Featured photo by Natalie, all rights reserved.
Birmingham City
Birmingham have had a busy spell behind the scenes leading up to the 2020/21 WSL season with Carla Ward taking charge. The former Sheffield United manager takes the reigns at the Blues after the departure of Marta Tejedor during last season’s campaign.
On the incoming transfer front, it has been a quiet time for Birmingham with the arrival of Christie Murray from Liverpool, the sole signing so far this summer for the club. A host of player departures including the influential Lucy Staniforth and Kerys Harrop to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively have left the side with the smallest squad in the league. Notably the Blues currently have 11 senior players with only one senior out and out defender in Harriet Scott at the club. Hannah Hampton is the only senior goalkeeper while midfielder Heidi Logan is returning from an ACL injury and has returned to training ahead of the new campaign
It will be a season for the youngsters and academy to shine with 16-year-old full back, Lily Simkin leading the charge. The youngster made her senior debut during last season and is expected to play a huge part during this campaign.
Manager Carla Ward is expected to have a tough debut season in the Women’s Super League but surviving the drop will be the focus. An away trip to Brighton to start the season will give Ward a good sign of where the squad are at but a second weekend visit from Manchester United to Solihull could provide a challenge.
Below we take a look at three players that could prove vital in the Blues hunt for WSL safety:
Star of the Show: Hannah Hampton – GK – £25,000 – 69 points during 2019/20 WSL campaign
There has been a big reshuffle at Birmingham over the summer, but a mainstay in that side is England goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton. The 19-year-old has already made the number one shirt her own at the club and heads into her second season as the Blues first choice stopper. She was the third highest points scoring Birmingham player at the club last season and from those, the only one remaining with the Blues. Hampton will be looking to push on for further international recognition after making the step up to the senior side earlier this year. As the only senior goalkeeper currently with the Blues, Hampton is likely to get a lot of game time. The £25,000 price tag could tempt managers on a budget.
Learn more about Hampton’s career so far here
New Arrival: Christie Murray – MF – £40,000
Birmingham’s one and only signing of the season so far, Christie Murray made the move to the Blues from Liverpool. With the Reds facing the drop down to the Championship, Murray returns to the WSL. An experienced player, the 30-year-old could prove vital in a young and fairly inexperienced, small Birmingham squad. Murray will be expected to lead by example and after only scoring 14 points last season in the game, will be hoping for a better return. The Scottish international will hope to push on this season and fans will hope she can fill the void left by Lucy Staniforth. Murray comes straight in as the premium Birmingham player and will cost managers a £40,000 price tag.
Kid on the Block: Lily Simkin – DF – £15,000 – 16 years old
With only one senior defender (Harriet Scott) on the books at Birmingham as it stands, young full back Lily Simkin could have a huge part to play this season. The 2019/20 season was her breakthrough, featuring six times in the WSL including five starts scoring 23 ShePlays points; a season that when it started, she was still only 15!
Turning 17 in September, Simkin was a member of the kit launch featuring heavily in advertisement and across social media channels for Birmingham. This is a strong sign that the youngster is here to stick around. The England youth international has had a beneficial position change from midfield to defence and at the lowest price of £15,000 will certainly be a player to keep an eye on.