Everton set for their big week

Nottingham Forest LFC v Everton LFC
The FA Women's Premier League National Division
2pm, Sunday 3 May 2009
Redditch United FC, Redditch 
Carlton Town FC

Everton travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday for the first of three games in a week that could end in the glory of winning The FA Tesco Women’s Premier League.

The Toffees are sitting three points behind leaders Arsenal after the Gunners, in their penultimate match of the campaign, won 2-0 at Chelsea on Thursday evening.

But with two games in hand Everton will be three points clear at the top of the table if they beat Forest and then Doncaster Belles ahead of Sunday week’s crunch meeting with Arsenal in the League’s final match of the season.

A tumultuous end to the campaign is thus in prospect, but before thinking about their home game against the champions the Toffees must concentrate on two away fixtures that they will be desperate to win.

They will be favourites in each encounter, having previously hammered Forest 7-0 at home and beaten the Belles 1-0.

But captain Fara Williams said: “We’re not going to get an easy ride in either game, so we’ve got to keep our focus and not even think about the Arsenal match.

“When we beat Forest at our place it was one of those days where everything went for us. Every time we attacked we seemed to score, but we can’t expect that to happen on Sunday and Forest – who’ve got some good young players – will make it hard for us.

“When we go to Donny in midweek we know we’re in for a tough time. They get in your face and mess up your play, and they’re good at doing it.

“They obviously did it against Arsenal recently because they came out of that game with a goalless draw, which obviously helped us in terms of points.”

Sandwiched between Everton’s next two games is Monday’s FA Women’s Cup Final, in which Arsenal will be facing Sunderland at Derby County’s Pride Park.

So although the Toffees have a tough end of season schedule, so do the Gunners as they look to win the Cup for a fourth successive season and then take the League title for the sixth time in as many years.

Williams said: “The Cup Final could be a distraction for Arsenal and hopefully it will drain them as much as our games will affect our energy levels.

“In the last match of the season we’ve got against them it might come down to energy and desire as much as footballing ability, but we’re not even considering that yet – all we are thinking about at the moment is trying to get three points at Forest on Sunday.”