Charlton Athletic play their sixth WSL match of the season when they host Manchester United on Sunday (2pm).
The Addicks are bottom of the table and the only side in the top tier yet to put a point on the board. They were thumped 5-1 at Brighton before the international break.
Charlton manager Karen Hills spoke to the media this afternoon ahead of the visit of United, who finished fourth last season.
Below are all of the key subjects covered.
Karen Hills/Picture: Keith Gillard
Injuries to Hawa Cissoko and Grace Johnston
“Grace had a shoulder injury, against Palace in the cup. She fell and landed awkwardly on her shoulder. A little bit of work has been done to look at that.
“The two players you just spoke about, it’s disappointing. It seems at the moment that we can’t seem to catch a break - every single game we are picking up a little injury which is putting us back a little bit.
“These players are doing everything they can to be back.
“Hawa’s injury was to her ankle.”
How much time players had off during international break before prepping for United
“The main bulk of the squad were in for the front end of the week after the Brighton game. Then we gave them four days where they recovered and rested. The injured and rehab players were back in, so they got what they needed too.
“It is so important for these players to have that time away, because there is pressure on them, in terms of taking on all this information and playing the games at this level.
“They are coping with it really well but I felt the biggest thing for me to do, as manager, was give them a little bit of time away with their friends and family - try to take their minds off football, go and have a life outside of it, just for those four days.
“I set them a task for when they came back in and they delivered that. It was a little bit of homework. It wasn’t like coming back on the first day of term fresh, they were already thinking about it the day before.
“They knew exactly what we needed to do. The task set out some really good points that they had done their homework on Man United.
Lucia Lobato’s header is blocked against Manchester City/Picture: Keith Gillard
“Sometimes it is refreshing that it is not all directed from the coaches, as to how we want to play and what we want to do. Nine times out of 10, these players know what we are going to say and present in our analysis.
“We set tasks where they got together, whether that was Zoom or a phone call. Everyone got a little task to present back to the group. It goes to show they are doing everything they can to put themselves in the best place - knowledge is powerful.
“They were delivering it to each other and showing some potential areas where we can exploit and hurt Man United, maybe some of their key players and other stuff. The task was bang on. I probably didn’t need to do the analysis because they did it all themselves.”
Going from being competitive in the 1-0 loss against Manchester City to Brighton dominating the second half and handing out a heavy loss
“We have all looked at that and we’re really disappointed with that second-half performance. We conceded two really, really late goals in injury time. We need to be a team that is more resilient right until the very end.
“It was 3-1 and we gifted them two carbon copy goals. We had done so well to start the game as we did, then it sort of ran away from us.
“It is something we’ve definitely reflected on - we need to stay in games better, do the basics better and be more disciplined. We need to win our one-v-one battles in wide areas and we need to defend our box better. All the players held their hands up and agreed.
“It was the last game of a huge block. It did disappoint us to finish on the back of a 5-1 result. I don’t think it was a 5-1 but, at the same time, we can’t switch off in those key moments.”
How much the wait for a win weighs on her and the playing squad
“You are striving to get some points on the board. The thing is though that it is a very, very tough league. We knew this and that we had to be realistic.
“We have to keep believing that if our performances are where they need to be then the results should, and hopefully will, take care of themselves.
“But it is a patience game. I’m okay with that. I’m seeing so much development in these players. I’m seeing them learn so much about themselves and each other - the togetherness they are showing, even when we are coming up against hard times, shows a lot of spirit and character.
“I really do believe if we stick together and keep putting the work in that eventually something will land. That is all I can do, as a manager. I’ve got the full backing of the staff and the ownership to say we’re all in this together. We knew it was going to be a hard task but we’re all pushing in the same direction.
“I believe we will come out with some positive results.
Picture: Keith Gillard
The target for Charlton before the next international break
“I want us to be in a place where we know block two has been better than block one.
“We do a lot of deep diving on data and we know at this moment in time the data and statistics show we are not where we want to be. We know we are sitting pretty much bottom of every single metric. The only way is going to be up, right?
“We need to improve this data. We need more shots on target and need to be a little more resilient in our defensive half. We need to create a few more opportunities. We need to create more set-piece moments. If those metrics start going up then I’m positive we will be in a better place come the next international block.”
The video celebrating Jodie Hutton’s Goal of the Month award
“You have got to celebrate these little wins, right? Because then these little wins turn into something incredible. I always say we have to enjoy these moments, no matter how tough and hard it is. We are playing in the best league in the world. We wanted to be here.
“Those little wins of Keira Flannery getting her call-up (to England U23s), Leah Davidson getting her call-up and Jodie getting Goal of the Month, those are moments we should really be celebrating. That includes players coming from the academy and making their debuts in the cup games.
“Because you are playing in this league, the eyes are on you. So I always say to the players: ‘Are you doing everything you can to be the best version of yourself and keep on improving?’
“At the end of the day, your career might not always be Charlton. You need to use this as an opportunity as well, to keep moving forward. Don’t waste it. The results might not be going our way now but individual accolades are going to be important.”
"Full backing of the ownership"? It's all relative I suppose, but with a budget inferior (and in many cases vastly so) to all the other clubs in the WSL it looks like being plucky old Charlton for the rest of the season.
The women have been giving their all but it must be disheartening to know that on virtually every matchday you're going into a fight with one hand tied behind your back. With every game that passes that must take its toll psychologically.