Manchester United Women v London City Lionesses match programme, WSL, 15.02.26

M-u-f-c, OKAy!

INSide

YOUR MATCH PROGRAMME

HEAD COACH’S COLUMN

TALK OF THE TERRACE

CAPTAIN’S COLUMN

PLAYER PROFILES

SCHULLER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

FAN MESSAGES

MARTHA HARRIS AT MILLWALL

HANNA LUNDKVIST’S LUCKY 7

THE OPPOSITION

JUNIOR REDS

STATS AT THE BACK

ADDED-TIME QUIZ

MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

Co-chairmen Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer

Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Michael Edelson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE, Omar Berrada, Sir Dave Brailsford Secretary Rebecca Britain

Honorary president Martin Edwards

MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM

Editor Charlie Ghagan Contributors Mikey Partington, Helen Rowe-Willcocks, Sean Mullan, Jamie Spencer, Nathan Thomas, Isaac Stacey Stronge Design Tom Chase

Photography Poppy Townson, Ash Donelon, Zohaib

Alam, Siobhan Chamberlain, Getty, Alamy Thanks to Ellie Decrop, Paul Davies, John Shiel, Mark Froggatt

SKINNER Marc

‘CONFIDENT

BUT NOT COMPLACENT’ IS THE MESSAGE FROM THE BOSS, WHO KNOWS IT’S VERY

MUCH

A SQUAD GAME RIGHT NOW AS WE SWITCH BETWEEN COMPETITIONS AMID A BUSY SCHEDULE

Welcome to the Progress With Unity Stadium –it’s great to be back here with you all.

We have the most incredible fanbase, home and away. I feel like I say this in all my columns but that is because each week you are matching our commitment. Your support always means so much to us – you are the driving force behind us and we greatly appreciate every one of you.

This is the first time London City Lionesses have been to our home and it already feels like a long time since we faced them away, in the second week of the season. I expect a different type of game today. They are more experienced in the WSL now and are starting to show more consistency. They will want to avenge the result from when we last met so we will show them the respect they deserve.

When we have midweek European games, it is important to park that competition and bring back the focus back to the league. We are in an important part of the season and we want to continue the run we are on. We are feeling confident but not complacent.

With the number of games we are playing right now, we have more minutes for more players so everybody needs to be ready to play. And I want my players to take their chances when they get them.

As a team, we don’t want any moments of regret. We need to take our chances and punish teams when we have the opportunity. For all the style we have, we need to find ways to win; ways to get results while keeping our famous high energy. Enjoy the game.

THE BIG

picture

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

United’s respective head coaches Michael Carrick and Marc Skinner lay a wreath at the Old Trafford memorial service for the Munich Air Disaster.

Friday 6 February marked the 68th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight United players and three officials.

The Munich Air Disaster is deep-rooted in the club’s identity and it has become a proud tradition for supporters to attend memorial services, both at Old Trafford and Manchesterplatz, the site of the crash. The

event in M16 was led by Reverend John Boyers and, despite the rain, hundreds of Reds were in attendance. It included powerful readings from journalist Andy Mitten, Foundation participants (see p27) and representatives from both our girls’ and boys’ Under-13 Academy sides.

Following the head coaches’ tribute, team captains Bruno Fernandes and Maya Le Tissier also laid a wreath (inset), with respects also paid by youth-team scholars, and Duncan

Drasdo from the Manchester United Supporters Trust. Club legend Sammy McIlroy spoke about his memories of the tragedy as a young boy from Northern Ireland. Other attendees included Arthur Albiston, Darren Fletcher, Brian Kidd, Denis Irwin, Lou Macari and Edwin van der Sar, as well as CEO Omar Berrada and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. Those lost in the disaster in 1958 will forever be in our hearts and minds.

Terrace TAlk ofthe

ALL THE CHAT AHEAD OF THE REDS’ LATEST WSL TEST...

It’s matchday in Leigh, where London City Lionesses are United’s visitors for the first time this afternoon… It’s just our second meeting with the club from the capital, who are enjoying their first season in the Barclays Women’s Super League, even if the Reds won the inaugural encounter 5-1 in week two of the WSL campaign. That mid-September battle feels like some time ago now, and it would be fair to say both sides have come a long way on their respective journeys since then. United had been yet to play a fixture in the UEFA

Champions League ‘proper’ at that point but go into this one on the back of our first-ever knockout tie in the competition on Thursday night. London City, meanwhile, were searching for their first WSL points when we last met, and arrive at the Progress With Unity Stadium today inside the top half of the table. While that’s just scratching the surface, it’s been a positive campaign for both teams to date, and United’s goal here will be to inject some further momentum into ours, while making this a day of limited progress in that of the visitors.

Speaking of our Champions League campaign, it’s been a quick turnaround from the midweek match in Madrid… United faced Atletico in the first leg of our knockout play-off tie less than 72 hours ago, and it is worth saying this programme went to print before that overseas outing, so we can’t factor in the context of the full-time result here. One thing we can say though is Marc Skinner’s Reds will be firmly focused on the task at hand in the WSL today, even if the second leg with Atletico swiftly follows this coming Thursday, here in Leigh. London City’s aforementioned standing in the table is a sign of the fearlessness and quality they pose, making this a contest we cannot afford to overlook. We’ll need to be on our game from the first whistle.

The depth in our squad can help with that – it’s been a notable positive, particularly since the turn of 2026... When Elisabeth Terland fired home the Reds’ second goal of last weekend’s 2-0 win at Leicester, it was the 10th time a substitute has either scored or assisted one of our 33 WSL goals this season. That was a league-leading number entering this weekend’s round of fixtures, and regularly being able to call on that impact from the bench highlights the depth in quality we’ve been able to utilise so far this term. It’s been important to have that in a season with the added commitments of European football and one that now sees us competing across four different competitions as the business end approaches. An action-packed and enjoyable term to date

reaches its 30th match today, a total just three shy of our busiest campaign on record, which spanned 33 fixtures in 2023/24. That’s a tally we’re on course to pass way in advance of May’s finale this time around, during a WSL trip to West Ham on 18 March.

We’ll see the Reds play in the UWCL, FA Cup and League Cup final before then, with today our last chance to put points on the WSL board for just over a month… Skinner’s side will be keen to do that, before turning the focus to those other competitions over the coming weeks. A win would strengthen our grip on second place in the table, a position we currently occupy behind leaders Manchester City, who had an eight-point advantage before hosting Leicester on Friday. While hoping to reduce the gap to our crosstown rivals, the Reds are also aiming to keep our noses ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal who are lurking closely behind – one and two points respectively – in a competitive hunt for the three Champions League spots. Chelsea host Liverpool at the same time as we play today, before Arsenal go to Brighton later this afternoon. While we’ll have one eye on those matches as fans, a United win alone would be enough to keep us in the top two for at least another month, with no WSL fixtures after today until 15 March, so here’s to that. Come on, Reds! ●

UNITE FOR ACCESS

Annual campaign celebrates inclusion for all disabled supporters

This afternoon’s WSL fixture will see Manchester United show support for Level Playing Field’s (LPF’s) ‘Unite For Access’ campaign, which celebrates access and inclusion at sports venues for all disabled fans.

The annual campaign raises awareness of the barriers that disabled fans face, championing good practice across sports venues, and encouraging clubs and supporters to take action to improve inclusion. Through campaign films and engagement with clubs, Unite For Access is vital in driving meaningful change.

Today at the Progress With Unity Stadium, head coach Marc Skinner will wear a Unite For Access badge on the touchline, driving awareness for the vital work the campaign does in advocating for, and championing, disabled supporters. The club will also host the Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association (MUDSA) and LPF in the Legends Suite for a session focusing on the matchday experience, outlining the support we provide, and identifying what more can be done to improve inclusion further.

Our men’s team game against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday 1 March will also be a designated Unite For Access fixture.

Accessibility and inclusion for all fans is important to Manchester United. In recent weeks, we have begun to improve accessibility at our Old Trafford Megastore following an Equality Impact Assessment. As part of this, we have engaged with LPF who have visited the store to provide feedback, and we are welcoming MUDSA, who will be taking part in employee training with a focus on pan-disability accessibility. The club’s

current matchday accessibility offering is extensive and includes dedicated accessibility teams and access stewards, as well as disability parking. The club welcomes assistance dogs and personal shoppers are available at the Megastore for those who require assistance – to find out more, email accessibility@manutd.co.uk or head to the Megastore’s customer service desk.

Manchester United Foundation also runs a huge amount of inclusive delivery in the community. Programmes include Ability Counts, a pan-disability football programme for players aged 5-25 held at the historic Cliff training ground; Inclusive Street Reds, offering free and inclusive mixed-ability football sessions, powered by Premier League Kicks; powerchair football; and FA para-talent sessions offering opportunities for participants with visual impairments, hearing impairments and cerebral palsy. The Foundation also has partnerships with eight SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) schools across Greater Manchester.

To find out more about LPF’s Unite For Access campaign, scan here:

If you’re interested in joining MUDSA, scan here for details:

Maya THE CAPTAIN

AS THE STAKES GET HIGHER, MAYA

KNOWS THE REDS MUST KEEP FOCUS, WITH TODAY’S GAME BEING ANOTHER BIG ONE IN THE CHASE FOR UWCL SPOTS

What a busy end to the month we have in store – but we wouldn’t want it any other way, and I’m sure you’d all agree!

This WSL fixture against London City Lionesses falls right in the middle of our two Champo knockout-phase play-offs against Atletico Madrid – I’m putting these words together before the first leg – and next weekend there’s the small matter of an FA Cup fifth-round game away at Chelsea. When jumping between competitions like this, it’s more important than ever to reset

between fixtures and keep the focus on the game ahead. Although we wouldn’t have returned from Madrid until the early hours of Friday, we’ll be confident in our preparation for this game. London City have had some ups and downs this season, as you’d expect with how much change there’s been at the club, but they have so much attacking quality, which we’ll need to be ready for.

Ahead of our trip to Madrid we’d only conceded two goals in six games since the start of the year, and keeping things tight at the back will be just as important as our attacking threat if we are to achieve our team goals in the three months ahead. We’re in a good position in the league, and we’re determined to stay right up there.

Finally, I’d just like to say it was an honour to represent the team at last week’s Munich commemorations at Old Trafford, when we all came together to pay tribute to those who lost their lives 68 years ago. Whether on or off the pitch, I’ll always be proud to represent this special club.

The 22-year-old full-back – capped 10 times by Sweden – has been one of our most consistent performers this term, excelling with her crossing as much as her defending.

2. ANNA SANDBERG 3. GABBY GEORGE

Our no.3 has played centrally in defence this season, as well as in her more recognised full-back role. She returned from injury to feature in the win v Liverpool.

SQUAD SN APSHOTs

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THOSE IN RED

MAYA LE TISSIER 7. ELLA TOONE

Toone has been dealing with a hip injury, but is close to a return. The last time she was out, she returned in fine form, winning WSL Player of the Month for January 2025.

ELISABETH TERLAND

Teri moved on to 13 goals for the season as we beat Leicester – one ahead of her dozen in all of ’24/25. Can she beat our all-time record for a season (Jess Sigsworth, 18)?

The Reds’ skipper scored our opener when we last faced London City – a penalty kick that came on her landmark 100th appearance, setting us up for a 5-1 victory.

JESS PARK

United’s fleet-footed no.8 scored our fifth and final goal when we last faced London City – the pick of the bunch as she danced through the defence before firing home.

LEAH GALTON

A back issue has kept Leah out in recent weeks, but Skinner is “hopeful she’ll be back on the field going into the international break” at the end of this month.

The 23-year-old Swedish defender – previously with AIK, Hammarby, Atletico Madrid and San Diego Wave – is settling in nicely with the Reds (as she tells us on p20).

This season has seen Melvine move into our top 10 all-time scorers list, while she was fouled to win the penalty when today’s teams last met in September.

FRIDOLINA ROLFO

The Swede made her United debut against London City, and will hope to make her mark today, having netted our most recent goal in Leigh, to seal the win against Liverpool.

Also currently on the Reds’ roster for the 2025/26 season: 1. KAYLA RENDELL (GK);

Simi had a good January, starting two cup ties while netting her first Reds goal, v Burnley. Last weekend at Leicester saw her come on for Naalsund just after the hour mark.

16. LISA NAALSUND

Our last home outing was a brilliant one for our Norwegian midfielder, as she scored two of our three goals in a Player of the Match display against Liverpool.

The exciting young forward is our most recent arrival, on 16 January, and the Swede would make two starts, plus three sub run-outs, in our next five outings after signing.

13. SIMI AWUJO 14. JAYDE RIVIERE

19. ELLEN WANGERHEIM 24. LEA SCHULLER

The German international – with a superb record of 54 goals from 82 caps – joined the Reds in late December, and she was a starter in last weekend’s win at Leicester.

Jayde’s first goal for the Reds, in what was her 50th game, came against London City in September, as she smashed the ball home from a tight angle to put us 2-0 up.

17. DOMINIQUE JANSSEN

Our versatile no.17 has been a regular in central defence this season, with the 132-capped Netherlands international linking up well alongside Le Tissier.

20. HINATA MIYAZAWA

Miyazawa has been a mainstay in midfield this term, with our away win against London City being a milestone day for Hini, as she made her 50th United appearance.

CELIN BIZET DONNUM

The Norwegian, who joined United from Spurs in 2024, is expecting a baby, meaning she’ll be watching from the sidelines for the months ahead.

18.

JULIA ZIGIOTTI

The Swedish midfielder has been in superb form, with three goals already in 2026, and she followed up her latest strike, at Leicester, with an assist for our second goal. 15.

21. MILLIE TURNER

It was our WSL trip to London City that saw Millie Turner stretchered off after a heavy collision. Now back in the fold, she’s nudging closer to 200 appearances.

39. SAFIA MIDDLETONPATEL 91. PHALLON TULLISJOYCE

The young Welsh international goalkeeper – capped seven times for her country – made her WSL and UWCL debuts this season, after her first-team bow in ’24/25.

With just two goals conceded in six games to start 2026 (ahead of our trip to Madrid), Phallon will be delighted with our defensive form. Another clean sheet today, please!

LS

englaNd has the beSt league in The wOrld ”

OUR FIRST-EVER GERMAN PLAYER DIDN’T

TAKE LONG

TO GET

OFF THE MARK, AND LEA SCHULLER IS CERTAIN THERE WILL BE MANY MORE TO COME. “I’D LIKE TO

WIN

EVERYTHING HERE, OTHERWISE I WOULDN’T BE

HERE,”

SHE ASSERTS AS WE CHAT AT CARRINGTON...

Interview Isaac Stacey Stronge

You moved to United from Bayern Munich over the festive break. How are you settling into England? What differences have you noticed from Munich? To be honest, it was very easy, everything. That was different than I expected. For the first two weeks I was in the hotel, and I’ve been in my apartment now for a few days. The girls were very welcoming, so I’ve felt like directly part of the team. That makes everything easier. The differences? I had so much organisational stuff, you know? Like, it’s different to get a car here and all this, you know! And I think what I can say, the difference to Munich is... while Munich is a very professional club, here everything is a little bit

levelled up. So, I don’t know, the food. I mean, I go here to breakfast, and the food is very good, so good! It’s small stuff that I can see here. It’s great.

You mentioned that the girls have made you feel welcome at the club. Any players in particular who’ve made you feel at home here?

I think because I met Hanna [Lundkvist] when we signed, I feel a bit connected to the Swedish part, to Hanna and to Ellen [Wangerheim], who has also just signed. We do a lot of stuff together, too, like here in the media, because we’re the new ones! And then there’s Dominique [Janssen], I speak German with her and know her from before [at SGS Essen]. And Julia [Zigiotti], too. She doesn’t speak German, but I know her already. Everyone’s been really helpful – I had a chat with Millie [Turner] and she said to me: “It’s like you are already here for many years!” That was nice.

FACTFILE

FULL NAME Lea Schuller

DATE OF BIRTH 12 November 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH

Tonisvorst, Germany

POSITION Forward

YOUTH CAREER

Hulser SV, SGS Essen

SENIOR CAREER

2013-20 SGS Essen, 143 apps, 77 goals

2020-25 Bayern Munich

180 apps, 103 goals

2025- Manchester United

6 apps, 1 goals

INTERNATIONAL CAREER

2017- Germany, 82 caps, 54 goals

It didn’t take long to get your first United goal, in the FA Cup win against Burnley. How did that feel? It felt great, and I loved that it was a header, to be honest. I hope there are many more goals. At the moment, I think I have to really arrive at the club, you know? But I’m very much looking forward.

With that win against Burnley we drew Chelsea in the next round of the FA Cup, who won the trophy last year. How did you feel about that draw? I was surprised! I didn’t know how that worked, so before I saw the scheme of this, I thought we’d get another team that’s close to us [geographically]. So, I was very surprised when I saw Chelsea... I mean, what is that? It’s the fifth round. That’s very early. I mean, I’m not super happy with this draw [laughs], but in the end, if you want to win this trophy, you have to beat teams like this!

A bit after that, we’ve got Atletico Madrid coming up in the Champions League. It’s a competition

you’ve played a lot in at Bayern. How do you think your UWCL experience can help United?

Yeah, I hope I can especially help us in the Champions League, because I think this is the main experience I can bring to the team. United played against Atletico already, but me too, I played against them already this season [Bayern drawing 2-2 away to Atletico in December]. The league competition is much higher here than it was in Germany, but the Champions League games are where I can bring my experience.

If we do get through against Atletico, it would set up a quarter-final against Bayern Munich. That would be quite something, to face your old club so soon after arriving here...

To be honest, I don’t have any feelings in the moment about that, but I love the people, I loved my team, and I have many friends there, so I’d be happy to see them again. I know it’s a great experience to play in Allianz Arena. I’d be looking forward to that, and I think that, yeah, we could do a great job against them, so they would be very annoyed of us! But we have a big play-off before anyone is thinking about that game.

Looking to the future with United, is there any particular competition that you’re looking to win here? What’s your main aim?

Everyone is talking about the [domestic] cups... I mean, I’d like to win everything here, otherwise

IhopeIcanespecially helpusintheChampions League,because ithinkthisisthe mainexperienceIcan bringtotheteam

I wouldn’t be here. We have already a very hard job [against Chelsea] in the cups, but I think we can do it. And I think, more like in the long term, it’s the league too. This is United’s first year in the Champions League [proper], and this is something that builds up over the seasons, also.

At the time of us speaking, you’ve played twice now in the WSL. You touched on it just before, but what differences have you noticed between playing here in England and in Germany?

The competition is high here, I think everyone knows that, because I think England has the best league at the moment in the world. I think a difference, too,

is here it’s more like a transition game. The games I’ve played so far were like this. More transitions, and in German football it is maybe a bit more disciplined in the tactics. So I think that’s the main difference.

We’ll move on to your connection with Dominique Janssen, who you know from your time at Essen early in your careers. Did you ever expect that one day you’d both find yourself here at United? No, I don’t think so! But I mean, I think we were always good with Essen. We were very young, both, she was 18 to 20, and I was 15 to 17 when we played together for the first time. We had a great time in Essen. We’ve spoken about this a little bit. It was really like, “It was fun”, you know? The competition was not so high in this moment, but it was a great time. I think you can never expect to meet someone again that you played with before. But yes, I’m happy now that I’m back with her in the same team.

When you first joined the Reds, you mentioned speaking with Marc Skinner before you signed. Could you just tell us a little bit about what those conversations were like and how you found your first few weeks working with him? Yeah, I mean in the beginning, when I was told about United and the team’s goals, and what would be

whenIwastold aboutwhatwouldbe expectedfromme,itwas exactly [linkedto]my strengths.iwasvery happyaboutthat

expected from me, it was exactly [linked to] my strengths. And this was very good for me, because I think at my last club, they didn’t need my strengths so much. So, I was very happy about that. When I was here for the signing, that’s what he said to me, and I appreciated that a lot. Now I came in winter [mid-season], and he said to me the most important thing for him is that I have fun, you know? That I get back to what I was before, and I appreciate that a lot.

It sounds like you’ve enjoyed your start here... Yeah, I’m really happy. I’m a bit more ‘with energy’ here and I can start to enjoy more football again.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PARTNER OF MANCHESTER UNITED

Stands IN THE WHO’S HERE FOR TODAY’S BIG GAME?

Happy 23rd birthday, Emily – lots of love, from

↑ Mike hopes that Sal and Lilly had a fantastic time at the Liverpool game here in Leigh.

↑ Olivia, aged 11, is at her first home game having travelled all the way from Southampton. Enjoy!

↑ Wishing Scarlett and Morgan a very happy birthday – they are team-mates for Walton-le-Dale U10s.

↑ Happy 11th birthday, Fliss! Love from Mum and Dad.

● Happy 50th birthday, Helen Fox-Walker. Love Tori, Spencer, Mike, Lisa and Oliver.

● Happy 11th birthday, Myles, and happy 1st birthday to Iris – love Mum, Dad and Brooke.

● Happy 16th birthday, Emily – have the best time celebrating, lots of love Mum, Dad, Lucy, Nana and Grandad.

18th for

← Lily Hughes is another Red who is turning 18. We wish you all the best!

↑ Happy birthday to David for yesterday –lots of love, from Yaz.

● Happy 18th birthday, Lucy – love from Mum, Dad, sister Evie and Busby (the dog)

● ‘A happy birthday shout-out to our favourite Linda B on her birthday today! She’s a special mum and a friend for life’.

● Happy 16th birthday, Isabel! Wishing you an amazing day – proud of you, all my love, Mum.

GETTING A SEAT ON THE TRAIN HOME

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Wangerheim ELLEN

Live every week on Sky Sports, BBC, and YouTube.

AN ENDURING LEGACY

Student has the honour of speaking about Munich and the Busby Babes

Manchester United Foundation was represented by participant Florence at the recent memorial ceremonies at Old Trafford to mark the 68th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster.

The Foundation can trace its roots back to an idea, nearly 19 years ago, to create a lasting legacy to the trailblazing, exhilarating and youthful spirit of the Busby Babes. Established to provide support and enrichment to the young people of Manchester and beyond, the club’s associated charity leans heavily on the ethos embodied by Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy’s fabled team: give youth a chance and it will flourish.

Of course, the Foundation’s work goes far beyond support on the pitch, providing opportunity and enrichment across community projects and schools. Florence, aged 13 and a student at one such school, Middleton Technology School, has benefited from multiple elements of the Foundation’s delivery.

Hailing from a family of passionate Reds, Florence has been brought up on tales of United’s storied past, and it is a combination of these factors that made her want to speak at last week’s two memorial ceremonies, explaining what Munich and the Busby Babes mean to a young Mancunian in 2026.

“It’s a story that’s always been in my family and I know exactly what it means to the club and how important it is to remember,” Florence said. “It was an honour for me to be able to speak at the memorial, representing the Foundation and the young people of Manchester. I was a bit nervous, but mainly I was just excited and very proud to be up there in front of all those United fans. It was an amazing experience and something I’ll never forget.”

As a huge fan of the women’s team, Florence and her family were treated to a hospitality experience for our WSL match against Liverpool at the start of the month, as a reward for her efforts. As well as celebrating a win, she met a number of players, including her hero, skipper Maya Le Tissier.

Well done, Florence. We’re all very proud of you!

For more, visit mufoundation.org

The Other LioNeSseS*

* and we’re not talking about England!

WHILE OUR HISTORY WITH TODAY’S OPPONENTS CONSISTS OF A SOLITARY GAME EARLIER THIS SEASON, HERE WE RECALL A MEMORABLE 2019 MEETING AGAINST THE SIDE LONDON CITY SHARE THEIR ROOTS WITH -A CLASH THAT SAW UNITED’S MUCH-LOVED NO.2 MARTHA HARRIS TAKE CENTRE

STAGE...

Words Charlie Ghagan

When Casey Stoney’s United Women took on Millwall Lionesses at Princes Park on Sunday 28 April 2019, little did we realise it would be the final time we would face this opposition. The following month, their senior women’s team split away from Millwall FC to form a new, independent club. The suffix at the end of their name would remain, but this team would be known as London City Lionesses, and the second-tier licence was transferred over to them. Looking back now, these events add another layer of significance to this springtime fixture – a 5-0 win for the Reds – who were playing for the first time since being confirmed as second-tier champions eight days earlier. And as we look to recall this thumping victory, who better to speak to than Martha Harris, the full-back who memorably scored her first (and only) goal for United that day? Now eyeing a return to the WSL with Birmingham City, the 31-year-old joins us for a Monday-morning chat following another five-star weekend for the defender, after her current side beat Nottingham Forest to keep the Blues second in WSL2...

How is Birmingham City life, Martha [below]? You look well placed for another promotion push...

I’m good, thanks. I’ve just been out this morning with [fellow ex-Red] Kirsty Smith. She’s at Forest now and we played them yesterday. It’s my fourth season here now and we’ve just strengthened our squad in the window, so things are going well for us [Birmingham beating Forest 5-1, with new arrival Lotta Lindstrom – on loan from London City – scoring a hat-trick].

A reunion with some other United team-mates here in Leigh would be nice at some point, wouldn’t it – if not in the WSL next season, who knows, maybe in the next round of the FA Cup? Hopefully! We’ve got Chatham Town in the fifth round – they’ve obviously done well to get this far and you never know with the FA Cup, but hopefully we’ll get through, and to get a big team like United in the next round would be great.

You’d be certain to get a warm reception if you do ever make it back to play in Leigh...

I’d hope so. I obviously still follow the team a bit, especially through Tooney, who I still speak to a lot. I obviously still want United to do

well and their squad is so strong, with a lot of good players from all over the world. When you look back, it’s crazy how much United have achieved since 2018.

Which leads us nicely into a few questions on that first season, in which you played 22 times – including the 5-0 win at Millwall, the team that would become London City. We enjoyed digging out some old photos from that trip south... The photos are great. I haven’t seen all of these black-and-white ones before. Shiv [Chamberlain] would often bring her camera with her, and she got it out on the bus for this trip, and in the changing room.

Let’s set the scene for your goal v Millwall: we’d won the division the previous week, we were 3-0 up in the first half, our usual penalty taker Katie Zelem had already won (and scored) a spot-kick, and then you won a penalty after being fouled... I think it was a mixture of all those factors as to why Zel gave me the ball [to take the penalty]. And then there had been chat among the group that I hadn’t scored all season, plus there was the fan, Ben, who had a banner about shaving his beard off if I did ever score! But even still, I think if I hadn’t won the penalty myself then I wouldn’t have got the call to take it. I had belief in myself though – I used to take penalties a bit for England age-group games so I was fairly confident.

the onlypressure I feltinthatmoment wasthinkingabout whatcaseywouldsay athalf-timeifImissed!

It was a precise finish to put us 4-0 up... It was! With Birmingham, we had a penalty shoot-out this season in the League Cup against Villa and I did the same. I’m quite a composed player, and I thought I’d just pass it into one of the corners. Nine times out of 10 I think a keeper won’t quite reach a kick like that.

Ella Toone told us that Casey Stoney wasn’t too happy about the kick being passed on to someone who wasn’t the designated taker. Is that right? It is! Casey wouldn’t have cared that we’d effectively already won the game – she’d have wanted us to stick with what the norm was and get as many goals as possible. I knew she wouldn’t have been happy if I’d missed, and that’s probably the only pressure I felt in that moment – thinking about what she’d say at half-time! But thankfully I scored. And to be fair, Casey did make a joke about it later.

Seven years on, how do you look back on that goal, and campaign, in the context of your career? I look back on my whole United career very fondly.

Season 2024/25

1,324 signed and charitable items distributed

517k+ total free-of-charge attendances at sessions and events 41% female participation

£2.3m raised by fans and fundraising

41,289

125 unique participants projects

the2018/19seasonwasan enjoyabletime...oneofthe bestyearsofmycareer

That season, with the new team, there was so much excitement around the group we had, and the staff we had. It was a very enjoyable time; one of the best years of my career. And seeing how the team has been progressing since then, it’s been really good to see. It’s nice to be a part of that United history.

And (just in case any readers weren’t aware), you won the WSL with Liverpool in 2014, so 2018/19 is by no means your only trophy-winning season... Liverpool was probably just as enjoyable – we won the title, played Champions League football, and had some top players, such as Fara Williams, Lucy Bronze and Gemma Davison. I’ve been fortunate in that every team I’ve played for, I’ve made a lot of good friends. It’s probably been my favourite part of being a footballer, making new friends and being able to share

memories with those people. And a lot of my closest friends are those I met at United and Liverpool.

You’ve got family links on the coaching side [dad Glen was United Women coach in 2018/19, while Casey Stoney is married to Martha’s older sister Megan]. You’re only 31, but can you see yourself going down that route once you stop playing? I can see myself going into a player care role rather than a coaching role. I think my dad probably wishes I’d go into coaching but I’m not someone who loves analysis. On my days off I’m not someone who watches loads of football – which isn’t too common with being a footballer! I’d definitely still want to work within a team environment still, but in player care, or something along those lines.

Tells us what your dad is up to these days... He’s retired now, just chilling! But he’s probably still my biggest fan, and he comes to as many games as he can. With Casey and Megan living abroad he’ll go over to America too, plus my brother now lives in Dubai so he goes there also. He still analyses my game for me when he sees it, and afterwards he’ll tell me how I’ve done. He’s loving retirement really and just supporting all his kids all over the world. Even over Christmas, if I’ve got running to do he’ll get on his bike next to me – he’s obviously a great guy, bless him!

“Love the old-school vibes!” says Martha after seeing this post-match pic of the Copa Mundial boot that struck home her famous penalty

Nice to hear. You faced London City Lionesses in a big game last season in the second tier. What have you made of their progress over the last few years? We had a ‘play-off’ with them to get promotion last season [a final-day decider between the top two], and to be fair on the day they turned up from minute one [the 2-2 draw taking London City into the WSL]. They’ve brought in a lot of players to form a very good squad –obviously Katie Zelem was there; Nikita Parris, who I know as well, is still there – so I do follow them a little bit. They struggled a bit at the start of this season, but they’ve been able to pick up form. It’s been good to see a team starting from nowhere really and building themselves up while not being affiliated to a men’s side. Now they’re in the top league, it’ll be interesting to see how they get on over the next few years.

Interview Charlie Ghagan

LUCKY

SeVEN

A RED RANDOMLY PICKS SEVEN BOXES, EACH CONTAINING AN OFFBEAT POSER. TODAY WE HAVE... HANNA LUNDKVIST!

Q: What kind of business would you like to run after you retire from football?

“I’d love to have a coffee shop. So, obviously, in San Diego [where Hanna played before joining United], there are a lot of surf shops. And I found a favourite one – one with a surf vibe, but it also had really good coffee and nice clothing, so I’d like to have something like that... a mix of everything. I do love a coffee, either a cappuccino or a flat white, depending on the time of the day.”

Q: What do you remember about your professional debut?

“I’ll talk about my national team debut if that’s okay, because me and Anna [Sandberg] debuted in the same game [in February 2023]. We were in Marbella and we [Sweden] played China. It was a late game, and I’ll always remember me and Anna walking around the whole day being super nervous! We tried to calm down each other, but we were just making each other more nervous. But then, as soon as the whistle blew, it really was a dream-come-true moment. I remember getting a good slide tackle in, and then we had three goals super early, all in the first 15 minutes. So it was a lovely game [Sweden winning 4-1]. After the game, I remember sitting on the bus on the way back to the hotel. It’s not often in sport when you can really have a moment to sit and take it all in, because it’s one thing after another, but on that bus, I put some music on, and I remember feeling really proud.”

Q: What’s your favourite city in the world to visit?

“I would say San Diego. I feel like living there [from early 2024 to late 2025] was such a privilege – the weather, the beaches, and just the vibe in general

in the city, it was super cool. And there are a lot of nice road trips you can take in from San Diego, up the Californian coast. It’s so nice.”

Q: What superpower would you want for the day?

“Good question. I think I would want to be able to fly. Yeah. I feel like that would be such a cool thing to just float in the air, especially if I need to quickly get to another country!”

Q: Do you have a favourite shirt number?

“No, I don’t have a favourite. With my last team I was wearing no.6, and with the national team I’m usually no.4, and now I’m no.5! A suitable number for my position is nice.”

The next best thing after football...

I’vedonetheold traffordtour, soI’mevenmore excitedtoget toplaythere

Q: Toughest opponent you’ve ever faced?

“Probably Spain, if I’m picking a team. But if it’s a player, that’s tough – there are a lot of good wingers out there. I’ll say Mariona Caldentey [of Spain]. We played them in the semi-final of the Nations League, most recently, and she was very good in that game.”

Q: Best stadium you’ve played in?

“The Wanda [Metropolitano] is really cool, in Madrid. But I’ve seen Old Trafford, of course. and I’d love to play there soon, hopefully. I’ve done the stadium tour, so I’m even more excited to get to play there.”

LONDON CITY LIONESSES

It was Millwall Lionesses that United faced during the 2018/19 Women’s Championship season, with the creation of a breakaway team that May marking the formation of London City Lionesses. It makes today just our second-ever meeting with the side acquired in late 2023 by multi-club owner Michele Kang, following September’s 5-1 Reds win in Bromley. The club has undergone huge changes, recruiting ambitiously while still a second-tier team and becoming the first fully independent women’s club to gain promotion to the WSL. In the background, a bespoke training centre is planned, targeted for completion in 2027. Since last season, London City have brought in 19 new players, many seasoned internationals such as France midfielder Grace Geyoro. Ex-United skipper Katie Zelem recently left on loan but fellow ex-Red Nikita Parris (right) remains.

RECENT FORM

The biggest challenge this season has been gelling a squad with 12 nationalities and enormous player turnover. They were also handed a supremely tough start, with Arsenal, Man City and United among their first four WSL games, losing all three. However, 12 points gained from a possible 15 across October and November showed rapid improvement, with London City only beaten by Chelsea during that period in a 2-0 scoreline that wasn’t sure until the 94th minute. But promotion-winning boss Jocelyn Precheur then lost his job off the back of 1-0 losses to Brighton and Leicester in December. New head coach Eder Maestre’s start has been encouraging, notably making Man City work for a 2-1 win. It meant that the defeat at home to Everton last weekend was unexpected, with Maestre’s charges dominating the key stats but losing 1-0.

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR...

The Lionesses broke the world transfer record to sign 28-year-old Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain last September – a huge coup bringing in the captain of one of Europe’s leading clubs. She’s played in all 14 WSL games since her arrival, starting 10 of them, but it’s been a learning curve adapting to the English game and Precheur noted in October that it might take a few months to see the best of her. It hasn’t all been about signing big names, however: physical forward Isobel Goodwin (below) joined the Lionesses in September 2024 after scoring prolifically for Sheffield United. The 23-year-old represents the club’s desire to nurture emerging talent, as does 20-year-old winger Freya Godfrey, signed permanently from Arsenal last summer. The latter is their leading WSL scorer so far this season with four goals.

Formed: 2019 Nickname: The Lionesses Best achievement: Women’s Championship winners 2024/25; Last season: Women’s Championship 1st; FA Cup fifth round; League Cup group stage; top scorer (all comps) Isobel Goodwin, 18 Record v United: P1 W0 D0 L1 F1 A5

LAST LINE-UP

who are the leaders?

Head coach Eder Maestre began work following the winter break. The 39-year-old made his reputation in the dugout with Tenerife in Spain’s Liga F, finishing sixth last season, and is highly ambitious. Stepping into his new role, the Basque boss called it “the best female project in football”. On the pitch, few in the women’s game have as much experience as skipper Kosovare Asllani, with the 36-year-old attacking midfielder/forward having more than 200 caps for Sweden, as well as having PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid on her club CV. Asllani has started all 15 WSL games in 2025/26 and is the team’s chief source of creativity, while she also has previous here in Leigh, having scored for Sweden in their Euro 2022 victory at our home stadium, against Portugal.

FOOTBALL FRIENDS

MELVINE MALARD

HINATA MIYAZAWA

JULIA ZIGIOTTI

ELLA TOONE LONDON CITY SAKI KUMAGAI KOSOVARE ASLLANI

GRACE GEYORO

NIKITA PARRIS

DONK

LEAGUE AT LEIGH

LONDON CITY LIONESSES ARE THE 15TH SIDE TO VISIT LEIGH IN THE WSL – CAN YOU FIND THE FIVE MISSING TEAMS FROM THE FULL LIST?

LONDON REDS

STATS

AT THE BACK

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE, 2025/26

1

WSL TOP SCORERS, 2025/26 (ASSISTS IN BRACKETS)

UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2025/26*

UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TABLE, 2025/26

SANDBERG’S HALF-TONNE

Ahead of Thursday’s trip to Madrid, Anna Sandberg was one appearance short of 50 for United. By hitting 50, it’ll move her just ahead of fellow full-back Martha Harris (see p28) on 49 games, with Anna becoming the 29th Red to hit a half-century. Anna has hardly missed a beat this term, featuring in 27 of our first 28 games, and she’s closing in on her

61-game tally for former club BK Hacken.

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

pREVIeW

IT’S TIME TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE OTHER GAMES TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND...

The latest WSL matchweek is already one game old as we arrive at the Progress With Unity Stadium today, with Leicester City having travelled north to take on Manchester City at Joie Stadium on Friday evening. League leaders City went into that one off the back of a loss against Arsenal, with the Foxes having succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against United last time out, but with the two opponents starting the game at opposite ends of the table, the odds were firmly stacked against the away side.

As the first whistle blows here in Leigh, three other midday matches kick off simultaneously. The most intriguing of that trio, certainly from our perspective, is Chelsea v Liverpool at Kingsmeadow. The current title holders are in a spot of patchy form with two losses in their last three (albeit both defeats against top-three competitors in City and Arsenal). As for the Merseysiders, despite ending last week second from bottom, they look a resurgent force with their only league defeat in four outings coming against United. Can Gareth Taylor’s side spring a surprise? With Chelsea just one point behind us heading into the weekend, we hope so.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Villa Park, with the visitors still in the hunt for a European spot. Two wins and two losses for Spurs from their most recent WSL fixtures tells the story of a stop-start season, but they’ll fancy their chances against the Villans, who have lost their last four in all competitions, including a 4-1 routing by Marc Skinner’s side at the same venue last month.

A potentially important match-up for the relegation battle rounds off the 12pm action, with Everton facing West Ham United at Goodison Park. While it’s been a tricky season for the pair, both go into the match on the back of a victory, and there could be a couple of familiar faces reuniting on the pitch, in United loanee Hannah Blundell for the Toffees, and former Reds captain Katie Zelem for the visitors.

CanGarethTaylor’sside springasurpriseagainst Chelsea?WithChelseaone pointbehindus,wehopeso

Concluding the weekend’s WSL action, before a month-long hiatus for the FA Cup and an international break, is the 2.30pm kick-off between Brighton and Arsenal. The Gunners’ last two WSL wins have come against Chelsea and City so, coupled with the Seagulls’ two consecutive losses, Renee Slegers’ side will be heading into that one with confidence. We’ll be hoping for a slip-up from the north Londoners, however, as they continue to run ourselves and Chelsea close for those Champions League spots.

F IXTURES + RESULTS

ADDED-TIME QUIZ

GET YOURSELF A SWEET LATE WINNER BY GOING FOR 10/10?

1

How many seasons did Nikita Parris spend with United?

2

Name the other club the Reds have faced competitively with ‘London’ in their name.

3 Which two players got their first United goals in September’s 5-1 win over today’s opponents?

4

What is the first name of London City Lionesses forward Delphine Cascarino’s twin sister, who had a loan spell with the Reds in 2023?

5

What is the aggregate score of our two League Cup victories en route to next month’s final?

6

Four Swedish players have joined United this season, but who was the first-ever Swede to make a competitive appearance for the Reds?

7

Two of United’s three youngest-ever scorers come from which country?

8 Which current member of London City’s squad claimed the first-ever WSL goal scored here in Leigh, in September 2019?

9 Which current Red (excluding loaned out players) was the first to win a senior England cap, doing so in September 2018?

10 Former Reds skipper Katie Zelem, currently on loan from London City to West Ham, joined United from which Italian club?

UNITED

I WANNA BE ADORED

MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN

Head coach Marc Skinner

Kayla Rendell (GK)

Anna Sandberg

Gabby George

Maya Le Tissier

Hanna Lundkvist

Ella Toone

Jess Park

Melvine Malard

Elisabeth Terland

Leah Galton

Fridolina Rolfo

Simi Awujo

Jayde Riviere

Celin Bizet Donnum

Lisa Naalsund

Dominique Janssen

Julia Zigiotti

Ellen Wangerheim

Hinata Miyazawa

Millie Turner

Lea Schuller

Safia Middleton-Patel (GK)

Tamira Livingston

Jessica Anderson

Layla Drury

Phallon Tullis-Joyce (GK)

LONDON CITY LIONESSES

coach Eder Maestre

Jana Fernandez

Poppy Pattinson

Isa Kardinaal

Teyah Goldie

Maria Perez

Lucia Corrales

Saki Kumagai

Kosovare Asllani

Danielle van de Donk

Paula Partido

Elena Linari

Freya Godfrey

Sanni Franssi

Julia Roddar

Nikita Parris

Gesa Marashi

Delphine Cascarino

Isobel Goodwin

Maddi Wilde

Rofiat Imuran

Wassa Sangare

Corinne Henson

Malou Marcetto

Emily Orman (GK)

Alanna Kennedy

Sophia Poor (GK)

Elene Lete (GK)

Grace Geyoro

Referee Ross Martin Assistants Magdalena Golba, Anastasiya Voloshchuk Fourth official Abigail Byrne