2019–20 Birmingham City W.F.C. season

The 2019–20 Birmingham City W.F.C. season was the club's 52nd season in existence and their ninth in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid, having been founding members of the league in 2011. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Birmingham City

2019–20 season
Chairman	Edward Cheng
Head Coach	Marta Tejedor (until 3 March)[1] Charlie Baxter (interim, from 3 March)
Stadium	Damson Park, Solihull
FA WSL	11th
FA Cup	Semi-final
League Cup	Group stage
Top goalscorer	League: Abbi Grant (2) All: Lucy Staniforth (5)
Highest home attendance	1,197 (vs. Manchester City, 19 January)
Lowest home attendance	League: 304 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 4 December)
Average home league attendance	875 as of 23 February 2020
Home colours Away colours
← 2018–19 2020–21 →

On 13 March 2020, in line with the FA's response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced the season was temporarily suspended until at least 3 April 2020.^[2][3] After further postponements, the season was ultimately ended prematurely on 25 May 2020 with immediate effect.^[4] Birmingham sat in 11th at the time and retained their position on sporting merit after The FA Board's decision to award places on a points-per-game basis.^[5][6]

Squad

As of 10 January 2020.^[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ENG Hannah Hampton 2 MF  ENG Sarah Mayling 3 DF  IRL Harriet Scott 6 DF  ENG Kerys Harrop (captain) 7 MF  SCO Chloe Arthur 8 FW  ENG Rachel Williams 10 MF  USA Brianna Visalli 11 FW  SCO Abbi Grant 13 GK  ENG Alexandra Brooks 14 FW  ENG Emma Kelly 15 DF  USA Adrienne Jordan 16 DF  ENG Georgia Brougham (on loan from Everton) 17 MF  ENG Heidi Logan

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  ENG Connie Scofield 19 FW  ENG Lucy Whipp 20 FW  ENG Claudia Walker 21 GK  ENG Imogen Maguire 22 MF  ENG Missy Goodwin 23 MF  ENG Freya Gregory 24 MF  ENG Olivia Rabjohn 25 MF  NIR Rebecca Holloway 26 DF  ENG Lily Simkin 27 MF  ENG Abbey Jones 28 MF  ENG Laura Brown 37 MF  ENG Lucy Staniforth

FA Women's Super League

Main article: 2019–20 FA WSL

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
13	2	1	10	5	23	−18	7	1	1	4	3	11	−8	1	0	6	2	12	−10

Last updated: 23 February 2020.
Source: FA WSL

Results by matchday

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H
Result	L	L	L	W	L	L	D	W	L	L	L	L	L	C	C	C	C	C	C	C	C	C
Position	9	10	12	9	10	11	10	9	10	10	10	10	11

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Birmingham City v Everton

8 September 2019 1	Birmingham City	0–1	Everton	Solihull
14:00	Harrop  22' Grant  83'	Report	Morgan  39' Harrop 46' (o.g.)	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 873 Referee: Elliott Swallow

West Ham United v Birmingham City

15 September 2019 2	West Ham United	1–0	Birmingham City	Romford
15:00	Longhurst  18' Leon 27'	Report	Harrop  19' Holloway  24'	Stadium: Rush Green Stadium Attendance: 1,297 Referee: Paul Howard

Birmingham City v Reading

29 September 2019	Birmingham City	P–P	Reading	Solihull
14:00				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Postponed due to waterlogged pitch

Manchester City v Birmingham City

12 October 2019 3	Manchester City	3–0	Birmingham City	Manchester
14:00	Walsh 27' Wullaert 48' Bonner  74' Lee 80'	Report		Stadium: Academy Stadium Attendance: 1,834 Referee: Helen Conley

Birmingham City v Liverpool

27 October 2019 4	Birmingham City	2–0	Liverpool	Solihull
14:00	Harrop 9' Arthur  68' Staniforth 83'	Report		Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 1,056 Referee: Lisa Benn

Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City

17 November 2019 5	Brighton & Hove Albion	3–0	Birmingham City	Falmer
14:00	Green 15' (pen.), 71' Le Garrec 44'	Report		Stadium: Amex Stadium Attendance: 4,130 Referee: Helen Conley

Birmingham City v Chelsea

24 November 2019 6	Birmingham City	0–6	Chelsea	Solihull
14:45		Report	Ji 2' Bright 37' England 45+1', 63' Spence 48', 52'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 1,159 Referee: Stacey Pearson

Birmingham City v Tottenham Hotspur

4 December 2019 7	Birmingham City	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Solihull
19:45	Grant 22' Scott  35' Staniforth  76'	Report	Neville  30' Graham  67', 73'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 304 Referee: Jane Simms

Bristol City v Birmingham City

8 December 2019 8	Bristol City	0–2	Birmingham City	Filton
15:00	Pattinson  36' Wilson  36'	Report	Whipp 5' Walker  26' Grant 65'	Stadium: Stoke Gifford Stadium Attendance: 404 Referee: Sam Allison

Birmingham City v Manchester United

15 December 2019	Birmingham City	P–P	Manchester United	Solihull
14:00				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Postponed due to waterlogged pitch

Arsenal v Birmingham City

5 January 2020 9	Arsenal	2–0	Birmingham City	Borehamwood
14:00	Little 9' Nobbs 23'	Report		Stadium: Meadow Park Attendance: 2,106 Referee: Elizabeth Simms

Reading v Birmingham City

12 January 2020 10	Reading	1–0	Birmingham City	High Wycombe
14:00	Eikeland 39' Moore  45+3'	Report	Williams  72'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 733 Referee: Thomas Bisham

Birmingham City v Manchester City

19 January 2020 11	Birmingham City	0–2	Manchester City	Solihull
14:00		Report	White 1' Walsh 65'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 1,197 Referee: Helen Conley

Liverpool v Birmingham City

2 February 2020	Liverpool	P–P	Birmingham City	Birkenhead
12:00				Stadium: Prenton Park
Note: Postponed due to waterlogged pitch

Birmingham City v Brighton & Hove Albion

9 February 2020	Birmingham City	P–P	Brighton & Hove Albion	Solihull
14:00				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: All WSL games postponed due to adverse weather conditions[8]

Chelsea v Birmingham City

12 February 2020 12	Chelsea	2–0	Birmingham City	Kingston upon Thames
19:00	Reiten 45' England 58'	Report		Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 1,928 Referee: Robert Whitton

Birmingham City v Bristol City

23 February 2020 13	Birmingham City	0–1	Bristol City	Solihull
14:00		Report	Bryson  66' Salmon 75'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 659 Referee: Stacey Pearson

Tottenham Hotspur v Birmingham City

22 March 2020 14	Tottenham Hotspur	Cancelled	Birmingham City	Canons Park
14:00				Stadium: The Hive Stadium
Note: Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Birmingham City v Manchester United

25 March 2020 15	Birmingham City	Cancelled	Manchester United	Solihull
19:30				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Rescheduled from 15 December 2019.[9] Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Everton v Birmingham City

29 March 2020 16	Everton	Cancelled	Birmingham City	Liverpool
12:30				Stadium: Walton Hall Park
Note: Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Birmingham City v West Ham United

5 April 2020 17	Birmingham City	Cancelled	West Ham United	Solihull
14:00				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Liverpool v Birmingham City

22 April 2020 21	Liverpool	Cancelled	Birmingham City
Note: Rescheduled from 2 February 2020. Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Birmingham City v Arsenal

26 April 2020 18	Birmingham City	Cancelled	Arsenal	Solihull
14:00				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Birmingham City v Reading

6 May 2020 19	Birmingham City	Cancelled	Reading	Solihull
19:30				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Rescheduled from 29 September 2019. Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Manchester United v Birmingham City

16 May 2020 20	Manchester United	Cancelled	Birmingham City	Leigh
15:00				Stadium: Leigh Sports Village
Note: Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

Birmingham City v Brighton & Hove Albion

22	Birmingham City	Cancelled	Brighton & Hove Albion	Solihull
				Stadium: Damson Park
Note: Rescheduled from 9 February 2020. Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Qualification
8	West Ham United	14	5	1	8	19	34	−15	16	1.14
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	16	3	4	9	11	30	−19	13	0.81
10	Bristol City	14	2	3	9	9	38	−29	9	0.64
11	Birmingham City	13	2	1	10	5	23	−18	7	0.54
12	Liverpool (R)	14	1	3	10	8	20	−12	6	0.43	Relegation to the Championship

Source: FA WSL, BBC
Rules for classification: Initially: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored. After abandonment of season: 1) Points per game
(R) Relegated

Women's FA Cup

Main article: 2019–20 Women's FA Cup

As a member of the top two tiers, Birmingham entered the FA Cup in the fourth round. The round was played on 26 January 2020 with Birmingham beating Championship side Sheffield United.^[10] Former Sunderland player Lucy Staniforth scored the only goal against the third-tier team before being sent off against her old club in a fifth round victory, setting up an all-WSL tie against Brighton & Hove Albion in the quarter-finals.^[11] However, the match was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic before the season was ultimately curtailed. On 24 July 2020 it was announced the 2019–20 FA Cup would resume play during the 2020–21 season starting with the quarter-final ties rescheduled for the weekend of 26/27 September 2020.^[12]

Sheffield United v Birmingham City

26 January 2020 Fourth round	Sheffield United	0–3	Birmingham City	Chesterfield
		Report	Scott 55', 90+2' Staniforth 59'	Stadium: Proact Stadium Attendance: 335 Referee: Adam Williamson

Sunderland v Birmingham City

16 February 2020 Fifth round	Sunderland	0–1	Birmingham City	Hetton-le-Hole
	Ramshaw  84'	Report	Scott  55' Staniforth 85',  86'	Stadium: Eppleton CW Referee: Elizabeth Simms

Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City

15 March 2020 Quarter-final	Brighton & Hove Albion	P–P	Birmingham City	Crawley
				Stadium: Broadfield Stadium
Note: Postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City

27 September 2020 Quarter-final	Brighton & Hove Albion	2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p)	Birmingham City	Crawley
14:00	Simpkins  21' Bowman 25' (pen.) A. Whelan  58' O'Sullivan 89' K. Green  90+4'	Report	Mayling 5',  37' M. Green 52' (pen.) Brougham  90+4'	Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Rebecca Welch
	Penalties
	K. Green Le Tissier Jarrett Connolly		M. Green Walker Murray Mayling Brougham
Note: Rescheduled from 15 March 2020

Birmingham City v Everton

30 September 2020 Semi-final	Birmingham City	0–3	Everton	Solihull
19:15	Scott  29' Murray  68'	Report	Magill 44' Sørensen 60' Gauvin 87'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Amy Fearns

FA Women's League Cup

Main article: 2019–20 FA Women's League Cup

Group stage

Birmingham City v Everton

22 September 2019 Group stage	Birmingham City	1–0	Everton	Solihull
14:00	Williams 73'	Report	Kelly  45+2' van Es  56'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 511 Referee: Lucy Oliver

Leicester City v Birmingham City

20 October 2019 Group stage	Leicester City	1–5	Birmingham City	Quorn
14:00	Field  13' Paul 63' Brown  68'	Report	Williams 15', 57' Staniforth 33', 80' Jordan 59' Scott  62'	Stadium: Farley Way Stadium Attendance: 368 Referee: Scott Simpson

Manchester City v Birmingham City

3 November 2019 Group stage	Manchester City	2–1	Birmingham City	Manchester
14:00	White 50' Weir 68'	Report	Williams 64'	Stadium: Academy Stadium Attendance: 1,178 Referee: Elizabeth Simms

Birmingham City v Manchester United

11 December 2019 Group stage	Birmingham City	1–3	Manchester United	Solihull
19:30	Grant 35'	Report	Arnot 1' Ross 27' A. Turner  84' Toone 90+3'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 442 Referee: Helen Conley

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	WPEN	LPEN	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		MNU	MCI	BIR	EVE	LEI
1	Manchester United	4	4	0	0	0	19	2	+17	12	Advance to knock-out stage		—	2–0	—	—	11–1
2	Manchester City	4	3	0	0	1	11	4	+7	9			—	—	2–1	—	5–0
3	Birmingham City	4	2	0	0	2	8	6	+2	6			1–3	—	—	1–0	—
4	Everton	4	1	0	0	3	5	8	−3	3			0–3	1–4	—	—	—
5	Leicester City	4	0	0	0	4	2	25	−23	0			—	—	1–5	0–4	—

Updated to match(es) played on 11 December 2019. Source: thefa.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record

Squad statistics

Appearances

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		FA WSL		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ENG	Hannah Hampton	18	0	13	0	3	0	2	0
2	MF	ENG	Sarah Mayling	16	1	8+1	0	3+1	1	3	0
3	DF	IRL	Harriet Scott	19	2	9+2	0	4	2	4	0
6	DF	ENG	Kerys Harrop	11	1	6+1	1	2	0	2	0
7	MF	SCO	Chloe Arthur	17	0	12	0	1	0	3+1	0
8	FW	ENG	Rachel Williams	16	4	9+1	0	1+1	0	3+1	4
10	MF	USA	Brianna Visalli	13	0	8+1	0	2	0	1+1	0
11	FW	SCO	Abbi Grant	21	3	13	2	2+2	0	4	1
13	GK	ENG	Alexandra Brooks	3	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
14	FW	ENG	Emma Kelly	6	0	1+2	0	3	0	0	0
15	DF	USA	Adrienne Jordan	18	1	13	0	1	0	4	1
16	DF	ENG	Georgia Brougham	5	0	2	0	2+1	0	0	0
17	MF	ENG	Heidi Logan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	MF	ENG	Connie Scofield	14	0	3+6	0	1+1	0	1+2	0
19	MF	ENG	Lucy Whipp	21	1	11+2	1	3+1	0	3+1	0
20	FW	ENG	Claudia Walker	21	0	10+3	0	3+1	0	2+2	0
21	GK	ENG	Imogen Maguire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
22	MF	ENG	Missy Goodwin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	DF	ENG	Freya Gregory	4	0	1+2	0	0	0	0+1	0
24	MF	ENG	Olivia Rabjohn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	MF	NIR	Rebecca Holloway	18	0	11	0	3	0	4	0
26	DF	ENG	Lily Simkin	6	0	5+1	0	0	0	0	0
27	MF	ENG	Abbey Jones	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	ENG	Laura Brown	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+1	0
29	MF	ENG	Ella Powell	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
37	MF	ENG	Lucy Staniforth	15	5	10	1	2	2	3	2
Joined during 2020–21 season but competed in the postponed 2019–20 FA Cup:
4	DF	SCO	Rachel Corsie	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
8	MF	ENG	Mollie Green	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0
10	MF	SCO	Christie Murray	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
20	DF	SCO	Jamie-Lee Napier	1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
30	DF	ENG	Gemma Lawley	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

Goalscorers

Rank	No.	Pos.	Name	FA WSL	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	37	MF	Lucy Staniforth	1	2	2	5
2	8	FW	Rachel Williams	0	0	4	4
3	11	FW	Abbi Grant	2	0	1	3
4	3	DF	Harriet Scott	0	2	0	2
5	2	MF	Sarah Mayling	0	1	0	1
	6	DF	Kerys Harrop	1	0	0
	8	MF	Mollie Green[a]	0	1	0
	15	DF	Adrienne Jordan	0	0	1
	19	FW	Lucy Whipp	1	0	0
Total				5	6	8	19

1. Joined during 2020–21 season but scored in the postponed 2019–20 FA Cup

Transfers

Transfers in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Ref.
3 June 2019	FW		Claudia Walker	Everton	[13]
2 July 2019	FW		Abbi Grant	Anderlecht	[14]
18 July 2019	MF		Brianna Visalli	West Ham United	[15]
24 July 2019	MF		Rebecca Holloway	Cumberland Phoenix	[16]
2 August 2019	FW		Lucy Whipp	St. John's Red Storm	[17]
7 August 2019	DF		Adrienne Jordan	Atalanta	[18]
3 January 2020	FW		Emma Kelly	ÍBV	[19]

Loans in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Until	Ref.
10 January 2020	DF		Georgia Brougham	Everton	End of season	[20]

Transfers out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Ref.
16 May 2019	FW		Ellen White	Manchester City	[21]
28 May 2019	DF		Meaghan Sargeant	Bristol City	[22]
	FW		Charlie Wellings	Bristol City	[23]
5 June 2019	DF		Hayley Ladd	Manchester United	[24]
4 July 2019	DF		Marisa Ewers	Aston Villa	[25]
5 July 2019	FW		Lucy Quinn	Tottenham Hotspur	[26]
8 July 2019	MF		Sophie Bramford	Wolverhampton Wanderers	[27]
9 July 2019	DF		Aoife Mannion	Manchester City	[28]
19 July 2019	FW		Shania Hayles	Aston Villa	[29]
	DF		Paige Williams	Retired	[29][30]
1 August 2019	MF		Emma Follis	Aston Villa	[31]