‘We want to establish ourselves’ – Birmingham backed for big return to WSL by Rising Star Neve Herron

BIRMINGHAM CITY have what it takes to return to the WSL with a bang, according to defender Neve Herron.

The Blues sealed their return to the top division for the first time in four years last season by winning the WSL2 and earning automatic promotion.

They now face the challenge of staying there – in what is expected to be the most competitive campaign yet.

With several established clubs splashing the cash on big-name signings and the league expanding to 14 teams for the first time, there is little room for error.

But Herron is confident that Birmingham will be comfortable dealing with the demands.

The 23-year-old told SunSport: “We just want to establish ourselves in the league. We’ve obviously not been in the league for a few years now, so I think it’s about getting ourselves back in there and competing with the best teams in women’s football.

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WSL opening weekend fixtures

4th September – London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
5th September – Chelsea vs Aston Villa
6th September – Brighton vs Arsenal
6th September – Tottenham vs West Ham
6th September – Charlton vs Liverpool
6th September – Crystal Palace vs Everton
6th September – Manchester City vs Birmingham City

Reflecting on the memorable season, she said: “I try not to think of the individual awards. I try to just be the best version of myself day in, day out. Anything added is a bonus, so it’s obviously amazing winning that award and I feel very lucky and grateful.

“But the main thing last season was as a team winning the league and I think that overruled any individual award for me.”

Birmingham will be led by head coach Amy Merricks going into the new season. The 33-year-old, who took charge of the club in 2024, has a list of non-negotiables when it comes to her squad, one of which is high energy.

“As a collective and a group we’ve got a lot of players that can bring that on and off the pitch,” Herron added. “Obviously on social media everyone sees that and Shannon (Cooke) shares a lot of videos when we’re away and stuff like that.

“It shows the energy we have as a group off the pitch and I think you can almost see it when we play.

“But yeah, I’d agree the energy was massive for us last season and it’s what maybe won us games at times in the dying moments.

“I think Sunderland (1-0 win) is one that I always remember of Lily’s late winner, I think the energy in that game was top draw. You can see that we’ve used that word and phrase a lot. So yeah, it’ll definitely be something that we’ll be taking into this season.”

Merricks also introduced the analogy of caterpillars turning into butterflies last term, mirroring the development of her players throughout the campaign, which culminated in them playing with plenty of freedom.

“When we first saw them caterpillars I think we were all a bit confused,” the defender joked. “But then she obviously creates a strong environment that you can tell we have the togetherness on the pitch as well and it all links back to our culture and how we want to represent the team.”

Birmingham kick off their WSL campaign against reigning champions Manchester City on September 6.

But Herron and her team-mates are relishing the challenge. She continued: “We’re all just excited to get going. Sometimes pre-season can feel long and when you get the fixtures you’re almost waiting for that first game.

“It’s exciting. We obviously played Man City in the FA Cup last year, so it was a good test for us then, almost setting the standards for how we want to play going into this season.