2020–21 London City Lionesses F.C. season

The 2020–21 London City Lionesses F.C. season is the club's second season in existence. The team competes in the FA Women's Championship, the second level of the women's football pyramid, as well as two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

London City Lionesses

2020–21 season
Chairperson	Diane Culligan
Head coach	Lisa Fallon (until 9 October) Melissa Phillips (from 9 October)
Stadium	Princes Park, Dartford
League Cup	Group stage
Home colours Away colours

Prior to the start of the season, on 27 May 2020, London City Lionesses announced the appointment of Lisa Fallon as their new manager, taking over from John Bayer who had been in charge on an interim basis since 15 October 2019.[1] Fallon stepped down for family reasons on 9 October 2020 only five games into the season.[2] Fallon's assistant, Melissa Phillips, was initially announced as interim head coach before assuming the role permanently the following week.[3][4]

Squad

As of 1 February 2021.[5]

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 Lucy Thomas 2 DF  ENG Chantelle Mackie 3 DF  ENG Leanne Cowan 4 MF  ENG Poppy Wilson 5 DF  ENG Hannah Short 6 DF  ENG Ylenia Priest (co-captain) 7 MF  IRL Alli Murphy 8 FW  ENG Freda Ayisi 9 FW  FIN Juliette Kemppi 10 FW  ENG Lily Agg 11 MF  ENG Annie Rossiter 12 DF  ENG Grace Neville 13 GK  ENG Hope Smith

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 FW  ENG Kallie Balfour 15 MF  IRL Hayley Nolan 16 MF  ENG Harley Bennett 17 MF  ENG Lucy Fitzgerald 18 MF  ENG Ellie Mason (co-captain) 20 FW  ENG Atlanta Primus 21 MF  ENG Flo Fyfe 22 FW  ENG Eden Bailey 23 MF  ENG Lilly Pursey 30 GK  USA Shae Yanez 37 MF  ALB Elizabeta Ejupi 44 GK  ENG Nina Wilson — FW  ENG Gabriella Ravenscroft

FA Women's Championship

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
14	5	4	5	14	11	+3	19	4	1	3	12	8	+4	1	3	2	2	3	−1

Last updated: 28 January 2021.
Source: FA WSL

Results

6 September 2020 1	London City Lionesses	1–4	Sheffield United	Dartford
14:00	Priest  37' Ayisi  49'	Report	Pennock  34',  36', 56' Hartley  44' Dixon  45' Wilkinson  58', 64'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Sarah Garratt

12 September 2020 2	Crystal Palace	1–1	London City Lionesses	Bromley
19:00	Waldie  3' Johnson  76'	Report	Ejupi  34'	Stadium: Hayes Lane Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Chloe Ann Anderson

27 September 2020 3	Durham	1–0	London City Lionesses	Durham
12:00	Hepple  44' Robson  64' Salicki  87'	Report	Bennett  23' Wilson  65' Agg  69'	Stadium: Maiden Castle Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lucy Briggs

4 October 2020 4	London City Lionesses	0–1	Lewes	Dartford
14:00	Rossiter  90'	Report	Leek  32' (pen.)	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Jamie Pope

11 October 2020 5	London City Lionesses	2–1	London Bees	Dartford
14:00	Murphy  4' (pen.) Bennett  67' Balfour  72' Priest  90'	Report	Roberts  63'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Daniel Doyle

18 October 2020 6	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	London City Lionesses	Bamber Bridge
14:00	Walters  30' (pen.) Edwards  45'	Report		Stadium: Irongate Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Jack Nield

1 November 2020 7	London City Lionesses	4–1	Leicester City	Dartford
14:00	Primus  27', 50' Agg  69' Mason  81'	Report	Bailey-Gayle  23'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Aaron Farmer

15 November 2020	Charlton Athletic	P–P	London City Lionesses	Crayford
14:00				Stadium: The Oakwood
Note: Postponed due to waterlogged pitch.[6]

6 December 2020 8	London City Lionesses	2–0	Coventry United	Dartford
14:00	Fitzgerald  22' Agg  46' Balfour  78'	Report		Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Jamie Pope

13 December 2020 9	London City Lionesses	0–1	Liverpool	Dartford
14:00	Ejupi  80'	Report	Moore  31'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Georgia Ball

20 December 2020 10	Sheffield United	0–0	London City Lionesses	Chesterfield
14:00		Report	Ejupi  90+1'	Stadium: Technique Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

10 January 2021 11	London City Lionesses	0–0	Crystal Palace	Dartford
14:00	Bennett  53' Nolan  85'	Report	Stobbs  31'  60' Barton  54'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lucy Ann Briggs

17 January 2021 12	London Bees	0–0	London City Lionesses	Canons Park
14:00		Report	Bennett  37'	Stadium: The Hive Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Georgia Ball

24 January 2021 13	London City Lionesses	3–0	Blackburn Rovers	Dartford
14:00	Agg  28' Ejupi  44', 56' Primus  45'	Report	Fenton  59'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Simon Finnagan

28 January 2021 14	Charlton Athletic	0–1	London City Lionesses	Crayford
19:45		Report	Balfour  40'	Stadium: The Oakwood Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Stephen Hughes

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	Sheffield United	15	8	4	3	30	12	+18	28
4	Liverpool	13	6	4	3	22	12	+10	22
5	London City Lionesses	14	5	4	5	14	11	+3	19
6	Lewes	13	5	3	5	9	13	−4	18
7	Blackburn Rovers	14	4	5	5	16	19	−3	17

First match(es) will be played on 7 February 2021. Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Women's FA Cup

As a member of the top two tiers, London City Lionesses will enter the FA Cup in the fourth round proper. Originally scheduled to take place on 31 January 2021, it was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.[7][8]

TBD Fourth round

v

FA Women's League Cup

Per the revised format of the League Cup amid the coronavirus pandemic, the group stage was now limited to four teams per group. London City Lionesses were drawn as the only Championship team alongside FA WSL teams Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal.[9][10]

7 October 2020 Group stage	Tottenham Hotspur	4–0	London City Lionesses	Canons Park
15:30	Percival  12' Kennedy  29' Ayane  35' Godfrey  70' Addison  82'	Report	Bennett  28'	Stadium: The Hive Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Sarah Garratt

4 November 2020 Group stage	London City Lionesses	0–4	Arsenal	Dartford
19:30		Report	Miedema  22', 28', 41', 54'	Stadium: Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Robert Whitton

18 November 2020 Group stage	London City Lionesses	C–C	Chelsea	Dartford
19:30				Stadium: Princes Park
Note: Postponed following three positive COVID-19 tests by London City Lionesses players.[11] Fixture was not fulfilled.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	WPEN	LPEN	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		CHE	ARS	TOT	LCL
1	Chelsea	2	2	0	0	0	6	1	+5	6	Advanced to knock-out stage		—	4–1	2–0	—
2	Arsenal	3	1	1	0	1	7	6	+1	5	Possible knockout stage based on ranking		—	—	2–2	—
3	Tottenham Hotspur	3	1	0	1	1	6	4	+2	4			—	—	—	4–0
4	London City Lionesses	2	0	0	0	2	0	8	−8	0			C–C[lower-greek 1]	0–4	—	—

Source: thefa.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record

1. Match originally postponed following three positive COVID-19 tests by London City Lionesses players.[12] An independent tribunal determined the fixture would not be rescheduled as it would have no effect on qualifying.[13]

Squad statistics

Appearances

As of 28 January 2021

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		League		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Lucy Thomas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	DF		Chantelle Mackie	7	0	5	0	0	0	2	0
3	DF		Leanne Cowan	8	0	6+1	0	0	0	0+1	0
4	MF		Poppy Wilson	11	0	8+2	0	0	0	1	0
5	DF		Hannah Short	10	0	8+1	0	0	0	0+1	0
6	DF		Ylenia Priest	8	0	6	0	0	0	1+1	0
7	MF		Alli Murphy	14	1	11+1	1	0	0	2	0
8	FW		Freda Ayisi	9	1	4+5	1	0	0	0	0
9	FW		Juliette Kemppi	16	0	10+4	0	0	0	0+2	0
10	FW		Lily Agg	14	1	11+2	1	0	0	1	0
11	MF		Annie Rossiter	11	0	1+8	0	0	0	1+1	0
12	DF		Grace Neville	14	0	12	0	0	0	2	0
13	GK		Hope Smith	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	FW		Kallie Balfour	12	2	4+7	2	0	0	1	0
15	MF		Hayley Nolan	14	0	12	0	0	0	1+1	0
16	MF		Harley Bennett	16	1	14	1	0	0	2	0
17	MF		Lucy Fitzgerald	14	1	8+4	1	0	0	1+1	0
18	MF		Ellie Mason	2	1	1	1	0	0	1	0
20	FW		Atlanta Primus	15	3	12+1	3	0	0	2	0
21	MF		Flo Fyfe	3	0	0+2	0	0	0	0+1	0
22	FW		Eden Bailey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	MF		Lilly Pursey	3	0	0+2	0	0	0	1	0
30	GK		Shae Yanez	16	0	14	0	0	0	2	0
37	MF		Elizabeta Ejupi	12	3	7+4	3	0	0	1	0
44	GK		Nina Wilson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW		Gabby Ravenscroft	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Transfers

Transfers in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Ref.
11 July 2020	MF		Alli Murphy	Selfoss	[14]
16 July 2020	GK		Shae Yanez	Santa Teresa	[15]
9 August 2020	MF		Lilly Pursey	Chelsea	[16]
28 August 2020	MF		Hayley Nolan	Connecticut Fusion	[17]
4 September 2020	FW		Atlanta Primus	Cal State Fullerton Titans	[18]
1 February 2021	GK		Nina Wilson	Fjarðab/Höttur/Leiknir	[19]

Transfers out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Ref.
15 April 2020	MF		Ellie Arnold	USC Upstate Spartans	[20]
19 June 2020	FW		Vanessa Susanna	Hellas Verona	[21][22]
	MF		Charlotte Gurr	Charlton Athletic	[21][23]
6 September 2020	FW		Evie Clarke	Hashtag United	[24]

References

1. "Lisa Fallon and Melissa Phillips announced as new London City Lionesses coaching team". London City Lionesses. 27 May 2020.
2. "Fallon leaves London City Lionesses". BBC Sport.
3. "Fallon and London City Lionesses part company". RTE. 9 October 2020.
4. "Phillips named London City head coach". BBC Sport.
5. "London City Lionesses first team". Retrieved 6 June 2020.
6. "Charlton Athletic's home clash with London City Lionesses washed out". FAWSL Full-Time. 15 November 2020.
7. "The Women's FA Cup Season 2020–21 List of Exemptions" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 10 August 2020.
8. "Women's FA Cup to remain suspended during coronavirus lockdown". Sky Sports.
9. "Conti Cup draw made". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
10. "2020/21 Continental Cup Draw Throws Out Two Unbelievable Groups of Death". 90min.com.
11. "London City Lionesses' clash with Chelsea postponed". FAWSL Full-Time. 18 November 2020.
12. "London City Lionesses' clash with Chelsea postponed". FAWSL Full-Time. 18 November 2020.
13. "FA Women's League Cup quarter-final draw date". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
14. "Alli Murphy signs for London City Lionesses". London City Lionesses. 12 July 2020.
15. "London City Lionesses sign Shae Yanez". London City Lionesses. 16 July 2020.
16. "London City Lionesses sign Lilly Pursey". London City Lionesses. 9 August 2020.
17. "Irish International Hayley Nolan joins The Pride". Lionesses. 28 August 2020.
18. "England Youth International Atlanta Primus Joins London City Lionesses". Lionesses. 4 September 2020.
19. "Goalkeeper Nina Wilson signs for London CityLionesses". www.londoncitylionesses.com. 1 February 2021.
20. "Spartans Sign Arnold". University of South Carolina - Upstate.
21. "Players Depart From London City Lionesses". London City Lionesses. 19 June 2020.
22. "Hellas Verona sign Vanessa Susanna". Hellas Verona Twitter.
23. Frith, Wilf (17 October 2020). "Charlton Athletic Women re-sign Charlotte Gurr". SheKicks.
24. "Hashtag United Women Announce The Arrival Of Evie Clarke (Exclusive)". Hashtag Women's Football. 6 September 2020.

External links

• London City Lionesses official website