In an exclusive interview with The Halfway Line, Birmingham City manager Amy Merricks spoke after her side triumphed 2-0 over Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium.
Merricks’ side currently occupy top spot on the Barclays Women’s Championship table, as the head coach shared her thoughts on the triumph over the Saints. The Blues boss also opened up about the need for more female coaching staff across the women’s game.
Dominating on the south coast
Merricks gave her initial reaction to Sunday afternoon’s win when expressing “I’m really proud of everyone, players, staff. We’ve had a really positive week of work on the grass, and I thought it reflected today.”
Birmingham City’s performance against a respectable Southampton side was strong. The Blues played determined, attacking football to win their third consecutive league game of the season. The two goals of the game were scored by Lucy Quinn and Lily Agg respectively, but Tegan McGowan’s consistency and creativity made her an undeniable standout for the away side.
The head coach also praised Remi Allen’s Saints outfit, saying “Credit to Southampton. They made it really tough for us in certain moments. We had to make some tweaks, but everyone responded really well, and I thought it was a really good performance today.”
The hosts were troubled by Merricks’ side for much of the clash, but there were points where a consolation goal for Southampton looked to be on the horizon. Despite a slight dip in their defensive organisation, Birmingham City kept their cool, and left with another three points and a clean sheet to their name.
The strong mindset even in the Blues young and new players is a testament to Merricks’ composed managerial style. As Birmingham City pursue their dream of promotion, it is clear that this squad is coached to do far more than just play football. Their relentlessness against a slightly sub-par Southampton side meant even in marginally weaker moments, the display they put on was more than enough to frustrate the opposition, and get the job done.
Next up, Newcastle United
Elsewhere in the Championship on Sunday, newly promoted Newcastle United drew 3-3 with last season’s runners-up in Charlton Athletic. This result is an impressive one for a side new to the league. It becomes even more surprising when you learn that Charlton were in fact 3-1 down until the 94th minute of play.
The Halfway Line asked Merricks what her side might need to focus on heading into what could be an unpredictable fixture against an up-and-coming club. Not wanting to give too much away, the manager said “We will continuously, obviously look at where we need to improve, and I think that’s why we’re making good ground that we are, because we are one game at a time, not being complacent, recognising that we still have a long way to go, but also making sure we apply ourselves when the game comes.”
Evidently, the Blues boss acknowledged that the Championship is arguably more competitive than ever. The campaign has been underway for less than two months, and whilst Birmingham City appear to be the top dogs, Charlton sit only two points behind in second heading into the upcoming international break.
Merricks expressed, “So, we will go away again, look at where we need to improve, tweak things. We’ve obviously got the international break to get ourselves refreshed and go again.”
Leading the way for female coaching staff
Merricks is one of the relatively few female managers operating in the top two levels of English women’s football. The Halfway Line asked the 31-year-old how she feels about the progression of the Championship, and the women’s game more broadly, in regards to its backing of young female coaches.
Merricks spoke highly of Southampton’s head coach, another strong female leadership figure in football, and praised the league’s clubs for investing in managerial talent which often goes untapped and under-represented. “I think credit to the Championship clubs, because even Remi [Allen] in the opposite dugout today, I know is a very talented coach and has a long career ahead of herself, too,” the Blues boss emphasised.
Willing to step away from the victory her side just secured and to talk candidly about the important matter of women coaching women, Merricks affirmed, “I’m really passionate about it. I’d like to see more females, and I’ll continue to be vocal about it, female coaches in the female game.”
The Birmingham City manager concluded by asserting the significance of ensuring there are opportunities for female coaching staff to pursue.
“I totally agree that it needs to be the right person and the best person for the role. I’m not saying that, but I think we need to give these female coaches more exposure to gain the experience to be ready to take the roles. And that’s where I think there needs to be a change, and that’s where I think maybe there needs to be more accountability on these clubs, whether that be the head head coach role or the assistant roles. We should be looking at, can we give a female coach that exposure and that experience.”
Managers like Merricks and Allen are raising standards and helping to break down the barriers for female coaches in the women’s game. On and off the pitch, the progress is happening, and it makes the competition all the more exciting for fans and players alike.
