Casey: It’s a disappointing way to go out
Manchester United Women’s head coach Casey Stoney shared her disappointment after the Reds were knocked out of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup following a 3-2 defeat to Leicester City.
United had twice gone ahead in the tie through Jess Sigsworth and Jane Ross, either side of Shannon O’Brien’s equaliser for the visitors, but it was the Foxes who prevailed in the tie following a quickfire turnaround courtesy of goals from Hannah Cain and Natasha Flint in the closing stages at Leigh Sports Village.
It means that the Reds finish the campaign with defeat in the final game of the season, and Casey’s reign in charge, after she announced earlier in the week that she would be stepping down from her role following the match.
United Women 2 Leicester City Women 3
ArticleThe Reds end the 2020/21 season - and Casey Stoney's reign - with an exit from the Vitality Women's FA Cup.
“It’s disappointing, bitterly disappointing, it’s definitely not the way I wanted to go out,” Stoney told MUTV post-match.
“I wanted to leave the club in a better place and going out the cup for me wasn’t an option.
“There were probably too many errors in both boxes to be honest. We missed too many chances and I can’t equate for those errors at the back. They cost us today unfortunately.
“We were in complete control and started getting a bit sloppy with five minutes to go [in the first half], we let them back in the game and we didn’t defend our box very well,” she added.
“At the other end, we get the second goal, we’re dominating, we’re in control and then we have an error at the back that lets them back in the game and then another error to go in front and they’re going to be dogged then.
“We shouldn’t have lost the game today with the amount of possession, control and chances we had.”
Our head coach went on to discuss the two key moments in today’s match that saw the visitors quickly turn the game on its head and subsequently knock United out of the competition in the latter stages of the contest.
“We didn’t reset after the second goal. We got caught on the counter again and we didn’t defend that moment well enough.
“Like I always say with my players, it’s not for a lack of effort. They give everything, they work so hard, but we have to be better in those moments defensively and offensively because we had chances.
“We should have been out of sight at half-time and we weren’t.”
Stoney steps down as Women's Head Coach
ArticleAfter three years in charge of United Women, Casey Stoney is to leave the club.
With the game bringing an end to her three years in charge as United Women’s head coach since the team’s launch back in 2018, Casey reflected on her time at the club that has included promotion to the Women’s Super League at the first time of asking, as champions of the second tier, before two successive fourth-place finishes in the top division of women’s football in England, over the last two campaigns.
“I’m immensely proud [of what we’ve achieved]. I’ve got huge pride in what we’ve built here and the foundations that are set now for the new manager, whoever comes in.
“That’s a fantastic group that they’re coming into, both staff and players.”