Blues Ladies Win Champions League QF

Birmingham City Ladies qualified for semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League yesterday after beating Arsenal 2-0 at the Hive to win the tie 3-0 on aggregate. Goals from Kirsty Linnett and Remi Allen in the first half ensured the win and Blues will now face Tyreso FF of Sweden in the semis.

After all the woe surrounding the men’s side it’s a welcome bit of good news that the Ladies team have done so well. With the departures of Laura Bassett, Rachel Williams and Izzy Christensen there was a feeling that they could struggle this year in the WSL – like the men’s side, the Ladies relative spending is much lower than many teams in their division. However, to beat Arsenal home and away will give the girls a lot of confidence in the season ahead and hopefully is a positive indicator of success.

The girls will face Tyreso FF of Sweden in the semis, who knocked out Austrian side Neulengbach 8-1 on aggregate after drawing 0-0 away at the Austrian side on Saturday. The other semi final is an all German affair with last season’s Champions League winners Wolfsburg taking on Turbine Potsdam. The home leg will take place on the weekend of 19-20 April with the return game the next week – all for the prize of a trip to Lisbon on 22 May to play in the Final.

It’s an incredible achievement for the girls. who went out in heartbreaking fashion in the 2012-13 competition, losing on aggregate 3-2 to Verona of Italy after extra time despite winning the home leg 2-0 and is testament to the hard work of David Parker and Marcus Bignot. Both can rightly be proud of how far the club has come and both surely are now hopeful that the team can push on in the WSL to improve on last season’s fourth placed finish despite the massive infusion of cash their rivals – particularly the newly formed Manchester City – have received prior to this season.

The WSL season starts on April 16 against Everton at the Ladies’ new home at Damson Parkway and season tickets are available for just £30.