The Western Sydney Wanderers Liberty A-League Women’s side will look to bring some early festive cheer as they host second from bottom Adelaide United on Saturday evening.
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The Wander Women head into the match in a good vein of form, with two wins and two draws in their last five matches, as well as picking up two clean sheets in that time.
The Wanderers started slow in their last match away from home against the Brisbane Roar; Western Sydney conceded the first goal of the match, and the Roar had another goal disallowed before the break.
However Wanderers coach Robbie Hooker was able to get his team firing out of the half-time break as the woman of the moment Sophie Harding scored once again to level the scores in the 49th minute with a well-taken finish, and the Wanderers were denied a massive three points on the road thanks to the crossbar and some good saves from Brisbane keeper Jordan Silkowitz.
It was nonetheless an important point as the Wanderers continued their upward momentum after a tough start to the season, with Harding’s six goals in her last four games being central to the side’s improvement.
She is not the only one who has been impressive; goalkeeper Sham Khamis was once again an important figure in the first half, whilst Holly Caspers got a quality assist on the right wing and was unlucky not to score the winning goal midway through the second half.
The Wanderers currently sit in eighth place on the table, but the fact they have played a game less than many teams around them leaves them in a good position to make a charge towards the top four in the coming weeks, starting against Adelaide.
It has been a difficult season for the South Australian side so far, as they sat bottom of the pile before last weekend’s matches with no wins in seven matches.
However the Reds showed there is still life in their season as they surprised top four side Wellington Phoenix and recorded a come from behind 2-1 win, with their goals coming in the 75th and 85th minute.
It was the side’s first victory since the beginning of March, and one that will do wonders for their confidence after losing star striker Fiona Worts in the off-season combined with their poor start to the season.
Adelaide’s attack has actually been fairly impressive, with the side scoring 11 goals in just eight games, but they have failed to keep a clean sheet in that time, and have the worst defence with 18 goals conceded.
The in-form Harding will back herself to add to her impressive tally in front of her home fans, but the Wanderers cannot take this game for granted.
The sides only clashed once last season, with Adelaide claiming a narrow 1-0 victory at Wanderers Football Park thanks to an early penalty; the Wanderers would end up finishing above the Reds on the table though on goal difference.
The Wanderers’ last victory over Adelaide came in 2019, when current Matildas superstars Kyra Cooney-Cross and Mary Fowler both got on the scoresheet, with the former’s 90th minute goal securing a 2-1 victory for the Red and Black.
With Western Sydney facing games against the league’s top three side’s in the coming fixtures, it is crucial that they pick up three points at home and continue their climb up the table.
