat at Portsmouth, the message this week has been simple: we must confront the realities of that performance and immediately put them right.
We have had some mixed results over the last few days. There was the draw against Sunderland, the promising League Cup win over Ipswich and then the disappointing defeat to Portsmouth last Sunday. We were not at the required level, and the players know it.
The most frustrating element of the Portsmouth defeat was the drop in intensity and desire. We are a team built on playing attractive, dominant football, but that style is completely undermined if the work ethic is missing.
I made it clear to the squad that I felt we were outworked and that the opposition's appetite to win looked higher than ours. Football, at its heart, is a battle, and if you lose the battle for possession, you cannot dictate the terms of the game. Our style of play relies on our ability to first win the ball back quickly and assertively. We couldn't do that.
Our concentration levels were poor, I feel like silly mistakes and errors are costing us dearly in the league right now. We saw this clearly in the manner we conceded a goal from a free kick.
We were slow to react, slow to track back, and allowed a situation that should have been managed to turn into a one-on-one opportunity. This lack of
We were slow to react, slow to track back, and allowed a situation that should have been managed to turn into a one-onone opportunity. This lack of awareness and failure to switch on is an area we must stamp out
awareness and failure to switch on is an area we must stamp out. We cannot keep gifting teams opportunities through unnecessary free kicks and defensive slackness.
The issues weren't confined to our defence; our attack lacked conviction as well. We created numerous clear-cut chances, particularly in the first half, that should have put us in a commanding position. Yet, we failed to finish them.
We need players to show that little bit more hunger to make the chance count and put the game to bed. This lack of ruthlessness at both ends is preventing us from turning strong performances and chances created into the vital three points we need.
The recent international break certainly presents a challenge. The fatigue, the extensive travel, and the disruption to our rhythm are all factors we have had to manage over the last two weeks.
Player welfare and recovery have been a priority to ensure the squad is fresh and sharp. However, we cannot use this as an excuse for a lack of desire. We have to be better at managing the transition back into club football.
Enjoy the game.
aimee everett
Welcome, everyone, to the VBS for our clash against Sheffield United. As a squad, we were hurting a lot after the final whistle last Sunday. The loss to Portsmouth was a performance that wasn’t good enough, and the girls have been putting in a huge shift on the training pitch this week because we are absolutely ready to bounce back today.
the last week has given us a mix of feelings. Simply put, the main emotion after the Portsmouth game was disappointment. There were elements that we were pleased with in the Sunderland game, and lots of positives with our League Cup win over Ipswich. However, our focus right now is on our league performance, so to walk away from Sunday without any points was really disappointing.
The sides that challenge for promotion know how to manage moments of high pressure and deliver consistency and that's something we are still trying to find on a weekly basis.
Setbacks define a team's character, and we've dedicated this entire week to ensuring that we show a reaction on Sunday. We are under no illusions about where we need to improve.
The gaffer's message is simple: we require more aggression, more intelligence, and ninety minutes of unflinching consistency. We need to inject pure, cold-blooded ruthlessness to dominate and eliminate the sloppy
errors that gave our opponents a chance last time out.
The promotion noise is great, but it brings higher stakes. Every match is a must-win. We are channelling the external pressure into internal focus, ignoring the hype, and preparing to deliver the level of performance that guarantees maximum points.
Today, we face Sheffield United, and we know we need a big performance and, more importantly, a big result. We have the quality to beat anyone in this league, but we have to translate that potential into points.
Anyone can beat anyone in this league, and the Blades are no exception. We know they will be disciplined and hard to break down, so it’s important that we start well today and when we get our chance, we take it.
Despite the difficult start, there is still a lot of football to be played and a lot of points to be taken. If we can string a few wins together, we can be back near the top of the table and challenging for that precious promotion spot.
In order for us to get there, we will need your fantastic support to drive us on. As always, I want to extend a massive thank you to everyone in the stands, especially those who travelled to support us last weekend. We are determined to put in a performance today that gets the win and gives you all something great to cheer about.
Your support drives us, particularly when we need a lift. Please, keep making the VBS a fortress. Push us on for the full ninety minutes. We are a squad united, and with your backing, we are determined to get back to winning ways and start turning our potential into points.
Enjoy the match!
Aimee
last time out
Palace suffered a league defeat for the first time since the opening day, after Jessie Gale's 90th minute finish earned Pompey a 2-1 win.
The Eagles dominated the game for large stretches but went behind on the 32nd minute after Amber Nixon prodded the ball home.
Annabel Blanchard restored parity ten minutes later with a finish that unsighted Jessica Gray in the Pompey net.
Despite the immense pressure Palace put on in the second-half, it was the hosts that got the win on 90 minutes after Gale raced in behind to slot past Shae Yañez in the Palace goal.
Palace could have been ahead on 16 minutes, after Jamie-Lee Napier rattled the crossbar with a
ferocious strike, but fortune was not with the Eagles and the ball bounced clear.
The hosts then took the lead on 32 minutes via a spilled free-kick, that was subsequently tapped home by Nixon.
The Eagles levelled things ten minutes later, after Blanchard received the ball from Ashleigh Weerden on the left wing and lashed a shot beyond Gray to make it 1-1.
Chances were few and far between in the second-half, but Pompey managed to convert one on 90 minutes after Arsenal loanee Gale was set through by Ella Rutherford and coolly finished beyond Yañez.
Palace piled on the pressure late on but just couldn't find an equaliser.
HOW THE EAGLES SOAR.
