Women's Preview: Saints vs Blackburn
Southampton FC Women return home in the Barclays Women's Championship as they host Blackburn on a double-header weekend at St Mary's Stadium.
THE MATCH
Saints vs Blackburn Rovers
Barclays Women's Championship
St Mary's Stadium
Sunday 22nd September, 2pm
Buy your tickets here
Remi Allen's side head into matchday three with a draw and a win under their belts in their first two games.
Saints backed up an opening day point with a stunning 3-0 win over Sunderland, which combined defensive resilience with some incredible second half finishes.
After Fran Stenson's first half penalty save, Rianna Dean bagged a brace with Molly Pike on the scoresheet with two of the three goals coming in the form of similarly spectacular long range lobs.
Saints' goalscorers in Sunderland. (Photos: Ian Horrocks)
Blackburn have only played once so far, after the opening week was a spare fixture due to the 11-team division this season.
Their campaign got underway last week with a narrow, 2-1 defeat against one of the league's big-spenders, London City Lionesses.
Farah Crompton, on her return from a lengthy absence, scored her side's only goal of the game in the second half as they failed to turn around a two-goal deficit in the first half.
FAMILIAR FACES
Fran Stenson has had two spells with Blackburn Rovers on loan from both Manchester City and Arsenal.
Her first stint with Rovers came in 2018/19, where she made just two appearances, before she returned the following season to play nine times in their first season in the Championship.
Meanwhile, Tara Bourne also spent a period of time on loan with Rovers as she made seven appearances in the 2021/22 season.
Fran Stenson has had two spells with Blackburn.
PREVIOUS MEETING
Blackburn were victorious in the previous meeting between both sides towards the end of the 2023/24 season, but it was Saints who took all three points in the last meeting at St Mary's Stadium.
A delicate Sophia Pharoah chip, and an own goal forced by Lucia Kendall's shot were the difference in a 2-0 win.
SUNDAY'S OFFICIALS
Referee: Lauren Whiteman
Assistant Referee: Michael Butcher
Assistant Referee: Julia Kings
Fourth Official: Steven Hughes
MANAGER PREVIEW
After reflecting on a long trip to Sunderland, Head Coach Remi Allen spoke ahead of Sunday's St Mary's return
"I'm really pleased. To get four points on the board against the two teams we've played is a really good start.
"There's absolutely loads to improve on and still implement but the place we're in now, if you'd asked me before I definitely would have taken it.
"Having the fans behind us was fantastic [on the opening day] they are going to be hugely important in this campaign so we need as many down as possible."
TICKET NEWS
Tickets for this fixture, and all home games going forward, 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 further 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:
This weekend's game has been selected for live YouTube coverage on the Barclays Women's Championship YouTube channel.
The stream will begin shortly before kick-off, with a full match replay available 24 hours after the game.
There's still chance to purchase your Southampton FC Women's season tickets ahead of the 2024/25 season, to catch all 10 home games in the Barclays Women's Championship!
