Aston Villa W.F.C. is currently sitting at eight in Barclays F.A. Women’s Super League with 20 points, five more than they managed in the previous season. The team secured its FAWSL survival under manager Carla Ward.
Isle of Wright’s own Carla had a prosperous career spanning from 2004 to 2018 when she transferred to the manager role. The Women’s Super League has made considerable strides in the last decade, even securing a lucrative £10 million sponsorship from Barclays, the same name the men’s Premiership carries.
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Playing career
Carla Ward successfully saved several clubs from relegation as a manager and had a notable playing career as a midfielder. She started in the youth selection of Torquay United and then moved to Bristol Rovers as a senior player.
The central part of Carla Ward’s playing career in Sheffield FC was when she scored over 100 goals in more than 200 appearances in ten years. After one year in Spain with Sporting Plaza de Argel, she joined Leeds United. Ward had a short stint with Leeds and then moved for the next three seasons to Lincoln Ladies.
Transition to Premier League manager
After leaving a massive mark on Sheffield FC, Carla joined Sheffield United in 2017. She was a player and assistant manager for the side in F.A. Women’s Premier League Midlands Division One. In January the following year, she took over as interim manager. In two years, Sheffield United played in the second-highest division. Carla Ward led them to 5th and 2nd place finishes. United had tremendous success, and Ward’s leadership was an essential part of the club’s application for the F.A. Women’s Championship. In 2019 Ward was awarded the F.A. Women’s Championship Manager of the Month trophy.
After two years, Ward and United separated, and the next stop was Birmingham City, which played in the top flight of England women’s football. Although players and Ward had several serious issues with the club’s infrastructure, Birmingham City managed to stay in the league as 11th of 12 top teams. Carla Ward was among W.S.L. Manager of the Year candidates for her efforts in saving the rebuilding team.
Aston Villa manager
Carla Ward will soon celebrate the first year on the Aston Villa bench, a team that narrowly avoided relegation, mustering 15 points on the league table in the previous season. The new coach inspired the team with over 12 players on various national team rosters, and Villa started the campaign with two wins and a draw in September.
The second month brought stricter competition and two hard losses against Arsenal and Reading. Aston Villa had to wait until mid-November for the successive win against Birmingham City, Carla Ward’s previous club. The season’s most significant success came in the 11th round when Villa trashed Sunderland 7-0. However, that didn’t help in the next matches, and Aston Villa Women had four consecutive losses.
So far in the season, Aston Villa has six wins, with two draws and eleven losses, and this already topped the previous season by five points. The latest win came at the beginning of April. Then, Villa beat Tottenham 1-0.
Villa avoided relegation
Three fixtures before the season end, Aston Villa is way above the relegation zone with 20 points, 15 more than last place Birmingham City. However, Villa had a demanding schedule in the previous three games, hosting third-place Manchester United and playing at second-place Arsenal.
The season ends on May 8th with a home game against her former club Birmingham City. It is an excellent opportunity to end the tournament on a high note and engage players for the following year. Also, Ward can officially send Birmingham to the Championship.
Place for improvement
Aston Villa so far conceded 32 goals, way more than the top five teams in the league. Carla Ward’s side has an even bigger issue: low production on offense, where Villa players scored only 13 goals in 19 matches.
With many awards in her short managerial career and successfully reaching the goals of the clubs she led, Carla Ward should have an even better second season with Aston Villa. However, Chelsea is the team to beat in the league, and Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City are trying to beat the reigning European champion.
For Aston Villa, some moves have to be made to elevate the club into contention for top spots. However, from previous experience and results, we can expect Villa will avoid relegation in the next campaign.
