Birmingham City Women’s goalkeeping coach Tony Elliott talks about Hannah Hampton and the club’s ambitions for 2019

Birmingham City Women have had an excellent start to the season so far and are currently in fourth place, level on points with defending champions, Chelsea.

With the league returning from a winter break this weekend, Prost International spoke to Tony Elliott about his role as goalkeeping coach, how Hannah Hampton is ready to fill the void left by Ann-Katrin Berger and his hopes for England at the Women’s World Cup.

What do you enjoy most about being the Birmingham City Women goalkeeping coach?

It’s a great opportunity to work at the very highest level in the women’s game which is moving forward at a rapid pace. Working at one of the best teams in the WSL is a huge privilege and being at Birmingham City Women as goalkeeping coach is a role that I really enjoy.

I really enjoy integrating the goalkeepers with the whole team not just working with them on their own which is quite a modern approach. Marc is very open and allows me to do that. We work well together and I’m lucky to have a head coach who understands the way we train.

How much of a blow has it been to lose first-choice keeper Ann Katrin-Berger at this stage of the season?

When I came in, it was great to come in and work with Ann Katrin and she was very professional and always treated me with respect and I did the same for her. She got a call-up for the Germany squad soon after I started working with her while was really positive and I hope she can go on to establish herself in the squad.

It will be a blow to lose her as she was a senior player not just as a goalkeeper but in the squad as a whole. However, we wish her all the best but we have to move on and Hannah is more than capable of stepping up.

 Is Hannah Hampton ready to fill the void?

Hannah is a great goalkeeper who will grab the opportunity to be number one with both hands. She’s had a decent amount of games this season and came and did very well.

In the game against Manchester City she made a mistake but she was able to move on and bounce back during the game which I was really impressed about. She has a bright future and it’s about managing her talent. She is more than capable of being one of the best goalkeepers in the country.

What are your thoughts on the standard of goalkeeping in the WSL this season?

The standard of football in general in the league is great. England players and an influx of foreign players has helped raise the standards of the league. Ellie Roebuck has been brilliant and not been overawed by the occasion since replacing Karen Bardsley in goal. Megan Walsh at Yeovil Town is also doing really well.

That is good to see and just shows the level of the coaching and standard of the coaches that work with these goalkeepers. There are some fantastic goalkeeping coaches in the WSL and in lower leagues. We work on the psychological side of the game with the goalkeepers as well for when things go wrong as they need broad shoulders to cope with the highs and the lows.

Birmingham have kept seven clean sheets this season, how much of that is down to goalkeeping?

I would never say that cleans sheets is just down to goalkeepers, it’s a collective. It’s not just about the defenders and the goalkeeper but the whole team. Defending starts from the front. The collective is huge and it’s about a mindset and a willingness not to be beaten. Keeping clean sheets is something we’ve tried to work on. Sometimes the best teams get results on the back of clean sheets.

Can saving goals ever be as exciting as scoring them?

Definitely. The goalkeeper is always part of the team, not apart from the team. There is a great thrill in making a big save. People will always forget the big saves once the errors are made but the goalkeepers can be the heroes.

For me, there was never a moment or game when I wasn’t excited about being a goalkeeper. You have to be prepared to deal with the tough bits and then the plaudits will come your way. If you make eight or nine good saves and then fumble a cross at the end, everybody will forget the saves and focus on the mistake.

What are the aims for 2019?

We’re in contention. We’re one of four of five teams that are in contention for the Championship and we want to keep doing that. If we can be contending for the title in the last month of the season that would be brilliant. It would be great if we could have a few good cup runs and that will build momentum.

Winning any games, in the cup or in the league is great for momentum. We want to stay in contention and keep getting good results as we go into the second half of the season. We’re also looking to continue to develop and work with Hannah. We’re in the market for a new goalkeeper, we need to find someone else after Ann-Katrin’s departure.

Now that we’re officially in a World Cup year, are you excited?

Yes, I’m very hopeful and excited for the Women’s World Cup. It will be interesting on a goalkeeping front to see which goalkeepers are selected. Let’s see where we can end up. It would be great if we could go all the way or at least end up in one of the medal positions.

The game has grown rapidly since the last World Cup and for me the future of women’s football is only getting brighter and that’s great to see.

There is still ignorance around women’s football but the more exposure there is to it, the more people will begin to understand it. I love working in the women’s game, I’m proud of working in the WSL and I will always defend women’s football.

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