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Melissa Phillips: 'It's going to be a competitive match and we look forward to that'


Melissa Phillips and Rianna Jarrett, London City Lionesses (Image: thoughtsofawing)
Melissa Phillips and Rianna Jarrett, London City Lionesses (Image: thoughtsofawing)

London City Lionesses return to action in the Barclays Women’s Championship with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday [15 January]. If Melissa Phillips’ and her squad depart Hayes Lane with a win, they will consolidate their lead at the top of the table and place their previous result versus the Eagles in the rear-view mirror.


The Lionesses haven’t faced Crystal Palace since the opening weekend of the season when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Princes Park. However, London City are unbeaten in the league since then and travel to Bromley hoping to extend their unbeaten run to a tenth league game.


“We just look at the performance more than the result,” said Phillips in her weekly media availability. “It’s no secret that they’re the only team we’ve dropped all three points to this season, so it’s going to be a competitive match and we look forward to that.



"We've been brilliant on the road this season, which is a credit to the preparation from the players and staff because we make sure that we’ve thought about every angle to be prepared as possible.”


As the Lionesses get ready for their latest London Derby, Phillips is fully aware of the threats that will be posed to her players on the artificial surface at Hayes Lane.


“Palace have a squad full of really good players,” the American said when asked to review the Eagles.



“They’re dangerous, unpredictable, and lead the league in possession stats. When we played them last time, it was a very high-level match that was decided by fine margins.


“We typically play quite well on astro because we train on it a couple of days per week. We’re used to the surface and we train later in the afternoon, so we practise under the lights in the winter.


“We’re quite comfortable with playing on an artificial pitch from a preparation standpoint and we’ve travelled to Coventry and Palace and scored a lot of goals in recent seasons. Ultimately, that’s just an indicator of what to expect on turf: we know the performance still has to match the result we’re after.”


Here are all the key details for tomorrow's match.


How can I watch our away game versus Crystal Palace?

When does the match start, how do I get there, and can I park?

  • Match Start: Sunday 15 January at 18:00

  • Stadium: Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9EF

  • Nearest Train Station(s): Bromley South (15-minute walk), Hayes (20-minute walk)

  • Stadium Car Park Fee: £2

We can't wait to see you on the road at Haynes Lane!

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