2020–21 Aston Villa W.F.C. season

Aston Villa 2020–21 football season

Aston Villa

2020–21 season

Owner

NSWE Group

Chairman

Nassef Sawiris

Manager

Gemma Davies
(until 25 January)
Marcus Bignot (interim)
(from 25 January)

Stadium

Bescot Stadium, Walsall

10th

Top goalscorer

League: Ramona Petzelberger (3)
All: Shania Hayles and Nadine Hanssen (4)

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

← 2019–20

2021–22 →

The 2020–21 Aston Villa W.F.C. season was the club's 25th season under their Aston Villa affiliation and the organisation's 47th overall season in existence. It was their debut season in the FA Women's Super League following promotion from the Championship, and as a fully professional team.^[1] Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Ahead of the campaign the team relocated from the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground to Bescot Stadium in Walsall.^[2]

On 25 January 2021, it was announced Marcus Bignot had been appointed interim manager with the current coaching team, including head coach Gemma Davies, all retaining their positions parallel with the appointment.^[3]^[4]

Current squad

As of 12 January 2021.^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ENG	Sian Rogers
3	DF	ENG	Asmita Ale
4	DF	ENG	Ella Franklin-Fraiture
5	DF	ENG	Elisha N'Dow
6	DF	ENG	Anita Asante
7	MF	ENG	Emma Follis
8	MF	SCO	Chloe Arthur
9	FW	DEN	Stine Larsen
10	MF	GER	Ramona Petzelberger
11	MF	ENG	Amy West
12	FW	ENG	Jodie Hutton
13	DF	GER	Caroline Siems


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
14	MF	ENG	Emily Syme
15	DF	ENG	Natalie Haigh
16	DF	ENG	Olivia McLoughlin
17	FW	ENG	Sophie Haywood
19	FW	POR	Diana Silva
20	FW	JPN	Mana Iwabuchi
21	MF	GER	Marisa Ewers (captain)
22	FW	ENG	Shania Hayles
23	MF	NED	Nadine Hanssen
27	GK	ENG	Charlotte Clarke^[a]
29	GK	GER	Lisa Weiß

^ Dual registration with Derby County, remains eligible for Aston Villa when called upon

Pre-season

Aston Villa v Arsenal

2 August 2020 Friendly	Aston Villa	–	Arsenal	Aston
		Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Note: No official scoreline released

Aston Villa v Manchester City

16 August 2020 Friendly	Aston Villa	–	Manchester City	Bodymoor Heath
		Report		Stadium: Bodymoor Heath Training Ground Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Note: No official scoreline released

Manchester United v Aston Villa

23 August 2020 Friendly	Manchester United	–	Aston Villa	Leigh
		Report		Stadium: Leigh Sports Village Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Note: No official scoreline released

FA Women's Super League

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
22	3	6	13	15	47	−32	15	1	3	7	5	25	−20	2	3	6	10	22	−12

Last updated: 9 May 2021.
Source: FA WSL

Results by matchday

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Aston Villa v Manchester City

5 September 2020 1	Aston Villa	0–2	Manchester City	Aston
14:30		Report	Stanway 6', 21'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Abigail Byrne

Reading v Aston Villa

13 September 2020 2	Reading	3–1	Aston Villa	Reading
14:00	Eikeland 24' Bruton 40', 85' Williams 45+3' (pen.) Harding 72'	Report	Siems 59' Larsen 79' (pen.), 90+6'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Emily Heaslip

Aston Villa v Everton

3 October 2020 3	Aston Villa	0–6	Everton	Walsall
12:30		Report	Raso 21', 24' Emslie 27', 53' Gauvin 40' Boye-Hlorkah 51'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Kirsty Dowle

Bristol City v Aston Villa

11 October 2020	Bristol City	P–P	Aston Villa	Bath
14:00				Stadium: Twerton Park
Note: Postponed following a positive COVID-19 test from an Aston Villa player^[6]

Aston Villa v Chelsea

17 October 2020	Aston Villa	P–P	Chelsea	Walsall
12:30				Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Postponed following a positive COVID-19 test from an Aston Villa player^[6]

Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa

8 November 2020 4	Brighton & Hove Albion	0–2	Aston Villa	Crawley
14:00	Simpkins 68' Kerkdijk 82' Bowman 84' Connolly 88'	Report	Asante 59' Hutton 71' Petzelberger 90+2'	Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Stacey Pearson

Aston Villa v Birmingham City

14 November 2020 5	Aston Villa	0–1	Birmingham City	Aston
14:30	Hutton 38'	Report	Walker 72' Scofield 76'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Rebecca Welch

Aston Villa v Manchester United

5 December 2020 6	Aston Villa	0–2	Manchester United	Walsall
12:30	Arthur 90+3'	Report	Galton 25' Toone 89'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Abigail Byrne

Bristol City v Aston Villa

9 December 2020 7	Bristol City	0–4	Aston Villa	Bath
18:30	Bryson 75'	Report	Petzelberger 42', 67', 64' Hayles 57', 75'	Stadium: Twerton Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Amy Fearn
Note: Rescheduled from 11 October 2020, following positive a COVID-19 test from a Aston Villa player.

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa

13 December 2020 8	Tottenham Hotspur	3–1	Aston Villa	Canons Park
14:00	Morgan 13' (pen.) Siems 36' (o.g.) Harrop 45+3' Neville 61' Ayane 63'	Report	Weiß 12' Hanssen 24'	Stadium: The Hive Attendance: Sarah Garratt

West Ham United v Aston Villa

20 December 2020	West Ham United	P–P	Aston Villa	Dagenham
14:00				Stadium: Victoria Road
Note: Postponed following positive COVID-19 tests at the West Ham training ground^[7]

Aston Villa v Arsenal

10 January 2021	Aston Villa	P–P	Arsenal	Walsall
14:00				Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Postponed due to a COVID-19 case at Arsenal^[8]

Manchester City v Aston Villa

17 January 2021 9	Manchester City	7–0	Aston Villa	Manchester
12:30	Hemp 2', 38' Scott 17' Stanway 31' Haigh 40' (o.g.) White 45' Kelly 79'	Report		Stadium: Academy Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Amy Fearn

Aston Villa v Reading

23 January 2021 10	Aston Villa	2–2	Reading	Walsall
12:30	N'Dow 30' Iwabuchi 55' Larsen 80' Silva 90+1'	Report	James 3' Rowe 57'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Kirsty Downie

Aston Villa v Chelsea

27 January 2021 11	Aston Villa	0–4	Chelsea	Walsall
19:00	Hanssen 45'	Report	Kerr 3' England 35' Harder 68' Eriksson 70' Bright 71'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Helen Conley
Note: Rescheduled from 17 October 2020 following positive COVID-19 test by Aston Villa player

Aston Villa v Arsenal

31 January 2021	Aston Villa	P–P	Arsenal	Walsall
14:00				Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Rescheduled from 10 January 2021 following positive COVID-19 case at Arsenal. Postponed due to waterlogged pitch.^[9]

Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur

6 February 2021 12	Aston Villa	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Walsall
12:30	Iwabuchi 12' N'Dow 90+11'	Report	Mikalsen 67' Kennedy 85'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Elizabeth Simms

Birmingham City v Aston Villa

10 February 2021	Birmingham City	P–P	Aston Villa	Solihull
18:00				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Postponed due to frozen pitch^[10]

Aston Villa v Arsenal

14 February 2021	Aston Villa	P–P	Arsenal	Walsall
14:00				Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Note: Rescheduled from 31 January 2021 due to waterlogged pitch. Postponed due to frozen pitch.^[11]

Aston Villa v Arsenal

28 February 2021 13	Aston Villa	0–4	Arsenal	Walsall
14:00	Hanssen 85'	Report	Miedema 58' Nobbs 67' McCabe 73' Evans 88'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lisa Benn
Note: Rescheduled from 14 February 2021 due to frozen pitch

Manchester United v Aston Villa

7 March 2021 14	Manchester United	3–0	Aston Villa	Leigh
12:00	Hanson 27' Sigsworth 43' Staniforth 45' Zelem 73'	Report	N'Dow 71'	Stadium: Leigh Sports Village Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Helen Conley

Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion

17 March 2021 15	Aston Villa	0–2	Brighton & Hove Albion	Walsall
19:30	Arthur 45+3' Hutton 65' Weiß 80'	Report	Whelan 21' Kaagman 81' (pen.)	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Helen Conley

Chelsea v Aston Villa

28 March 2021 16	Chelsea	2–0	Aston Villa	Kingston upon Thames
14:30	Kerr 24', 57'	Report	McLoughlin 75'	Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Sarah Garratt

Everton v Aston Villa

4 April 2021 17	Everton	3–1	Aston Villa	Liverpool
13:00	Graham 36' Christiansen 64' (pen.) Magill 78'	Report	Hutton 45' Hanssen 67' Ale 75' Arthur 83', 90+4'	Stadium: Walton Hall Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Stacey Pearson

West Ham United v Aston Villa

20 April 2021 18	West Ham United	0–0	Aston Villa	Dagenham
18:00	Vetterlein 23' Cissoko 57'	Report	N'Dow 27' Gregory 62' Hutton 90+3' Ale 90+5'	Stadium: Victoria Road Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Amy Fearn
Note: Rescheduled from 20 December 2020 following positive COVID-19 tests at the West Ham training ground

Aston Villa v Bristol City

24 April 2021 19	Aston Villa	2–2	Bristol City	Walsall
12:30	Sargeant 3' (o.g.) N'Dow 15' Haigh 35' Asante 69'	Report	Evans 37' Bryson 74' Mastrantonio 90+5'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Emily Heaslip

Birmingham City v Aston Villa

28 April 2021 20	Birmingham City	1–1	Aston Villa	Solihull
18:00	Kelly 33' Mayling 40' Sarri 90+6'	Report	Gregory 28' Hutton 42' Silva 90+4'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Jane Simms
Note: Rescheduled from 10 February 2021 due to frozen pitch

Aston Villa v West Ham United

2 May 2021 21	Aston Villa	0–0	West Ham United	Walsall
12:30	Iwabuchi 60'	Report		Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Rebecca Welch

Arsenal v Aston Villa

9 May 2021 22	Arsenal	0–0	Aston Villa	Borehamwood
14:30		Report		Stadium: Meadow Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Abigail Byrne

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
8	Tottenham Hotspur	22	5	5	12	18	41	−23	20
9	West Ham United	22	3	6	13	21	39	−18	15
10	Aston Villa	22	3	6	13	15	47	−32	15
11	Birmingham City	22	3	6	13	15	44	−29	14^[a]
12	Bristol City (R)	22	2	6	14	18	72	−54	12	Relegation to the Championship

Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Notes:

^ On 7 May 2021, Birmingham City were deducted one point for fielding an ineligible player in a draw against Reading on 25 April 2021.^[12]

Women's FA Cup

As a member of the top two tiers, Aston Villa will enter the FA Cup in the fourth round proper. Originally scheduled to take place on 31 January 2021, it was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.^[13]^[14]

Manchester City v Aston Villa

17 April 2021 Fourth round	Manchester City	8–0	Aston Villa	Manchester
13:00	Kelly 16', 41', 84' White 34' Beckie 50' Stanway 59' Lavelle 72' Mewis 90'	Report		Stadium: Academy Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors

FA Women's League Cup

Group stage

Aston Villa v Sheffield United

7 October 2020 Group stage	Aston Villa	1–0	Sheffield United	Walsall
19:30	Hutton 38' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Elizabeth Simms

Coventry United v Aston Villa

10 November 2020 Group stage	Coventry United	0–9	Aston Villa	Coventry
19:45	Hughes 61' Gauntlett 80'	Report	Hanssen 7', 11', 28' Syme 19' Follis 50' (pen.) Silva 56', 90+4' Hutton 65' Hayles 71', 75'	Stadium: Butts Park Arena Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Amy Fearn
Note: Rescheduled from 3 November following positive COVID-19 cases in Coventry squad^[15]

Durham v Aston Villa

19 November 2020 Group stage	Durham	1–1 (2–4 p)	Aston Villa	Durham
19:45	Roberts 4'	Report	Follis 73' Arthur 90'	Stadium: Maiden Castle Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Christiana Hattersley
	Penalties
	Wilson Hepple Lambert Briggs		Follis Hanssen Siems Larsen Haigh

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	WPEN	LPEN	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification	AST	DUR	SHU	COV
1	Aston Villa	3	2	1	0	0	11	1	+10	8	Advanced to knock-out stage	—	—	1–0	—
2	Durham	3	2	0	1	0	12	3	+9	7	Possible knock-out stage based on ranking	1–1	—	—	5–2
3	Sheffield United	3	1	0	0	2	4	7	−3	3		—	0–6	—	—
4	Coventry United	3	0	0	0	3	2	18	−16	0		0–9	—	0–4	—

Source: thefa.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record

Knockout stage

Bristol City v Aston Villa

13 January 2021 Quarter-final	Bristol City	2–1	Aston Villa	Bath
19:30	Salmon 55', 58'	Report	Larsen 86'	Stadium: Twerton Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

Squad statistics

Appearances

As of 9 May 2021

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		FA WSL		FA Cup		League Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ENG	Sian Rodgers	4	0	1	0	1	0	2	0
3	DF	ENG	Asmita Ale	23	0	16+2	0	1	0	4	0
4	DF	ENG	Ella Franklin-Fraiture	11	0	10	0	0	0	1	0
5	DF	ENG	Elisha N'Dow	25	0	16+4	0	1	0	3+1	0
6	DF	ENG	Anita Asante	23	1	19	1	0	0	3+1	0
7	MF	ENG	Emma Follis	19	2	9+6	0	0	0	2+2	2
8	MF	SCO	Chloe Arthur	19	1	15+2	1	0	0	1+1	0
9	FW	DEN	Stine Larsen	20	2	16+1	1	0+1	0	0+2	1
10	MF	GER	Ramona Petzelberger	13	3	9+2	3	0	0	1+1	0
11	MF	ENG	Amy West	10	0	2+4	0	1	0	3	0
12	FW	ENG	Jodie Hutton	19	2	12+5	1	0	0	1+1	1
13	DF	GER	Caroline Siems	17	0	10+3	0	1	0	3	0
14	MF	ENG	Emily Syme	20	1	1+14	0	1	0	4	1
15	DF	ENG	Natalie Haigh	22	1	18	1	1	0	2+1	0
16	DF	ENG	Olivia McLoughlin	9	0	7+1	0	1	0	0	0
17	FW	ENG	Sophie Haywood	10	0	3+5	0	0	0	1+1	0
18	MF	ENG	Freya Gregory	10	1	4+5	1	1	0	0	0
19	FW	POR	Diana Silva	19	3	4+10	1	1	0	4	2
20	FW	JPN	Mana Iwabuchi	14	2	11+2	2	0	0	0+1	0
21	MF	GER	Marisa Ewers	22	0	16+3	0	0	0	2+1	0
22	FW	ENG	Shania Hayles	23	4	13+6	2	1	0	2+1	2
23	MF	NED	Nadine Hanssen	21	4	9+7	1	0+1	0	3+1	3
27	GK	ENG	Charlotte Clarke	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
29	GK	GER	Lisa Weiß	23	0	21	0	0	0	2	0

Transfers

Transfers in

Date	Position	Name	From	Ref.
2 July 2020	MF	Chloe Arthur	Birmingham City	^[16]
4 July 2020	DF	Freya Gregory	Birmingham City	^[17]
6 July 2020	DF	Anita Asante	Chelsea	^[18]
15 July 2020	FW	Diana Silva	Sporting CP	^[19]
23 July 2020	GK	Lisa Weiß	Olympique Lyon	^[20]
29 July 2020	DF	Caroline Siems	Turbine Potsdam	^[21]
29 July 2020	MF	Ramona Petzelberger	SGS Essen	^[22]
30 July 2020	FW	Stine Larsen	FC Fleury 91	^[23]
5 October 2020	GK	Charlotte Clarke^[a]	Derby County	^[24]
21 December 2020	FW	Mana Iwabuchi	INAC Kobe Leonessa	^[25]

^ Dual registration with Derby County

Transfers out

Date	Position	Name	To	Ref.
11 June 2020	DF	Jade Richards	Blackburn Rovers	^[26]^[27]
	FW	Kerri Welsh		^[26]
	MF	Alice Hassall	Coventry United	^[26]^[28]
	MF	Phoebe Warner	Coventry United	^[26]^[29]
	FW	Melissa Johnson	Sheffield United	^[26]^[30]
	DF	Charlotte Greengrass	Nottingham Forest	^[26]^[31]
	MF	Sophie Maierhofer	MSV Duisburg	^[26]^[32]
	GK	Daniela Kosinska	Stoke City	^[26]

References

^ Association, The Football. "Chelsea Women awarded Barclays FA WSL title and Aston Villa win Women's Championship". www.thefa.com.
^ "Aston Villa Women to play home games at Walsall's Banks's Stadium". BBC Sport. 12 June 2020.
^ "Marcus Bignot joins Aston Villa Women as Interim Manager". Aston Villa Football Club.
^ "Aston Villa Women appoint Marcus Bignot as interim manager; Gemma Davies remains as head coach". Sky Sports.
^ "Women's Team". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ ^a ^b "Two Villa games off after Covid-19 test". BBC Sport.
^ "West Ham United postpones U18s, U23s and women's fixtures". www.whufc.com.
^ "Saturday's WSL games off over Covid cases". BBC Sport.
^ "Arsenal fixture postponed for a second time". Aston Villa Football Club.
^ "Second City Derby: Postponed". Birmingham City Football Club.
^ "Villa-Arsenal WSL game frozen off". BBC Sport.
^ "Blues Women deducted one point". Birmingham City Football Club. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
^ "The Women's FA Cup Season 2020–21 List of Exemptions" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 10 August 2020.
^ "Women's FA Cup to remain suspended during coronavirus lockdown". Sky Sports.
^ "Aston Villa and Coventry United clash is off". www.newschain.uk.
^ "Chloë Arthur signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "Freya Gregory joins Aston Villa". Freya Gregory. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
^ "Anita Asante signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "Diana Silva signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "Lisa Weiß signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "Caro Siems signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "Ramona Petzelberger signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "Stine Larsen signs for Villa Women". www.avfc.co.uk.
^ "England Under-21 international goalkeeper signs dual registration terms with Aston Villa". FAWSL Full-Time. 5 October 2020.
^ "Villa sign Japan captain Iwabuchi". BBC Sport.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Villa Women announce player departures". www.avfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
^ "Rovers complete Richards deal". www.rovers.co.uk.
^ "Alice Hassall joins Coventry United". Coventry United LFC. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
^ "Phoebe Warner joins Coventry United". Coventry United LFC. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
^ "Mel Johnson signs". www.sufc.co.uk.
^ "Greengrass becomes newest arrival". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk.
^ Presseabteilung, MSV Duisburg. ""Werden uns weiterhelfen": Neuzugänge für die ZebraFrauen". MSV Duisburg.

External links

AVFC Women official website

2020–21 in English women's football

« 2019–20

2021–22 »

National teams

League
competitions

Level 1	Women's Super League
Level 2	Women's Championship
Level 3	FA Women's National League Premier Division (North, South)
Level 4	FA Women's National League Division One (Midlands, North, South East, South West)

Cup competitions

FA Cup (Final)
Community Shield
League Cup (Final)
National League Cup
National League Plate
UEFA Champions League

Youth competitions

Under-18	None

Club seasons
FA WSL	Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham City Brighton & Hove Albion Bristol City Chelsea Everton Manchester City Manchester United Reading Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United
Championship	Blackburn Rovers Charlton Athletic Coventry United Crystal Palace Durham Leicester City Lewes Liverpool London Bees London City Lionesses Sheffield United