FeatureMatt Beard's guide to his title-winning Liverpool FC Women squad

The 4-2 win over Bristol City Women ensured the FA Women’s Championship title was won in style, with two games still left to play in the division.

Manager Matt Beard, in his second spell with the club, has guided the Reds back to the Women’s Super League for 2022-23.

Since the opening-day defeat by London City Lionesses, LFC Women have gone on a 19-game unbeaten run in the league, with goalkeeper Rachael Laws recording 13 clean sheets so far this season.

Read on as Liverpoolfc.com caught up with the boss to give us fascinating insight into his title-winning squad…

No.1 Rachael Laws

“What can I say about Lawsy? What an achievement – breaking her own clean-sheet record and setting a new one this season. We’ve got one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers – not only in the FA Women’s Championship but in England. She has been fantastic for us. She is an unbelievable leader. Whenever we have needed her, she has stood up – look at that double save against London City Lionesses recently, the save at Bristol City last Sunday. Lawsy is an absolute rock and is a pleasure to work with.”

No.2 Charlotte Wardlaw

“What a good girl. Tenacious, she is a great technician. Charlotte came in late in pre-season on loan from Chelsea. She had a great first half of the season but has been in and out of the team of late as she picked up an injury on international duty. What a great addition she has been for us. She has played in three or four different positions for me and she is definitely a winner, that’s for sure.”

No.3 Leighanne Robe

“Robey, what a person! I’ve got nothing but respect for Robey. She has got a great personality, but she is a good football player and she is a winner. She is tenacious, she is an absolute diamond, she brings – as she says herself – good vibes only. She is fantastic.”

No.4 Rhiannon Roberts

“Razza has been so professional this year. She didn’t start in the team at the start of the season but she has kept her head down, she has worked so hard on the training pitch and got back into the team. Razza plays with her heart on her sleeve. She is brave, she is just an absolute diamond and a great person. Razza has had a great second half of the season – not just for us but her country as well.”

No.5 Niamh Fahey

“Our captain. I’ve loved working with Niamh. What a player, what a person. She is an unbelievable leader and has a great personality. She has led the team unbelievably well and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Niamh. She has popped up with some important goals, important blocks. She is unbelievable. I am so, so proud of her. She also had a great achievement with the national team as well. What a year it has been for Niamh.”

No.6 Jasmine Matthews

“Jas is Miss Consistency! I said this when we signed her when I worked with her and watched her day in, day out at Bristol City. What a player. Unbelievable, consistent. In my opinion, I think she can play for England – I really do because she has got everything. She reads the game well, is a great technician and has added some vital goals to her game now. Such a wonderful football player, a wonderful person and I love her to pieces. She is an absolute 24-carat diamond!”

No.7 Missy Bo Kearns

“I gave her the famous Liverpool No.7 jersey at the start of the season and she has certainly embraced that. A livewire, an absolute livewire! Her personality is infectious. She loves football, she loves Liverpool FC, and this girl can go to the very top, 100 per cent. She has got everything. We are really pleased with her over the course of this season. It’s only her first full season that she has been regularly starting in the team. Considering her age, Missy Bo has been fantastic.”

No.8 Jade Bailey

“Jade has been very unlucky this year in terms of starting games because we changed the system to 3-4-3. She is a great technician, she has a beautiful smile with a great personality. When she hasn’t played, she has been so supportive of the team and been absolutely fantastic. It was tough for her when we changed the formation because it meant we didn’t use a holding midfield player, but she has been nothing but professional.”

No.9 Leanne Kiernan

“Our top scorer. What can I say about Leanne, hey? Another unbelievable character. She would run through a brick wall and do anything for the team. I think her game has gone to a new level this season. She has played a lot of games, she has got back into the national team, she has scored goals – which I knew she could do anyway. They are all good people, these players, but Leanne has added a different dimension to the team with her pace, her directness and as a great finisher. She has had a really good season.”

No.10 Rachel Furness

“A great football player. Furney has been consistent for us. She didn’t start the season because she was coming back from the injury that she had and then she had to bide her time because the team was doing well. In the big games, she has really stood up and helped this team. I think of the games against Durham, Sheffield United away, Crystal Palace away, Durham at home – her performances have been second to none. We know she is going to score goals, especially from set-pieces, and she has been a big part of what we have achieved this season. What a season for her with Northern Ireland as well, becoming their record scorer and being named Sports Personality of the Year. Special.”

No.11 Melissa Lawley

“Mel is a wizard. I’ve loved working with Mel. She has got all the ability in the world. She is a great character and on her day she is a world-class player. It has been great to see her play football again with a smile on her face and play with a bit of freedom. I know there is more to come from Mel, for sure. I have been really pleased with her. When she picked up an injury and our front three were doing so well, she just carried on working and got herself back in the team. Mel has got such a strong will to win and I think that’s infectious in her game. You definitely don’t want to take that out of her because that makes her the player that she is.”

No.12 Taylor Hinds

“What a season Taylor has had. I remember one of my first conversations I had with her, and since that she has just flown and been Miss Consistent. Her attitude in training and her attitude overall is just up there with the very best. Taylor can achieve anything in this game, and she will do that because of the way she conducts herself. She works hard on the training ground, looks after herself off the pitch and she has added goals and assists this season. It's great to see how she has developed. Taylor has done that all by herself because she has got her head down, she has worked hard and she has added a different dimension to our game and the team.”

No.13 Rylee Foster

“It was a tough moment for everyone involved with this club in what Rylee went through. I’m delighted she is making a recovery and we are just looking forward to nurturing her back. We are delighted she is getting back to full health and it was great to have her with us at Bristol City, celebrating with us. Rylee has played a part in this campaign as well, albeit a small one, but she has played a part.”

No.14 Ashley Hodson

“Our record appearance holder. Ash has been a bit unlucky this season, coming back from injury at the start and then picking up a hamstring problem. I’m delighted she broke the record because she has been a great servant to the football club. Ash is direct, she is a goalscorer and her pace causes teams problems. The team has been doing well and she has been respectful and worked hard in training. I’m delighted with what she achieved for us this season.”

No.15 Meikayla Moore

“'Mouse' is a fantastic character, such a beautiful person. She is a good technician of the game, she is a student of the game and her attention to detail is second to none. Again, she is another one who has had to bide her time and take opportunities when they have arisen for her.”

No.17 Carla Humphrey

“‘Twinkle toes’ as our girls call her. What an unbelievable character and, again, another wonderful person. She has not had as much game time as she would have liked, but when she’s played she has been excellent. I was hoping she could have scored her first goal for the club down at Bristol City – she deserved it and was unlucky. Carla is a technically-gifted football player, very good in tight spaces, she has got a great personality and she adds a lot of value to the team. She has conducted herself professionally, always works hard in training and has been a great addition to the group.”

No.18 Ceri Holland

“A great engine in the midfield. Ceri is versatile as well – not just for us but for her country. Another one whose work ethic is second to none. She causes teams problems with her athleticism, her pace, her power. She is a great passer of the ball. Ceri has had a really good season for us.”

No.19 Rianna Dean

“Rianna has been very unfortunate this season to pick up a few injuries, and losing her was a big blow to us. I’ve been gutted for her. She came in a bit later on in pre-season, worked hard and got herself into the team. In our second game of the season, she scored two superb goals in our win at Watford as we bounced back from the opening-day defeat. Those two goals and the three points helped us to where we are. I know it’s been tough for her but she has worked so hard and always done it with a smile on her face.”

No.20 Yana Daniels

“Yana just gets her head down, works hard. She is such a good football player – great in tight spaces and dangerous in the air. When I worked with her at Bristol City, I saw what a good player she was. Yana is so respectful. When I told her she wouldn’t be starting at Bristol City last Sunday because we wanted to go with the pace in the wide areas, her exact words to me were, ‘I just want the team to win.’ It’s little things like that. For me, Yana has had such a massive impact on the team this season. One, because of her personality, and also because of the way she plays and leads by example. She has played at wing-back for us, she is versatile and she can be proud of what she has achieved this season.”

No.24 Katie Stengel

“A great addition to the squad. She has such a great personality and she is another one that has come in, got her head down and works hard in training. She is such a good player, has great feet and been a great addition to the team. To come in and do what she has done in a new country, coming halfway through a season, is not an easy thing to do. Katie has scored seven goals now and she has had a massive impact in the team and helping us achieve promotion. It took the weight a little bit off Leanne in regards to goals, and everyone has chipped in of late.”

No.27 Charlotte Clarke

“Clarkey has made great progress over the course of the second half of the season since we brought her in from Derby County. Coming in halfway through a season is tough but she has settled in really well. She has progressed week in, week out working with Pottsy [Joe Potts, goalkeeper coach]. She has a great personality. It’s great to see her progression on the pitch, too, and she has been a great addition to the group.”

No.28 Megan Campbell

“People will always go to the throw-in when they talk about Meg, always. Yes, it is dangerous, but let me tell you Megan Campbell is a very talented football player. She has a great left foot, as we have seen in our last couple of games with her deliveries from set-plays as well. I was devastated for her when she got that injury in pre-season, which put her out for six months, especially after what she had been through at Manchester City. I just think it shows her strength of character, coming back from that and having the impact she has had, especially in the last month of the season. I’m really pleased for her because she has had a tough couple of years. Our medical team has done a fantastic job with Meg and there is much more to come from her, which is the exciting thing.”

No.32 Lucy Parry

“Lucy is a great talent and she is going to be a great player. Her development over the course of the season has been fantastic, just watching her grow as a person as well. She is a very good player. Again, she is versatile, can play either side at full-back. Balancing school and football is not an easy thing to do, but she has done that so well, as well as playing international football. Pazza has got a great future ahead of her.”

No.33 Evie Smith

“Smithy is another one of our talented young players. She got injured in pre-season in the same game as Megan Campbell got her injury. She was having a really good pre-season at that point. She is another one who has worked incredibly hard to get back fit. She has got a great left foot, can play left-back or left-wing. I was gutted for her when she got the injury that kept her out for so long because she was flying in pre-season.”

No.34 Hannah Silcock

“‘Virg’ is her nickname by the girls after Mr Van Dijk! What a talented football player our young centre-half is. Hannah is probably one of the best young players I’ve seen at her age in football. She has got everything. She is calm, composed and reads the game well. Physically, she has developed over the course of the season. Same as Pazza, she has had to balance school and football. When we’ve been travelling to away games, she has been doing her homework on the team bus. She and her family deserve a lot of credit for managing that balance as well. Hannah Silcock will go to the very top if she wants to.”

A special mention for two players who were at the club during this season.

Georgia Walters

“Georgia came in with us during pre-season. She had to adjust from part-time to full-time football and she did well for us. She had an impact in a lot of games – I look back to the Coventry game when she came off the bench. It was the right thing for her to go to Sheffield United because it’s great to see her playing regular football, which is what she needs. I’m really pleased that the move has worked out for her. She had an important impact for us during her time here.”

Katie Startup

“Katie is a great character and it was disappointing she couldn’t see the season out with us because Brighton recalled her from the loan. But in the games she played for us and supported Lawsy, she did a great job. We missed her when she went because she has got a quirky personality. I loved talking to her, just about life in general. She is a great person.”

And last but certainly not least: the loyal LFC Women supporters

“I know I say this in my regular column on Liverpoolfc.com, but our supporters have been absolutely magnificent this season. Away games have felt like home games and they have been singing their hearts out and supporting the girls. Our supporters always play a big part in what we do and they are never taken for granted. We all love the songs they have for the players and we were singing them on the coach on our return from Bristol.”