Bristol back after break

Bristol Academy v Lincoln Ladies
The FA WSL
7.15pm, Friday 22 July 2011
Stoke Gifford Stadium
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The girls are back in town after a ten week break for the fantastic Women's World Cup in Germany, as the Women's Super League kicks off again with Bristol Academy Ladies facing Lincoln Ladies on Friday night.

Both sides have only won one game so far and will be hoping that a win will be the catalyst for the rest of the season. Two points separate the teams with Lincoln only two points from the bottom of the first FAWSL table.

However, Lincoln manager Rod Wilson feels like time has flown by since they last played in May and is welcoming back the players who have been on international duty.

"The last ten weeks have gone by really fast," he said. "We have been missing our England girls, Jessica Clarke, Sophie Bradley and Casey Stoney who got back on Tuesday. Hopefully they won't be too rusty.

"For the rest of us, we have been training three-times-a-week to maintain our fitness levels."

After only winning one game and scoring two goals in the FAWSL, Wilson has strengthened his side by bringing in New Zealand's Emma Kete and Northern Ireland's Rachel Furness to bolster his fire power.

"Not winning any games is a concern especially as we are not scoring enough goals," he added. "We have made two signings, but Emma has picked up a hamstring injury and Rachel is struggling with an Achilles problem."

On the other hand, Bristol Academy manager Mark Sampson has found the break frustrating and is looking forward to the season resuming.

He said: "It's great to be back. Any football coach wants to be playing games and it's frustrating to have training during the week and not have a game at the weekend."

Bristol Academy are currently unbeaten at home and Sampson puts that down to the team's character and a bit of luck.

"We have a great ground with really good facilities which suits our style of play," he claimed. "We have played very well and the girls have a very good mentality.

"They are keen to win which has been reflected in the late equalisers we have scored against Arsenal and Liverpool. It shows good team character to come back and shows that we have made the most of our home advantage."

However, after only picking up one point on the road, Sampson hopes that the second-half of the season will signal an improvement.

"The WSL is an intense competition. We have played the three best teams in the league and picked up one point which isn't the end of the world, but we would like more. We are hoping to do a lot better in the second half of the season."
 
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