The bottom of the league can be a lonely place, but as The FA WSL season reaches its climax two of those battling to remain in the division insist they will never give up.
Winless Everton may be staring into the abyss, but boss Andy Spence believes his side’s character will ensure they fight for every point available between now and the end of the season.
The Toffees have closed the gap on seventh-placed Notts County in recent weeks to four points, following back-to-back draws with Birmingham and local rivals Liverpool.
However, a league victory still eludes them and they face sixth-placed Manchester City on Sunday desperate to secure their first three points.
With league leaders Chelsea and Continental Cup finalists Arsenal and Manchester City still to play, Spence and co will have to pull a rabbit out of the hat in order to survive.
Everton boss Andy Spence insists his side will never give up
But he believes the characters emanating from his squad will ensure they battle until the bitter end.
“I can only be complimentary of the players,” he said.
“Another group of personalities would have folded in this position and felt sorry for themselves, which is easy to do.
“But this group of players, hats off to them, want to fight for each other and most importantly they want to fight for Everton.
“Man City and Notts County will present different challenges for us. Man City have got the confidence of being in the Continental Cup final and are probably one of the best footballing sides I’ve seen in the league.
“And then you’ve got Notts County, who go into that game in a similar position to us and that game could be absolutely massive for both clubs.
“So if we keep playing the way we have been then I’ll be a happy manager and the players will be fighting really hard to keep this club in the league.”
Rick Passmoor says his Notts County side will battle until the end
Meanwhile, fellow strugglers Notts County recorded their sole league win of the season against Everton in April, though a spate of draws have kept their heads above water.
But with league leaders Chelsea next up, followed by games with the Toffees, Bristol Academy and Birmingham City to finish the season, County boss Rick Passmoor fears injury problems could hamper their quest to cement survival.
“In the last few weeks we’ve had up to seven players unavailable through injury, or bereavement in one case,” he said.
“I’ll get a couple of those girls back for the Chelsea game, but we’ve still got five long-term absentees.
"At the moment we are patching everyone up and getting them as prepared as possible for the games.”
