New West Brom Women goalkeeper Lucy Jones must step up after multiple blunders v Nottingham Forest
West Brom Women’s goalkeeper Lucy Jones must step up after a poor performance at the back in their 4-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Off the back of a 4-2 victory in the FA WNL Cup against Derby, Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s side were looking to continue their winning start to the league season.
However, they put on a poor defensive display against the Reds on Sunday (3 September), with each Forest goal being the result of a blunder at the back. The Baggies ended the last WNL season with the second-worst defence of the non-relegated sides with 46 goals conceded across the 22-game season.
While yet to keep a clean sheet this season in all competitions and off the back of the Forest drubbing, the 18-year-old must call on her vast experience as an international for England youth and from her 30 appearances for Birmingham City last season to help fix the issues at the back.
Forest’s opening goal was arguably the toughest to prevent. Freya Thomas did excellently to make the space outside the area, and her powerful shot proved too much for Lucy Jones in the Baggies’ net.
Charlotte Greengrass found herself in acres of space during a Forest corner. With no one marking, she poked it home. Jones’ attempt to save only resulted in the ball spilling into the net.
The third Forest goal was a gift, as Jones’ attempt to play from the back was pounced on by Greengrass, whose cool finish doubled her tally for the afternoon.
The defence let her down massively for Forest’s fourth, as the Forest attacker was left with half the pitch to run in, and her accurate cross was tapped past Jones.
Jones is still a young goalkeeper, and she was up against a top side in Nottingham Forest, who topped the WNL last season. She may still be bedding into the side, but she will be keen to earn her first Baggies clean sheet against Liverpool Feds in the next fixture.
At just 18, she has gained a wealth of experience against WSL 2 opposition. She is a standout for her age nationally too, having earned two caps for the under-18s side at the back end of last season.
However, the Baggies’ defensive errors are clear to see, and Jones’ fatal errors leading to goals played a big role in the Baggies’ downfall that afternoon. Hodgetts-Still has plenty of work to do in the early stages of the season.
In other West Brom news, Tony Pulis has revealed details about Serge Gnabry’s time at the Hawthorns.