The media heard from Everton manager, Brian Sørenson, this morning as the Toffees gear up to face relegated Bristol City on the final day of the Barclays Women’s Super League. A win would be “really important” tomorrow, said the head coach, as his side hope to end their campaign with an additional three points to help them clinch the eighth spot on the table.

“It’s the same old story” says Sørenson, as Everton’s injury woes continue this weekend. Aurora Galli returns to the contingent alongside Hanna Bennison, but Lucy Hope, Toni Duggan, Rikke Madsen, and Emily Ramsey are all unavailable.

Despite being plagued by injuries, and finding themselves in a precarious situation as the club itself struggles financially, Sørenson’s Merseyside outfit have battled their way to securing twenty points, and are hopeful that they can add more to their tally in one last push. The boss declared “It’s been a challenging season, but I think overall we’ve been happy with everything we are doing”.

Speaking with pride about the way his group has dealt with the challenges that have arisen in recent months, Sørenson emphasised that “The girls have been absolutely fantastic in terms of taking new roles on.”

The manager packed on the praise for Everton’s captain, Megan Finnigan, who has “done a wonderful job.” The defender “plays 90 minutes week in week out” and has been a driving force behind the positives that can be taken from Everton’s overall performance throughout the season. No player in the Barclays Women’s Super League has made as many defensive blocks as Finnigan.

“Meg has been tremendous for us this season, also with all the losing players that we didn’t want to lose, I think she’s been a really good leader on and off the pitch. There was not many questions when Gabby [George] was leaving that she was going to be our captain.”

Finnigan is yet to make her way into Sarina Wiegman’s England squad, despite having demonstrated her quality at club level this season. Sørenson made his thoughts on Finnigan’s role clear, stating “She’s been really good. I won’t say more than I expected, because I expect a lot from her.”

Sørenson did not shy away from the anxieties of the upcoming transfer window, clarifying that thought continues to go into the process at the club. “We don’t want to lose any, but we know we probably will lose a couple” said the head coach, as he confirmed “We have a plan in place, and we’re going to follow that.”

The manager also touched on the challenges of loan players being unavailable against their parent clubs, and how this not only presents a problem for teams lower down the table who sign loanee players from top teams, but also makes it difficult for the gap between the Barclays Women’s Championship and the Barclays Women’s Super League to close.

Relegation has already been confirmed for Lauren Smith’s Bristol City, but Sørenson described the Robins as “a team we of course respect.” The Robins will no doubt be searching for some final Barclays Women’s Super League points at their home ground, as their time in the top-flight draws to a close.

On the gap between the Barclays Women’s Championship and the Barclays Women’s Super League making it incredibly difficult for sides like Bristol City to stay up, Sørenson expressed “if things don’t change then long term, of course it’s going to be hard, because a lot of teams are investing, and the gap at the top is going to be bigger and bigger”

Everton’s head coach commended the work Smith has done during her time in the top-flight, commenting “I think she has done a good job with the resources she has available.” As the Toffees gear up to go head-to-head with the Robins, Sørenson does not deny that the side can still present a challenge, affirming “They have been hard to play against. “

Sørenson described the type of football played by Bristol City as“Very organised, good counterattack style, and also aggressive in the press.”

“We know how hard this league is, and if you just overall don’t have the squad depth in terms of players, like she plays a very young team, it’s extremely hard to be very consistent with player selections. I think overall, regardless of going down, she has done a great job.”

Sørenson’s Everton will travel to Ashton Gate on Saturday, with the final clash kicking off at 15:00 GMT. The fixture will be available to watch live on the FA Player.