An air of positivity around Bristol City’s final WSL game says Smith | OneFootball

Bristol City head coach Lauren Smith says that there is an air of positivity around the club ahead of this weekend’s game.

The Robins face Everton in their final Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Ashton Gate on Saturday. Smith’s side are still searching for their first home points of the campaign.

Bristol City have already been relegated back to the second tier but head coach Smith says that there is a feeling of positivity going into the final game of the season and that the team are keen to reward their fans with three points.

“There’s an air of positivity around Saturday and the last game,” Smith said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “From a team and a player perspective, the fans that we’ve had this year and the way that we’ve conducted ourselves as a club, we are very proud of. We feel that Saturday is an opportunity to really show our gratitude for that.

“We will always want to win. We’ve wanted to win at home all season and make sure that the fans see that. There’s no question in terms of our focus for it but win, lose or draw, it’ll certainly be an opportunity to say thank you to our wonderful fans.”

Opponents Everton have been particularly impressive on the road this season. The Merseyside club have recorded a number of wins in main stadiums. Smith says that Bristol City must be on form to get a positive result.

She said “It’s going to be a tough game. Everton have played really well in the last part of the season, they’ve picked up some points. They’re always a bit up and down, you’re not sure what you are going to get but they are a strong team and they’ve got a strong way of playing.

“It’s not going to be an easy one. We only have to look at the Leicester and Brighton games to see that the teams in and around us can hurt us if we are not focused. That’s the ruthless part of the league, we are not just talking about the top four, it’s everyone. If we are not on our game, it will be hard but do we have a chance? One hundred percent.”

Given the competition in the Barclays Women’s Championship, securing an immediate return to the top flight is going to be tough for Bristol City but Smith says that the club are determined to get back to the highest level as soon as possible.

She said “That’s the aim [to return]. We’ve all been disappointed and frustrated at times but we have only just closed the book on the WSL and we are ready to open it up again as soon as we possibly can. The next challenge for us is to get back and nobody is going to take their foot off the gas on the way to that.”

Bristol City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Everton is scheduled to kick-off at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.