Express & Star

Aston Villa’s Carla Ward named manager of the month

Villa Women boss Carla Ward has been named Barclays manager of the month for January.

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The honour comes after an impressive month for Ward in which she was also handed a new contract by the claret and blues following a good first half of the Women’s Super League season.

Villa currently sit sixth in the table with Ward overseeing a superb victory over Tottenham and a battling draw with high-flyers Manchester City.

Though they suffered a reverse at the hands of Arsenal in the quarter-final of the Women’s League Cup, Villa bounced back with an 11-0 trouncing of AFC Fylde last weekend in the Women’s FA Cup fourth round.

The award caps a memorable month for the 39-year-old who signed a contract extension with Villa a fortnight ago.

Speaking after the new deal announcement, Villa’s head of women’s football, Lee Billiard, said: “This is terrific news for Carla and the club.

“We have seen significant improvement in the team under her leadership, both individually and collectively, and this contract extension will allow her to continue progressing and building on our strategy to try to develop young players while putting Aston Villa at the heart of the women’s game in England at this exciting time.”

Ward crossed the Second City divide from Birmingham City ahead of the 2021-22 season.