Women's Preview: Saints vs Birmingham
Southampton FC Women will complete another St Mary's Stadium double header as they host league leaders Birmingham City in the Barclays Women's Championship on Sunday.
THE MATCH
Saints vs Birmingham
Barclays Women's Championship
St Mary's Stadium
Sunday 20th October, 2pm
Buy your tickets here
Saints head into their last game before the international break full of confidence after a resounding 5-0 win over Portsmouth in the south coast derby last week.
After Freya Gregory forced an own goal to lead 1-0 at half-time, Meg Collett doubled the advantage in the second period before a late flurry of goals from Rianna Dean and Molly Pike made it five without reply.
Remi Allen's side sit in fifth in the table, three points off the top of the league with a game in hand to play and just one league defeat so far.
Saints ran riot in the south coast derby. (Photos: Chris Moorhouse)
Birmingham's fine start to the season sees them top the league table after six matches, with four wins, one draw, and one defeat.
They kicked off the campaign with a statement 5-0 win over Sunderland before drawing with Bristol City and following that up with another free-scoring victory over Portsmouth.
Their last outing was a tighter affair though, as they needed a late penalty from Simone Magill to beat Sheffield United 2-1 at Bramall Lane.
FAMILIAR FACES
Saints have a host of former Blues in their squad this year, as Head Coach Remi Allen is no stranger to Sunday's opponents having played for the club in two separate spells in the WSL and the Championship.
In the playing squad, midfielder Chloe Peplow started her career with the Midlands club, where she rose through the ranks to make her senior debut and feature across two seasons from 2015-2017.
Fran Stenson and Freya Gregory also made their debuts at Birmingham, whilst defender Tara Bourne enjoyed a spell on loan with them in the 2023/24 season.
Chloe Peplow is one of a few Birmingham academy gradates in the squad.
PREVIOUS MEETING
The away sides were victorious in both games last season as Birmingham City took all three points from St Mary's in October 2023, before Saints got revenge at St Andrews with a 2-1 win in February 2024.
Saints were victorious at home in the 2022/23 campaign, thanks to a solitary goal from Lucia Kendall to seal an important win at Snows Stadium.
SUNDAY'S OFFICIALS
Referee: Joanna Horwood
Assistant Referee: Yashar Yekta
Assistant Referee: Adraina Bucur
Fourth Official: Jade Wardle
MANAGER PREVIEW
"The weekend [against Portsmouth] was enjoyable, but like I said to the players on Tuesday we reviewed the game and moved forward," Head Coach Remi Allen explained.
"They're in a great place, they have worked really hard and they've been disciplined this week, and it's been really nice to see such a focus.
"I think we're in a bit of form at the minute and have hit a bit of momentum so we just want to continue that."
TICKET NEWS
Tickets for this fixture, and all home games this season, will be on the Saints Tickets App.
Supporters should download the app and their tickets prior to coming to St Mary's Stadium.
Match tickets are priced at £10 for Adults and £4 for Under-18s.
MATCHDAY INFORMATION
For full matchday information and FAQs, supporters are advised to read our dedicated article.
CAN’T MAKE IT ON SUNDAY?
There will be live coverage and plenty of behind-the-scenes access on our dedicated social media accounts, with full match highlights to follow on Monday:
