When Willie Kirk arrived at Everton in December 2018 the team was bottom of the WSL and not so much a sleeping giant as a fallen one. The club that had been as close as any to challenging Arsenal’s dominance a decade earlier, and produced a string of England internationals, was heading back to the ignominy of a second tier they only escaped the previous year.
Two years on and Everton are an unbeaten, second in the WSL and into Sunday’s final of the delayed 2020 Women’s FA Cup. Holders Manchester City are their opponents but after despatching Women’s Super League champions Chelsea in the quarter-finals Everton will not lack belief.
It is the tenth anniversary of their last silverware, the 2010 Women’s FA Cup. Co-incidentally that year Kirk led Hibernian to triumph in the Women’s Scottish Cup. That game was at Alloa Athletic, this one is at Wembley, though Alloa’s Recreation Park had more fans as Covid restrictions means Sunday’s match is behind closed doors.
There was some discussion, speaking to Kirk via Zoom this week, as to how the absence of fans will affect an Everton side only one of whom has played at Wembley. Covid protocols means the team cannot even visit in advance. The bottom line is neither he nor anyone else knows. Every player is different, he observed, some respond well to the pressure of a crowd, some do not. But he recognised the value of Izzy Christensen, a Wembley scorer for City in their 2017 victory.
“People like Izzy are absolutely essential to what we’re trying to grow at the club,” he said. “We’re trying to grow a group of winners. People like Izzy are really important in developing that mindset.
“Izzy has been there and done it, and her experience on a day-to-day basis is huge for us, never mind on a one-off occasion like this.”
City have the better players and a squad so deep several internationals will not make the starting XI, but besides Christiansen Kirk has some stars of his own to call on such as Aussie flyer Hayley Raso, young English keeper Sandy MacIver, Scottish midfielder Lucy Graham and French centre-forward Valerie Gauvin, whose ability has caught the eye of Everton men’s coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“This can be a launchpad for us to go on for future success,” Kirk added. “We are determined to get back to the days where Everton were competing for trophies and winning silverware. Ten years is too long for a club this size.”
Having initially been left behind when City and Chelsea raised the bar for women’s football in this country, Everton have been making up ground. When Kirk arrived the players still did their own laundry.
But not any more – they also train at the club’s Finch Farm complex and play within the city at Walton Hall Park rather than at Crosby, Southport or Widnes, all recent venues.
“The club trusts us, believe in us and wants to invest in us,” said Kirk.
Opponents City have won plenty in recent years but their manager has not. Tomorrow represents a chance for Gareth Taylor to make a mark in only his tenth match in the dug-out. The former Wales international hopes his team’s superior experience will tell. Not only have they won two of the last three finals but also played at a shuttered Wembley in the Community Shield in August.
City are justified favourites but Everton should be harder to dismiss than Birmingham and West Ham, who City respectively beat 4-1 and 3-0 in the 2017 and 1019 finals.
Indeed, if Everton start well then Kirk’s prediction that the twin tenth anniversaries mean it is ‘written in the stars’ could be fulfilled.
Women’s FA Cup final probable teams:
Everton (4-5-1): MacIver; Moe Wold, Finnigan, Sevecke, Turner; Raso, Christiansen, Graham, Egurrola, Sorensen; Gauvin.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Roebuck; Bronze, Houghton, Bonner, Stokes; Mewis, Walsh, Lavelle; Stanway, White, Kelly.
Referee: R Welch
Kelly up against former teammates
Manchester City striker Chloe Kelly began this FA Cup campaign in January by hitting the post as Everton beat London Bees 1-0. She played again when Everton won 5-0 at Bristol City in the last 16. Then came Covid-19, a long break, and a move to City.
On Sunday the 22-year-old lines up against her former teammates, with the FA allowing players to feature for two clubs given the season’s unique circumstances.
“It means she’s guaranteed a winners’ medal,” said Everton boss Kirk wryly.
Kirk regards Kelly as the only player whose departure he regrets – having broken into the England team at Everton Kelly turned down a new contract to join City. She has quickly become one of their key players.
“She’s bedded in well and is a real asset,” said City manager Taylor, who has tapped Kelly for information on Everton.
“It was a tough decision to leave,” Kelly said. “I was enjoying my football. But I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to come to such a huge club and play in the Champions League.
“This is a strange situation but it is an FA Cup final, something dreams are made of. Whoever it is against we want to get the job done.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2HLDGd4
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