 Welcome to the Everton Women's Show. I'm joined, as always, by Sarah Halpin. Sarah, how are you? Well, Baz, I'm doing a lot better after the weekend. Obviously, two positive results for Everton. Despite the rain this week, that's keeping me going, to be honest. It was a good Saturday. Everton men won in the afternoon against Norwich, great result there. But we want to talk about Everton women and they entertained Birmingham City at Walton Hall Park, looking for the first win of the season. And they got it, Sarah. Yeah, they did. So it was obviously very, very much needed win after getting off to a pretty disappointed and poor start. Back-to-back heavy defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea. And we'd said on the previous show, you know, looking to bounce back and it really wasn't a must win game. Thankfully, we did come through. It wasn't always necessarily the prettiest to watch or the easiest to watch. But we got it over the line and rightfully deserved the three points in the end. So hopefully now we can kick on a little bit. Definitely, you know, we talked about that. We talked about the fact that he couldn't have had probably a tougher start at Man City and Chelsea, two of the top sides. And when we spoke to Willie Cair, last week, he talked about implementing a new system and trying to get a lot of players, you know, coming in the summer and they were maybe the key reasons why things hadn't gone as well, but to come back from the international break and play against the Birmingham side. I think I heard Willie Cair saying Everton's record wasn't very good actually against Birmingham. So it was a, you know, to win the game 3-1, I think was a huge boost for everybody. And that's the season up and running now, really. Yeah, massive, you know, it was so important that we did get the three points on the day. And as you said, you know, Everton women's record against Birmingham is pretty shocking actually at home anyway. Home record against them was really poor. I hadn't actually realised just how bad it was until someone was reading me the stats before the game. Oh, great. And obviously we took the lead in the game relatively early on and Birmingham got back into it before the break. So we were heading into the break at one all and you start to think, oh gosh, like, you know, we should have, we should have enough to get this result over the line in the second half, but you do start to panic psychologically. Birmingham had been struggling as well. They'd lost both their games, hadn't scored. We'd lost both our games, hadn't scored. We're going in at one all and you're thinking, oh, you know, is it not going to be our day to day? But no, you know, the manager made the changes and obviously they came through with Hannah Benison. You know, obviously one of the goalscorer. So second half was better and thankfully the three points and, you know, we're up and running for the season. Absolutely. I mean, Hannah Benison's goal was fantastic, wasn't it? We will talk about it in a bit more detail in a bit, but a great result. Crowd, good crowd there. We had been trying to encourage Evertonians to go and watch the Everton women on Saturday morning. So what was the crowd like Sarah? Do you know what I was actually pretty pleasantly surprised with the crowd, to be honest, because I think, you know, it's great that it's a double header and we promote it in that way. It's a great opportunity to get to two football games in the same day. They're close to each other and, you know, I did both the games, loved it, but I know also actually it's sometimes it can be harder for people to go to two games on a day. You know, if they've got kids and that. So, you know, and it was on the telly as well. It was on the sky. So I was thinking all, you know, are people going to still come down when it's on the telly? They might think, oh, we're going to the sun. But no, I was I was made up, you know, the new stanzas. We were looking at them the other day, weren't we? We bas it down and all passed out. And there was a good number of people around the sides of the pitch as well. So I was I was really impressed. And, you know, we're not fully at full capacity yet anyway. There's still little bits and bits going on with the ground. But yeah, I was made up and it just makes all the difference. You know, when when we score the goals and you hear that cheer, you know, you hear the fans, you see people celebrating and it was just brilliant to be honest. So I was made up and, you know, to every evertonian that came down, like, thank you and hopefully see you there all the time. Because I know that the girls really, really appreciate the support as well. Yeah, they make a huge difference. And for them to really feel like there's an advantage of playing there as well and getting the fans behind them. It's like you say, the raw wing you score is the key thing, isn't it? And it was brilliant to see so many blues that they turned up to watch the game. But what a what a really good result it was. We're just going to quickly hear from Leona Mayer and Hannah Venison now. Leo, coming to you first, first start, first goal. Can't get any better than that. Yes, I'm really happy about my debut for Everton and also for my first goal. But I'm even more happy about our first win and the first three points. It was very important for us. So, yeah, I'm very happy. Must have been a bit frustrating for you, though, for, you know, just leaning into that Aston Villa, friendly and pre-season. You picked up a knock and you've been coming back since then. So it's almost felt like it's a long time coming for this debut. And then when it finally comes, it's as special as that. Yes, it was very frustrating for me because we had a really good pre-season and then I had to wait for my first official game for Everton. And it's always hard to watch the girls from the stands and you can't affect a lot. So I'm very happy to be back. And especially now with the supporters, it's really nice to have the fans back here. And Hannah, not a bad goal to kickstart your Everton career? No, always nice to score a goal. But even nicer, as Leo said, with the win, it was very important for us. So it feels very good today. And of course, you two won't have played here in an Everton shirt. But fans are back in for the first time in 18 months. How big a difference did they make today, Hannah? No, it's so nice to have the support in the fans here. It does a lot. They gave us much energy also, so that's nice. And for confidence for the group, Leo, this must give a massive boost for two difficult defeats to start season. But now three goals and it seems that we're flying. Yes, that's true. We had our hard start and we didn't start well. So we set before the national break then we can start the season again after the national break. And I think it was not our best game. So we still don't have a lot of things to improve. But I think especially the second half was better. And yeah, we are just happy about the three points and it's good for our confidence as well. And just on that confidence factor, Hannah, you know, you of course were away with Sweden during the international break, you know, comprehensive wins for them. Did that help your confidence coming back to this group? I think so. It's hard to say. But of course it did a little bit and it's always nice to be away with the national team. And then when I came back here, I just wanted to play and to help the team to win. And just finally, Leo, you know, your renowned in the group has been a bit of a breaker as potentially a cake that you're going to make to celebrate this, both debut and a goal. We must see if there are some requests. So I will see about it and then I'll give my best to make the girls happy about it. That was the girls' sorghan, but just that good was Hannah Benison on Saturday. I mean, the goal was fantastic to put her back in front. But she looked really good at the weekend. And I know when Everton signed it, there was a lot of buzz about it. One of the hottest prospects around, and you've got all of that. But it's coming with a reputation like that. You've then got to try and, you know, fulfil that, I guess. But how good was she shared at the weekend? Oh, she was just top-class bars. And like you said, you know, we signed her. There was a lot of talk about it because she broke the record transfer fee for us again. At such a young age as well. All these awards is highly tipped to become one of, if not the best women's player in football. So, you know, that brings an awful lot of pressure. It brings a lot of excitement, which is great for us as well. But the way she's taken to life at Everton and the Premier League, just the best way I've described it, she just seems effortless. She's, you know, she's taken it in her stride. She seems to float about the pitch, you know, and the goal itself, the way she, the fast footwork, the tidy footwork, the quick one-two with Tony Duggan, and then the strike as well to put the ball beyond the keeper. It's just a feel, you know, we'll give fans a real sort of taste of what this teenager can do, what this exciting prospect can do. And we talk a lot about her future, but she's shown that she's obviously got an awful lot to offer us in the here and now. So, yeah, for her to get off the mark and score her first goal for Everton was massive. And Leonie Meyer, as well, of course, scoring her first goal for Everton. So, even Rhythys of Ecu scored the third. That was, even though she's been here a while longer, that was her first goal for the Blues as well. So, it was nice to get three first goal scorers for Everton in the same match, but no, Hannah Benison and really, really exciting talent to watch. And, you know, someone that I'm sure will draw people to Wanton Hall Park as well to watch herself. Excellent. I mean, great that, like you say, all three of them scored their first goal. Hopefully, it's the first of many for all three of them and Everton keep moving in the right direction. There was one obviously very disappointing bit of news as well and sad news for Nicolene Sorenson, who suffered an injury and she confirmed that herself on Twitter this week that she's done a ACL and which is obviously a crushing blow. We wish her all the best. Just how much of a blow will that be for Everton? Oh, it's massive buzz. I mean, you know, I think it's clear that Nico is a really, really important player for Everton on the pitch in terms of what we can do. I can't sing a praise as high enough. I think, you know, she's someone who can play across both sides. She's even filled in at right wing back so far this season. She'll do anything for the team. She'll play where she's asked to play. Some of her deliveries are some of the best I've seen in the game. So, in terms of her player, it's going to be a massive blow, but I think more so than that as a person, Nico, I mean, if you ask anybody, we'll just say she's the nicest girl you could ever wish to meet. I don't think the girl's got a bit of badness in her. You know, she's wonderful and I think everyone's really hurting for her, really sad for her as a person. She's always got a smile on her face and even now she's taken the news really, really well. She's been so strong. But what I will say is, you know, the team of girls we've got and the staff and everyone around her will do absolutely everything possible to make sure that we keep her spirits high, that she's looked after and because we know it's going to be challenging, not just physically but mentally as well. ACL is obviously going to put on the sidelines for some time. So gutted for the team in terms of, you know, she's a really key important player for us, but just gutted for Nico, you know, and we really wish her the speediest recovery. So I'm sure every Evertonian is well watching this or want to wish her the best. And, you know, we've got Gabby George in there, came back from doing her ACL and is honestly better than ever. So I think having people like that around her as well will help keep that mindset positive and, you know, I'm sure she will come back stronger, but obviously you've got to let time be time and it's going to be tough. But, yeah, wishing her the speediest recovery possible. Absolutely. I was going to mention Gabby George. He obviously had a bad injury, but she's come back looking well and obviously the captain as well has had injury last season as well, Dan, and has come back looking well. So, you know, just got to get it done. Do a rehab, I'm sure that squad will pick her up when they can and hopefully she makes a speedy recovery. I'm just going to quickly hear from Willie Cake on what he thought over that, being a city victory. Willie, three goals, three points. Can I get better than that? Yeah, the clean sheet would have been nice but off, but a bit sloppy for the goal. But the most important thing today was three points. Without a doubt, the players were playing under quite a lot of pressure today and showed a lot of resilience against that pressure and came out where the winners end. Is it maybe a sigh of relief as well from yourself because, you know, going into this game, the record has been a bit up and down against Burnham City, so it's good to get a win at home especially. You know what? I never realised we had such a poor record against Burnham and the WSL, so I believe that's the first time in the WSL or so. So the Sky Sports cameras told me. So, yeah, I mean, that's, you know, that's something that I can't do anything about is the history, but certainly the main thing today was trying to get that victory and get points on the board and we did that. A debut for Lionel Mario as well, and a goal. I suppose debuts don't come better than that. Yeah, great strike, I thought she had a really good game. We took her off just as a precaution. It's been silly to force much longer out her. Burnham mind that it's been three or four weeks since she's been on a match pitch, so really, really pleased with Leo's performance and obviously the goal was probably a special moment for her. And you saw from the game as well she was almost acting as a right winger at times with Claire Hemsley dropping in. Is that something you're looking to implement? Not only just Leo, but maybe Dan as well for that attacking positions in the final third. Well, we looked at a couple of things in possession during the week and it was about when do we flatten our fullbacks off and when do we get them higher. And I thought there was elements to that that we got today. There was probably, at times, I thought we could have got Dan a little bit higher in open play and we could have got Leo inside a little bit and mixed it up a bit, but certainly in the closing stages we got both fullbacks in the field quite a bit and just had the natural width of Claire and Nico and Claire and Poppy. Yeah, there was a number of things we worked on which we've seen glimpses of today which was pleasing. And Hannah Benison, what a strike for her to get off the mark for her ever to career? Yeah, obviously delighted for her, delighted for us as a team to, you know, it was an important goal for us and you know, my job now is to try and protect her and make sure there's not too much pressure put on her because she's got that in her locker but she's still 18 and we still need to look after her and not expect too much too soon but we're two 18-year-olds on the pitch today and you know, we've spent a bit of money we've recruited really, really well but you know, it's still a youthful Everton team and that's why, you know, there's still a lot to grow and to be done by this squad. And Ricky Savec as well to go at the end I suppose that's icing on the cake especially from a set piece? Yeah, she's more than capable of doing that I think she got 10 in one season in her final season at Bromby before she went to France, she got 10 in a season and we expect that and more from Rhee in terms of scoring from attacking set pieces she should be a big threat for us because she's a great athlete and she's a great header of the ball. And I suppose maybe there's a slightly better suite because we're not going to be back here for a while we've got a long away game coming up but I suppose when we come back here it's going to be even more special with the renovations continuing. Yeah, the work will continue the pitch played well today the pitch will continue to play even better especially by the time we get to Christmas when we've had a number of games on it and we're not back here until November 7 but when we do come back it will not be new anymore for us the renovations will continue inside they'll continue to make improvements on the pitch surroundings and it's going to be a great place for us to be and hopefully make it a real dominant place for us. That was really there speaking after the 3-1 win against Birmingham so everything turns now to this weekend Reading the next opponent they've not had a great start at the season themselves at the moment they've lost the games and are currently minus 7 so this represents a real opportunity for Everton to build on that victory last week against Birmingham and I know speaking to you and the girls just before the season started that those top three places is where Everton will hopefully aim and if you're going to do that you've got to win these games albeit it's a tough away game but Everton have got to go to Reading on Sunday. Again it is a must win now like you say Bas, we've been very open about the ambition of the club this season and the coming seasons and wanting to get into those champions the positions and like you rightly said if you're going to do that you have to win these games you have to beat your Birminghams your Reddins, your Tottenhams who've got off to a flyer but it's really these are the games you have to win and obviously we've already lost to Manchester City and to Chelsea who will be part of that top three you know that's what people will be expecting and those are the teams that we're looking to compete with and catch up with so obviously haven't done that so far this season so these games, Reading, Birmingham etc you know we have to win and that's no I don't mean that as an insult to Reading because I think it will be a tough game I think they've got some really quality players and they're always a very tough physical hard work and aggressive team and they're at home so they'll try and make it really difficult and look to get their season finally up and running as well but we have to go there and show our class and show that you know we've got players in the squad that should be enough to make sure that we leave Reading with the free points Definitely, I mean is the signs now that the new players are settling into what Willie Cair wants and obviously we know that he tinkered with the system and he admitted openly last week that he probably didn't do anyone any favours by changing that but obviously following on from that positive result last week signs that everyone's really getting to grips with the balance and the chemistry in that team now ahead of this game 100% I think you know the goal the Hannah Benison goal sort of epitomised that as well the movement, the relationships developing amongst players to find that flow a little bit better and something else that I think has made a massive difference like you said, Willie Kirk sort of said look, I'm going to change it back and we saw us revert to a classic back four and Leonie Meyer coming back in massive you know an actual right back and we've obviously been playing sort of makeshift with we had Rika and then Niko in as well right wing back so Leonie coming in proper right back part of the back four I think has just solidified the back, tightened things up a bit and yet the other girls are just finding their flow, still got a few players to come back from injury but yeah I think that confidence as well that comes when you get a win all that will combine and hopefully mean that we can come away from redding with the win and I'm confident that we will do Fingers crossed then fingers crossed will be brilliant to build upon last week's win and if they do that then they really will set the momentum going in the right direction they can have a fantastic season we'll be back next week to discuss just how this one went Sarah but wish them all the best from us here and we will catch up with you next week have a great weekend and hopefully two more victories for Everton will be lovely this weekend, thanks for joining us Sarah Pleasure mate as always There you go for the Everton women show me sure you subscribe to the video a thumbs up, make sure you check out Everton women's day hopefully begin their climb up the league table See you later