Kirk: In-Form Blues Hungry To Sustain Positive Momentum

Willie Kirk is confident Everton's positive momentum after securing a spot in the 2019/20 FA Cup final can propel his team to another WSL victory at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Kirk’s side are back in the Midlands following a 3-0 cup semi-final success at Birmingham City on Wednesday.

Everton have also enjoyed a perfect start to the WSL campaign, having won their opening two matches against Bristol City and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Toffees face a Villa outfit who were promoted as champions from the WSL Championship last season.

Villa have yet to get any points on the board this term after defeats to Manchester City and Reading – but Kirk is expecting a “tough test” in the game at Walsall FC.

Kirk confirmed Scottish international forward Claire Emslie will start the match after missing Everton’s cup victories over Chelsea and Birmingham – and outlined how the depth of talent within his squad is pushing performance levels to new heights.

“We’ve only had three days in between games, but that gives us momentum and we’ll try to use that to our advantage,” said Kirk, who was speaking at his pre-match press conference.

“With the competition we’ve got for places now, I don’t think anyone will get complacent.

“We made two changes from the win over Chelsea going into Wednesday’s game [at Birmingham] – and that keeps everyone on their toes.

“The players are thriving under that pressure, competing for their own places, never mind competing against the opposition.

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03:56 Thu 01 Oct 2020

HIGHLIGHTS: BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-3 EVERTON WOMEN

Toffees book FA Cup final place.


“We’ll make changes against Villa, which will be the right changes to win that game. That will keep the players focused and motivated.

“Villa have gone up to the WSL with a similar squad that got them promoted, but they’ve added some real quality as well.

“They are very ambitious and have assembled an exciting group of players.

“They’re a great addition to the league and, in my view, will certainly be safe [from relegation].

“They will be a danger to us and we need to be operating at as close to 100 per cent as possible.”

Everton’s FA Cup final opponents were confirmed on Thursday evening when holders Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-1 in the second last-four clash.

The Wembley showdown will take place on Sunday 1 November.

“In terms of the journey we’re on, I think it’s good the final is early in the season,” Kirk explained.

“We said we wanted to use the Chelsea quarter-final victory as a springboard to go and achieve something this year.

“We can now use the cup final possibly for that purpose.

“If we were to go on and lift silverware at the beginning of November and are still in a strong position in the league, who knows where that can take us and the belief it can give us.

“I think it can be a really positive thing.”


Kirk says he has no concerns the cup final will prove a distraction to his players as they aim to compete at the top end of the WSL table.

As well as the clash at Villa, the Blues also host Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United in the league before the Wembley match on 1 November.

Kirk’s team will also kick off their Continental Cup campaign on Wednesday at cup final opponents City.

“There was an outpouring of emotion at the final whistle of the Birmingham game – the players showed how happy they were to get to the final,” he added.

“The danger was having such a big performance against Chelsea, we would then let ourselves down in the semi-final.

“We had to make sure the girls didn’t assume all the hard work had been done, that we turned up and done the job properly, which I felt we did.

“They then came in on Thursday to training and they were very focused.

“We’re back to preparing for another game and we’ll be ready.”