Aston Villa Women staged a breathless second-half comeback to defeat Brighton 2-1 in the Women’s Super League, watched on by assistant coach and Bermudian legend Shaun Goater.
The Villans found themselves trailing early at Villa Park after Fuka Tsunoda capitalised on a defensive lapse in the 11th minute. However, the hosts emerged from the interval with renewed intensity, striking twice in a frantic 92-second window to flip the contest on its head.
England international Rachel Daly spearheaded the revival, rising highest to head home an equaliser in the 57th minute. Before the Brighton defence could catch its breath, top scorer Kirsty Hanson latched onto the ball on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner. The victory marks a significant start to 2026 for Goater and the Villa coaching staff, moving the club up to sixth in the WSL table.
It was a more sombre afternoon for Bermudian forward Jasmine Spence, whose Newport Pagnell Town Women side bowed out of the League Cup following a dramatic encounter with Notts County Women Development.
Spence, who has been in clinical form this season with four goals and four assists, was a constant threat throughout a tense 120 minutes of football. Despite both sides creating clear-cut openings, the match remained deadlocked at 0-0 after extra time. The tie was ultimately decided from the penalty spot, where Newport Pagnell unfortunately fell 3-2 in the shootout.
The "Big Freeze" currently sweeping across the United Kingdom continued to disrupt the sporting calendar for several other Bermudian internationals.
A raft of fixtures in the FA Women's National League and various regional divisions were postponed on Sunday morning due to frozen pitches. Match officials deemed surfaces unplayable at several venues, leaving the likes of Aaliyah Nolan and Kenni Thompson facing a fixture backlog as the winter weather continues to bite.
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