‘We are in touching distance’ – Aston Villa keen to challenge for top six says Ward | OneFootball

Aston Villa head coach Carla Ward has again reiterated her side’s desire to challenge for a top six finish in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

After 14 games, The Villans are just three points adrift of sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Aston Villa closed the gap between themselves and Spurs with a 2-1 victory against the North Londoners last time out.

Aston Villa face another rival in the race for a top six finish this weekend when fifth-placed Liverpool are the visitors to The Poundland Bescot Stadium. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Aston Villa boss Ward again highlighted her side’s desire to end the campaign in the top half of the table.

“After five games, nobody gave us a chance and all of a sudden, we are in touching distance,” Ward said. “We are also just a couple of defeats from being in the mix at the bottom.

“We’ve got our feet firmly on the ground, we know where we want to get to. The group are hungry to silence any of the remaining noise and continue to kick-on. They want top six, that’s what we want to go after. This weekend, three points would massively help put us into a good position.”

Latest opponents Liverpool have been one of the stand-out performers in this season’s Barclays Women’s Super League. Matt Beard’s side are enjoying just their second season back in the top flight following their promotion from the Barclays Women’s Championship. Ward went on to heap praise on Beard for the job that he has done on Merseyside so far.

She said “He’s done a wonderful job, he really has, he’s done a great job. He’s got them playing some of the best football that they’ve played in a long time; they’re resolute, they’re organised.

“I’ve got a lot of admiration for Matt [Beard] as a manager and as a person, I have a good relationship with him on and off the pitch. The job he has done has been outstanding. He’s one of the most experienced in the division and he knows it like the back of his hand.

“It’s a difficult opponent, we know that. Liverpool are where they are because they have got a lot of quality. They deserve to be where they are, so it’s going to be a tough afternoon for sure.”

Aston Villa’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Liverpool kicks-off at 2pm on Sunday afternoon. Tickets will be available on the day at The Poundland Bescot Stadium.