Southampton FC Women return to St Mary’s as they host Crystal Palace in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 on Sunday 1st February.
THE MATCH
Saints vs Crystal Palace
Barclays Women’s Super League 2
St Mary’s Stadium
Sunday 1st February, 2pm
BUY TICKETS
Saints will be looking for a WSL2 bounce back as they return to St Mary’s for the first time since their 4-0 win over Portsmouth in a record-breaking south coast derby three weeks ago.
Backed by a new club-record league attendance, Simon Parker’s team swept aside their local rivals thanks to goals from Jess Simpson, Ellie Brazil, Mary Bashford, and Aimee Palmer.
Narrow defeats in the league and cup against Bristol City and Sunderland respectively followed, as Saints now face an important February to continue their hopes of pushing higher up the table.
Jess Simpson celebrates last time out at St Mary’s. (Photo: Chris Moorhouse)
Crystal Palace recovered from their slow start to the season as they now sit in fourth place in the league in touching distance of both the automatic and play-off promotion places.
Jo Potter’s side are five games unbeaten in the league, but have suffered losses against WSL outfits Arsenal and Chelsea in the League Cup and FA Cup either side of the Christmas break.
Last time out, goals from Abbie Larkin and Annabel Blanchard, along with a Molly-Mae Sharpe brace, earned a 4-0 win over Durham to lift the Eagles up to fourth.
PREVIOUS MEETING
The reverse fixture provided an eight-goal thriller as the two sides shared a point in a remarkable 4-4 draw.
Saints’ goalscorers on the day were Michaela McAlonie, Ellie Brazil, Tara Bourne, and Megan Collett, as the lead changed hands on four occasions at the VBS Community Stadium.
SUNDAY’S OFFICIALS
Referee: Amy Fearn
Assistant Referee: Steven Walsh
Assistant Referee: Elora Hardstaff
Fourth Official: Michael Butcher
MANAGER PREVIEW
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s return to St Mary’s, Head Coach Simon Parker emphasised the importance of focusing on the positives of his side’s last home league outing.
“Palace are a decent side so it’s going to be tough, but we always enjoy being at St Mary’s so it’s a good game for us and an opportunity to recover back from the result we had last week.
“The support we get is great and having the recent result there was a fantastic night and something we want to replicate again so we’re really focusing on putting things right and hopefully re-capturing that feeling.”
TICKET NEWS
Tickets for this WSL2 fixture are on general sale, with family-friendly pricing and a welcoming matchday atmosphere making it a great afternoon for regular supporters and first-time visitors alike.
Tickets are priced at just £10 for Adults and £4 for Under-18s.
These tickets, as introduced last season, will still be on the Saints Tickets App once claimed.
Supporters should download the app and their tickets prior to coming to the Silverlake Stadium.
MATCHDAY INFORMATION
From a Sunday carvery in The Dell to bttomless brunch at LEVEL1, we have plenty of activations to maximise your matchday! Find out all you need to know in our dedicated Matchday Information article.
CAN’T MAKE IT ON SUNDAY?
This season, all league matches will be broadcast live on the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 YouTube channel, with coverage starting shortly before kick-off.
There will be live updates and plenty of behind-the-scenes access on our dedicated social media accounts as always, with full match highlights to follow after the game: