No Fresh Fitness Concerns For LCFC Women, Bedford Confirms
- LCFC Women tackle Birmingham City on Sunday (2pm kick-off)
- The WSL’s bottom two sides clash at King Power Stadium
- Lydia Bedford reveals that she has no new injury concerns
- Several of the squad remain out of contention, the manager adds
Bedford has been without the likes of goalkeeper Kirstie Levell and forward Lachante Paul since she took charge of the team and they will remain out of contention until at least the New Year, while Hannah Cain, who ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in October, is out for the rest of the season.
Abbie McManus and Paige Bailey-Gayle both missed the trip to Arsenal last weekend, while Jemma Purfield will serve her one-match suspension for the red card picked up against the Gunners.
More positively, though, Bedford revealed that there are no new injury worries to contend with and the rest of the squad are in good shape ahead of the weekend. There is also a possibility of welcoming back some of the longer-term absentees next month, including Connie Scofield, who is yet to make her LCFC Women debut due to a broken foot.
“No, there’s nothing [new] at the moment," the Foxes manager commented in Friday afternoon’s virtual pre-match press conference at Belvoir Drive.
“There’s about five or six of them that, when I came through the door, have been out injured and there’s varying return times across that. A couple of them should be back towards the start or middle of January, which is really helpful.
“And then there’s a few more longer-term ones, like Hannah Cain, who is out for the whole season. It’s quite varied, but the medical team are working really hard and we’ve seen some real progress from those players over the last few weeks.
“I’m hopeful that they’ll will bolster the squad towards the end of January.”
The two sides currently at the bottom of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League table will face off at King Power Stadium this weekend, with both aiming for their maiden victories of the campaign.
There’s just one point separating the pair heading into Sunday’s 2pm kick-off on Filbert Way, and while the Blues were in midweek action, the postponement of Leicester’s Continental Tyres League Cup meeting with Manchester City gave extra time to prepare on the training pitch.
Bedford added: “The players could do with the break and obviously having three games in a week is quite a lot. From a loading perspective, it probably helped us. I’d say from an opportunity perspective and a chance to see more of the squad, that wasn’t brilliant.
“It would have been nice to change up the team and see who has picked up what from training over the last week or so. So, I was a bit disappointed in that sense and a few of them were really looking forward to getting a chance to play.
“But in terms of us being able to focus on our preparations for this weekend, it’s been quite helpful to have the extra time.”
All times GMT.