Beard: We can't drop more points

To say that the defeat at Manchester City in our last game was disappointing would be something of an understatement.

After a great run of form that has seen us climb up the table, we were once again devoid of 'luck' - something we have been short of all season.

Whether it is with injuries or in front of goal, we just haven't had the rub of the green you need at times and ultimately it has cost us dear. However we dust ourselves off and get ourselves ready for the stern tests in the coming weeks as we attempt to retain our title.

We welcome Chelsea tonight to the Select Security Stadium (kick-off 6.30pm BST) - a club I of course know very well and have fond memories of my time there. Our corresponding fixture was arguably the best 0-0 draw I have ever been involved in, but obviously we will be hoping for three points this evening.

The Blues have had a very good season to date and are in the race for the title; therefore we face a tough game tonight. Chelsea have bought very well and they possess a lot of leaders within their ranks now. Our players are fully aware of the need to start quickly and get in our stride - given the qualities of our opponents. A repeat of our first half showing last time out could cost us dear and we are determined to bounce back and put all the wrongs of our last match right.

The bottom line is we can ill afford to drop any more points and the need to beat both Chelsea and Birmingham in the coming games is paramount if we want to keep the pressure up at the top of the table. I guess the advantage we have is that out of the three clubs, we are the only one with experience of winning the title - therefore both clubs will be feeling different types of pressure as they get closer to the end of the season.

Despite the ups and downs of this season so far I have been delighted with the positivity of the players throughout in what have been tough times, especially with injuries, and they are determined to ensure that they don't put in the kind of performance they did in the first half against Manchester City. Discipline is the key for us today and if we can maintain that for 90 minutes then I'm confident we can beat any team in this league.

While an international break can be frustrating at times for a club manager- I was delighted for Fara Williams and her amazing achievement of being England's most capped player of all time. There is no one more deserving of that honour and at 30-years old she has a good few years left in her career; therefore I wouldn't be surprised if she gets close to 200 caps in the coming years.

Fara is a fantastic character, a great footballer, has an amazing footballing brain, and is a real role model for the younger players here. She is a great talent and I'm lucky and feel blessed that I work with her every day.

I want to close this latest column by thanking you once again for your continued support of the Ladies team. The atmosphere you create at home games gives the team great encouragement and each and every one of them is determined to repay your faith by finishing the season on a high.

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