Everton Women interim manager Chris Roberts insists his side’s ‘mental toughness’ continues to grow stronger as the Blues set their sights on a positive result this weekend against Aston Villa.

The Blues host the Midlands side at Walton Hall Park on Sunday, with the action set to get under way at 1pm (GMT), and Roberts outlined how his squad are working hard to make amends for last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at home to Reading.

“Everything apart from the last 25 minutes against Reading has been brilliant since I came in,” Roberts said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

“The response from the players has been great - training this week has been excellent.

“It’s been about mental toughness, resilience, managing the difficult moments in the game, staying on top when you have momentum.

“They are all really important parts of every game and certainly areas that we have focused hard on in the last couple of weeks to make sure we can deal with the difficult moments well, with clarity and with a plan.

“When we do have momentum, we have to keep our foot on it.

“It’s about managing games well, knowing when you’re on top and having a clear plan on how to deal with it.

“It’s easy to talk about mental toughness, you need to have a really strong plan in place and players who are able to adapt in those plans as well.”

The Scot admitted it had been a difficult period for the squad, with confidence affected by a poor run of form.

However, he believes the group are now at a turning point as belief continues to grow with each session at USM Finch Farm.

“I’m seeing the confidence every day in training, I saw the confidence in large parts of our previous game, and I have confidence in the players because they are showing me how good they are on a daily basis,” Roberts added.

“They are a very talented bunch and it’s my job to get the best out of them.

“I know it’s a cliché, but we trust the process because we believe in the process that we have.

“Hopefully that will lead to points and more confidence.”

Last weekend’s match was Everton’s first outing at Walton Hall Park in 2022, and Roberts was taken aback by the support he received.

He hopes for another electric atmosphere when the Villains visit on Sunday.

“The reception the fans have shown me, not only over the last few weeks, but for my entire time at the Club has been phenomenal,” he added.

“The support they gave the team on Sunday was excellent.

“We have got an outstanding group of fans who have a lot of love for this team and the Club.

“We are going to count on their support this weekend against Aston Villa.

“They’re a huge part of what we do. They bring so much energy when they are with us at home games.

“We love having them.

“I believe Season Ticket holders and Official Members can attend this game free of charge, so hopefully we get as many people through the gates as possible to get behind us.”

With a weekend home double-header for the men and women’s first teams, Roberts hopes tas many fans can get down to Sunday’s games to support the team for a massive encounter ahead of the international break.

“My feeling at the Club with being here for just over three years is that this is a one-club approach.

“The fans have been phenomenal in backing myself and the players.

“They show a lot of love and support for what we do.

“The one-club approach is one of the reasons I love working here.

“I hope that continues and we can get many more fans along to our games.

“For me it’s not fans of one team or the other, it’s fans of the Club.

“If you support the Club then it would be great to have you along and support us against Villa.”