A 2-0 victory over the 3rd place Arsenal on the final day of the season despite only two outfield players on the bench – both of whom were coming back from major injuries; the Aston Villa side of the 2021/22 season would probably be perplexed by how the Aston Villa side of the 2022/23 season could do this.
Last season, it was clear that there was a huge void in Villa’s side between the youth coming through the Academy and the players near retirement. At the end of last season, former England defender, Anita Asante hung her boots up, followed by loanee, Jill Scott. A few other players departed and hopes looked low for the Villains’ upcoming season after fighting a relegation battle.
However, Carla Ward had a plan. In August 2022, after England’s victorious summer, winning the Euros, Aston Villa announced the signing of Rachel Daly. The Lioness has spent the previous nine years playing over in the USA – most recently at Houston Dash in the NWSL. England fans, despite not seeing her much in domestic football, had seen her capabilities at left-back where she started every game for England in their Euro 2022 campaign.
At the same time, Villa signed French midfielder Kenza Dali from Everton where she’d only spent one season. After a more modest season at Everton, she didn’t stand out as a transformative signing but her football did the talking. Dali had previously played with Daly briefly at West Ham in 2020. Perhaps this is why their on-field connection is so strong but the link ups between the two as Daly started to be played in the number nine role was unique.
The pairs’ selfie goal celebration became iconic, ending up celebrating quite often with 27 goals and 13 assists between them. Their impact was felt imminently when Daly scored twice, and Dali contributed one in a 4-3 victory at Villa Park on the opening day of the season against Manchester City.
Villa’s other summer signings also proved key. Firstly, Kiwi goalkeeper Anna Leat had to step up unexpectedly in the absence of Hannah Hampton in the first part of the season. The 21-year-old featured in 7 WSL games and a handful of cup matches. One of three players making the move from Everton, Danielle Turner, had been important, especially acting as captain while Rachel Corsie has had knee surgery.
Unfortunately, Simone Magill could only make her Villa debut towards to the end of the year due to suffering an ACL injury at the Euros, just after signing for the Midlands side. Similarly, Natasha Harding started her time in claret and blue strong however, after rupturing a tendon in her quad and requiring surgery, she did not feature for the rest of the season.
Players on loan to Villa also were important. Anna Patten and Kirsty Hanson joined from Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Patten played a solid role in defence, but Hanson stood out registering 7 goals and 9 assists in the WSL.
At the Christmas break, Aston Villa sat comfortably in 6th place but coming off two big losses against Manchester United and Arsenal. January was a bit busy for Carla Ward making two huge signings. Jordan Nobbs made the move to Villa after 12 years at Arsenal and Lucy Staniforth joined the club from United. Both players were looking for more game time in the hopes to make the England squad for the 2023 World Cup. With experience in senior football since 2008, the pair brought plenty of experience and knowledge to Villa’s midfield.
Aston Villa’s success was not just limited to the WSL. Reaching the FA Cup semi-final for the first time, the prospect of Wembley was so close. Seeing off Manchester City in extra time in the quarter final poised the team well but facing Chelsea – who went on to lift the trophy – proved too much.
Their Continental Cup run wasn’t as impressive however they beat Everton and Manchester United on penalties in the group stage. Arsenal – again the ultimate winners – knocked them out of the competition with a 3-0 win at Borehamwood. It was however, a huge improvement compared to their last place position in the 2021/22 group stage of the Continental Cup.
The Villains have been plagued by injuries through the season, finishing the year with only two outfield players on the bench in the form of Simone Magill and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah who were both recovering from major knee injuries. Hannah Hampton, Sarah Mayling, Remi Allen, Rachel Corsie, Emily Gielnik, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, Freya Gregory, Anna Leat, Simone Magill, Evie Rabjohn and Ruesha Littlejohn have all missed multiple games due to minor or more serious injuries. Yet, the team have continued to impress despite these challenges and beat Arsenal on the final day 2-0.
Aston Villa finished the season, comfortably in 5th place with their star player, Rachel Daly as the 2022/23 golden boot winner with 22 to her name. Carla Ward has built a team which are able to challenge the top four. Their recruitment has been outstanding and the side are bridging the gap between the traditionally strong teams and the rest of the table.
