# 2019–20 Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. season

The 2019–20 Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. season was the club's 29th season in existence and their second in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.
On 13 March 2020, in line with the FA's response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced the season was temporarily suspended until at least 3 April 2020. After further postponements, the season was ultimately ended prematurely on 25 May 2020 with immediate effect. Brighton sat in 9th at the time and retained their position on sporting merit after The FA Board's decision to award places on a points-per-game basis.

## Squad

    As of 23 January 2020.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Megan Walsh |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Beth Roe |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Felicity Gibbons |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Danielle Bowman (captain) |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Fern Whelan |
| 6 | DF | NIR | Laura Rafferty |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Aileen Whelan |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Kirsty Barton |
| 9 | FW | NGA | Ini Umotong |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kate Natkiel |
| 11 | MF | SWE | Amanda Nildén |
| 12 | DF | DEN | Matilde Lundorf |
| 14 | DF | NED | Danique Kerkdijk |
| 15 | FW | WAL | Kayleigh Green |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Ellie Brazil |
| 17 | MF | IRL | Megan Connolly |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Jodie Brett |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Emily Simpkins |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Victoria Williams |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Maya Le Tissier |
| 22 | GK | ENG | Laura Hartley |
| 23 | FW | IRL | Rianna Jarrett |
| 24 | FW | NED | Maxime Bennink (on loan from Reading) |
| 25 | GK | NOR | Cecilie Fiskerstrand |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Libby Bance |
| 27 | MF | FRA | Léa Le Garrec |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Ellie Hack |

## Management team

| Position | Name |
| Manager | Hope Powell |
| Assistant manager | Amy Merricks |
| Goalkeeping coach | Alex Penny |
| General Manager | Kirsty Hulland |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Ivo Nunez Miguel |
| Physiotherapist | Lisa Walsh |
| Lead Analysis | Edward Filmer |
| Club Doctor | Dr. Timothy Buck |
| Kit Manager | Maurice Bane |

## FA Women's Super League
### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 23 February 2020. Source: FA WSL

### Results by matchday

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A |
| Result | D | D | L | L | L | W | L | D | L | L | W | L | L | W | D | L | C | C | C | C | C | C |
| Position | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | | | | | | |

### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 20 | 1.33 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 34 | −15 | 16 | 1.14 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 30 | −19 | 13 | 0.81 |
| 10 | Bristol City | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 38 | −29 | 9 | 0.64 |
| 11 | Birmingham City | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 23 | −18 | 7 | 0.54 |

## Women's FA Cup

As a member of the top two tiers, Brighton & Hove Albion entered the FA Cup in the fourth round, beating Championship teams Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively. A quarter-final against fellow WSL opposition Birmingham City was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic before the season was ultimately curtailed. On 24 July 2020 it was announced the 2019–20 FA Cup would resume play during the 2020–21 season starting with the quarter-final ties rescheduled for the weekend of 26/27 September 2020.

## FA Women's League Cup
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARS | BHA | BRI | LON | CHA | LCL |
| 1 | Arsenal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | +25 | 13 | Advance to Knock-out stage | — | — | 7–0 | 9–0 | 4–0 | — |
| 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 11 | Advance to Knock-out stage | 0–0 | — | 1–2 | — | — | — |
| 3 | Bristol City | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 10 | | — | — | — | 3–0 | — | 1–1 |
| 4 | London Bees | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 5 | | — | 0–5 | — | — | 0–0 | — |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 4 | | — | 0–3 | 2–5 | — | — | 1–0 |
| 6 | London City Lionesses | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 2 | | 0–5 | 2–4 | — | 0–3 | — | — |

### Knockout phase
## Squad statistics
### Appearances

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | FA WSL | FA WSL | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Megan Walsh | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Beth Roe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Felicity Gibbons | 23 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Danielle Bowman | 21 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2+2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Fern Whelan | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | NIR | Laura Rafferty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Aileen Whelan | 23 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Kirsty Barton | 13 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | NGA | Ini Umotong | 22 | 6 | 6+8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5+1 | 3 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kate Natkiel | 15 | 1 | 4+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5+1 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | SWE | Amanda Nildén | 16 | 2 | 5+5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | DEN | Matilde Lundorf | 13 | 1 | 6+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 14 | DF | NED | Danique Kerkdijk | 23 | 1 | 13+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | WAL | Kayleigh Green | 23 | 6 | 14+2 | 2 | 0+3 | 0 | 2+2 | 4 |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Ellie Brazil | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | IRL | Megan Connolly | 12 | 1 | 6+3 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Jodie Brett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Emily Simpkins | 19 | 2 | 8+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5+1 | 2 |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Victoria Williams | 16 | 1 | 11+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Maya Le Tissier | 19 | 0 | 7+5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | ENG | Laura Hartley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | IRL | Rianna Jarrett | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | NED | Maxime Bennick | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | NOR | Cecilie Fiskerstrand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Libby Bance | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | FRA | Léa Le Garrec | 18 | 1 | 14+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Ellie Hack | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | ENG | Faith Nokuthula | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joined during 2020–21 season but competed in the postponed 2019–20 FA Cup: ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | KOR | Lee Geum-min | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | NED | Inessa Kaagman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | FIN | Nora Heroum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | IRL | Denise O'Sullivan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | NZL | Rebekah Stott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players away from the club on loan: ||||||||||||
| 13 | GK | ENG | Sophie Harris | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Rank | No. | Pos. | Name | FA WSL | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | 7 | FW | Aileen Whelan | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 1 | 9 | FW | Ini Umotong | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 1 | 15 | FW | Kayleigh Green | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | 11 | MF | Amanda Nildén | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 19 | MF | Emily Simpkins | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 23 | FW | Rianna Jarrett | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 4 | MF | Danielle Bowman | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 10 | MF | Kate Natkiel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | DF | Matilde Lundorf | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | FW | Denise O'Sullivan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 14 | DF | Danique Kerkdijk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 17 | MF | Megan Connolly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 20 | DF | Victoria Williams | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 27 | MF | Léa Le Garrec | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Own goal | Own goal | Own goal | Own goal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 11 | 8 | 14 | 33 |
* ↑ Joined during 2020–21 season but scored in the postponed 2019–20 FA Cup

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From |
| 1 July 2019 | DF | Danique Kerkdijk | Bristol City |
| 5 July 2019 | DF | Matilde Lundorf | VSK Aarhus |
| 10 July 2019 | GK | Megan Walsh | Yeovil Town |
| 8 August 2019 | MF | Léa Le Garrec | En Avant de Guingamp |
| 3 January 2020 | GK | Cecilie Fiskerstrand | LSK |
| 23 January 2020 | FW | Rianna Jarrett | Wexford Youths |

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Until | Ref. |
| 23 January 2020 | FW | | Maxime Bennink | Reading | End of season | |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To |
| 14 May 2019 | GK | Lucy Gillett | Crystal Palace |
| 14 May 2019 | DF | Sophie Perry | Retired |
| 3 July 2019 | GK | Marie Hourihan | Braga |
| 5 July 2019 | MF | Chloe Peplow | Tottenham Hotspur |

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Until | Ref. |
| 23 January 2020 | GK | | Sophie Harris | Lewes | End of season | |