Jocelyn Prêcheur, the head coach of London City Lionesses, has insisted everyone associated with the club is not naive about the size of the step up to the Women’s Super League after reaching the top flight for the first time following Sunday’s drama-filled final day of the Championship season.
Lionesses will become the first club unaffiliated to a men’s side to compete in the WSL, following their 2-2 draw away at second-placed Birmingham City. Lionesses, who train in Kent and play their home game at men’s League Two side Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground, will be hoping to break the trend of promoted teams struggling and going straight back down to the Championship after Bristol City endured that fate in the 2023-24 campaign, collecting only six points in the WSL, nine points behind the second-bottom side, while this season Crystal Palace’s relegation has already been confirmed with them having accumulated only 10 points with one game remaining, seven points adrift.
“We have in mind what happened in the last two seasons, for sure, with the promoted team,” said Prêcheur, a former Paris Saint-Germain coach who took over at Lionesses last summer. “We don’t want to have the same story, which means we need to be sure we are strong enough, and it will be tough.
“I’m not naive – I know the gap is huge between the Championship and the WSL. After [celebrating] I’ll go back to work and start to ensure staff and players look at what are the priorities and what we need to be sure we can compete.”
Nonetheless, the Lionesses’ owner, Michele Kang, who also owns the French club Lyon and the American side Washington Spirit, insists they immediately intend to be a mid-table WSL team, revealing after Sunday’s game that her recruitment team are to have a meeting “first thing on Monday morning” to start work on the summer transfer window.
Brighton left Arsenal shellshocked once again as they ran out 4-2 winners in their final Women's Super League home game of the season.
Gunners head coach Renee Slegers had been expecting a response from a 5-2 defeat by Aston Villa on Wednesday – which had followed on from their Champions League heroics against Lyon to reach the final – and made six changes to her side.
Brighton, however, gave their fans a memorable send-off at Broadfield Stadium, with Fran Kirby (pictured) firing in the opening goal after 16 minutes.
Although Caitlin Foord equalised just before the half-hour mark, Jelena Cankovic struck either side of the break – her second after Arsenal were caught playing out from the back – to put the hosts firmly in control after 52 minutes.
Kiko Seike added a fourth just two minutes later following a swift counterattack to keep fifth-placed Brighton on course for a highest ever finish in the WSL.
Arsenal scored a late consolation through Mariona Caldentey in stoppage time, with Jenna Nighswonger's effort then pushed on to the crossbar, leaving Slegers's squad to regroup as they aim to make sure of runners-up spot in their last league match against closest rivals Manchester United. PA Media
“It’s actually going to be much easier to recruit,” she said. “A lot of top players didn’t want to join a Championship team but now we’re in WSL I think it’s going to be easier to recruit. We’re very, very excited.
“We’ve been building the team to be mid-tier WSL, at a minimum, on day one. It remains to be seen, but we’ve seen so many clubs that go up and then come down, so we’ve been actually on purpose to be at least on day one someone in mid-tier, and who knows.”
