REPORT: Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham

Aston Villa closed out their pre-season preparations with a goalless draw against fellow Women's Super League club West Ham United at Keys Park. The home side threatened right until the final whistle, but were unable to get past a stubborn opponent in a tightly contested encounter in front of a vibrant home crowd. Natalia Arroyo’s squad now look forward to fine tuning their preparations on the training pitch before heading to the capital for their Women’s Super League opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Saturday.It was a lively start in Hednesford, with the home fans in fine voice as they watched their side in-person for the first time this pre-season. The entire first team squad were presented pre-match, with a special surprise reveal of new signing Rofiat Imuran concluding the festivities before kick-off. Minutes after the ball got rolling captain Lucy Parker was called into action to prevent Viviane Asseyi from shooting at goal. The centre-half dashed into the left channel to expertly intercept before the West Ham forward could pull the trigger.Villa then took control of possession, with Miri Taylor and Oriane Jean-Francois dictating the tempo at the heart of midfield. Taylor’s cutting through ball set Lily Murphy dashing down the right, but the young loanee was unable to find a team-mate with a low cut-back. Visitors West Ham continued to threaten on the transition, though the Villa defensive line stood firm. Striker Amalie Vangsgaard was diligent in her efforts to support the defence, heading clear multiple corners at the front post before they could pose a threat. Keeper Akane Okuma was called into action once again to deny Asseyi on 43 minutes, standing tall to parry around the front post to ensure the first half ended all square.Head coach Arroyo turned to her bench at half time, introducing forwards Maya Hijikata and Mia McAulay. Japan international Hijikata made an instant impact, pulling the ball back to Noelle Maritz on 48 minutes, but the Swiss defender aimed her effort straight at visitors keeper Constance Picaud-Inconnu. Villa continued pressing home their dominance in search of the opener, though West Ham went close to taking the lead against the run of play, with Villa relieved to see striker Riko Ueki’s long range effort bounce off the crossbar.Ueki tried her luck from distance again minutes later, though international team-mate Okuma produced a smart double save for the home side. The Japan stopper parried away the initial drive before diving at the feet of Asseyi to thwart the rebound. More changes were made on the hour mark, with Anna Patten taking over the armband from Lucy Parker, and Maritz and Taylor also making away for Lucia Kendall and Océane Deslandes. Patten jumped straight into the action, launching into a superb, sliding tackle to prevent Kelly Gago from slotting West Ham into the lead.Villa’s main threat continued to arrive in the wide areas. Hijikata popped up in the middle to get on the end of another Murphy low cross, but her side-footed finish was turned behind for a corner. Patten then rose highest to nod the delivery at goal, but her effort was deflected wide of the upright. Both teams upped their efforts as they chased a winning goal. Substitute Kendall went closest to breaking the deadlock for Villa, forcing Picaud-Iconnu into a flying stop to her left hand side in stoppage time. Attentions now turn to final preparations on the training pitch ahead of our trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea next week.FixturesChelsea Women Vs. Aston Villa Women - Sat, Sep 05 2026, 12:30Aston Villa Women Vs. Manchester City Women - Sun, Sep 13 2026, 18:30