Brighton 1-1 Spurs (WSL) | Robert’s verdict: “It was tough not to get the win”

Robert Vilahamn was pleased with the improved second-half display but also disappointed to only come away with a point as we were held 1-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

The hosts did have the better of the opportunities in the first half, Jelena Cancovic sending a low effort fractionally wide while Eleanor Heeps did well to keep out a Nikita Parris header, as we were defensively strong to keep the Seagulls at bay at Broadfield Stadium.

We upped the tempo in the second half and broke the deadlock in Crawley as Bethany England netted her third goal in two WSL game, slotting home Martha Thomas’ squared pass, but our captain’s opener was cancelled out by an impressive strike from Marisa Olislagers as we settled for a point.

With another point gained in our final WSL game of the calendar year, extending our unbeaten run to four games in all competitions, Robert has been pleased with the character in his squad in recent weeks.

Here’s what Robert had to say to us after the game...

Robert, how would you reflect on the game?

Robert: “I mean, we had it at 1-0 and there wasn’t too many minutes left, I think we were quite good in that phase, so it was tough not to get the win. The first half wasn’t the best, Brighton were better than us, so getting a draw away to Brighton after that first half is okay but I really wanted the win, you know. It was a tough game.”

How was the back four in the first half to keep Brighton at bay?

Robert: “Brighton was good, actually. Our press didn’t work at all, we were pushed back lower and lower, we didn’t really handle the ball when we wanted to it, but the way we defended, they blocked the shots, the way they took the duels was really nice to see because in some games this season, we have struggled to do that, so it showed that we’re much better to defend in the last four games. The second half we nailed the press, much better on the ball, scored a really beautiful goal and could have made it 2-0 with Jess Naz as well, then it’s unlucky situation happens when they score, it’s a long break then, after that, it’s a gamble with both teams going for it but none could finish it.”

When you have Bethany inside the box in those situations, you know she will find the back of the net?

Brighton: “When you can get around them and find that cutback for her then, you know, she is going to score, she’s a great box player and, I think, she has been really good in the last few games, scoring goals for us, being a good leader, a good link-up and a quality finisher as well.”

It has been a really positive week, is there a lot you can take from these three games?

Robert: “If you bring Aston Villa into that as well, that’s four games without a loss – three wins and one draw, two clean sheets and conceded two goals. There’s a lot of stuff that’s really good and also, if you look, we lost a few games with big numbers before that, so it shows really good character. I’m very pleased on how the players have dealt with that, we have used the whole squad this week and everybody is participating, helping out and supporting to make sure we perform. We’re going to have a good break now and relax, make sure we take this first period of time with feedback and then we will come back, train really hard and make sure we’re better.”

Is the festive break about recharging and then hit the ground running in the new year?

Robert: “We want to work really hard, play a lot of games, catch a break, reflect on what you have done, where we need to improve and, when we come back, work even harder and then we’ll take the step. It’s a journey we’re doing and it’ll take time for every step we want to take, now we’ve taken another step where we went through a rough time with a few games but we found ways to come back and be in the quarter-finals of the League Cup and be top six in the table, even if we’re not really happy with this part of the season. We’re taking steps even if we’re having setbacks.”

Watch - Vilahamn reflects on draw at Brighton