By Georgia Garnett
CRYSTAL Palace women’s manager Leif Smerud lauded his team’s resilience after a 2-2 draw against Leicester City in the team’s final home game of the season on Sunday.
Hannah Cain gave the visiting Tigers an early lead before Annabel Blanchard pulled one back with a penalty.
Shannon O’Brien seemed to have scored the winner for Leicester in added-time before a 98th-minute goal from Abbie Larkin ensured both teams left VBS Community Stadium with a point.
Smerud said: “In football, there’s always a new game, always a new season, and it’s rare that a player or a team or a club never faces difficulties.
“So, it’s a chance to grow from it, but it’s up to the players to respond – I think we started well here today, so we’ve done the best we could in a difficult situation.”
Smerud had particular praise for Blanchard, who netted her fourth goal of the season in her first game back in the starting lineup for nearly two months.
He added: “Blanch has been working hard for a long time and she earned the chance – I think she has raised the quality and managed to stabilise and be more consistent in training as well, so then she earned it and took it.”
The fans were also the subject of Smerud’s praise for their constant support despite the difficulties the team faced throughout the season.
He said: “I’ve told the players that we are part of something bigger and I’ve shown them what the supporters are about and what Palace is about, tried to show them the values and the commitment they show and what they do to support the team.
“Last time, when we were 7-1 down, they were still banging the drum and really getting behind the team here.
“You cannot take that for granted after you show the respect for working well, so it’s unbelievably important to have a fan base and supporters that Palace are lucky to have.”
Crystal Palace will close out their inaugural season in the WSL at Manchester City on Saturday.
Despite the season’s adversity and relegation, Smerud is looking forward to the challenge of taking on the Blues, who beat Palace 3-0 in the reverse fixture in November.
He added: “I think the game will be a tough one – it’s Man City away, so we have to get up to our best level.
“That’s what I’m looking for, for us to give a good performance, and then in football, the underdog always has a chance if they do that.
“I’m looking to finish the season as well as possible, even though it’s been a difficult year.”
The match will kick off at 12:30pm on Saturday.
