What Dario Vidosic expects from the Fran Kirby-Michelle Agyemang partnership for Brighton

Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa - Barclays Women's Super League. Fran Kirby
Fran Kirby in action for Brighton (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Dario Vidosic is pleased with the way Fran Kirby and Michelle Agyemang’s partnership is coming together.

And he hopes for great things in the weeks to come.

“It was [a partnership] that was developing from last season, especially towards the back end when Mich was playing more and more and in the squad,” he said to the media on Thursday.

“It’s something they’ve picked up from last season, and I only expect it to get better and better the longer they play and develop that connection between each other, and get to know each other better on the field.

“[They’re] two very good players and will hopefully get better and better.”

“You want to score goals”

Fran Kirby – now aged 32 – joined Brighton last summer after almost a decade at Chelsea when she became their record goalscorer, and retired from England duty earlier this year.

19-year-old Agyemang opened her account for the season when she scored the only goal of the game against Everton in the Women’s Super League last weekend.

It comes off the back of a successful summer in which she helped the Lionesses to win their second consecutive Euros and was named young player of the tournament.

And after a great loan spell with Brighton last year, she headed back there this season from parent club Arsenal.

“Naturally as a striker you want to score goals so she’s been probably a little bit unlucky,” reflected Vidosic on Agyemang’s season so far.

“As a young player, you need to learn, it’s not all about that – you can still affect the game, you can still play really well without scoring. Naturally there is that little bit of pressure that comes with her, but I think she’s handled it all really well, and it was very nice to see her get a well-deserved goal.”

Vidosic: The table only matters at the end of the season

Brighton face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, 5th October, in a clash of two sides who have made a strong start to the season. In fact, should the results go Brighton’s way, they could replace Spurs in fourth place – but Vidosic says he is not paying any attention to the league table.

“It’s way too early in the season…it only really matters at the end of the season,” he said.

“At the moment, we train as per usual, try to develop us as a team to get better.”

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About Carrie Dunn 192 Articles
Carrie Dunn is a women's football writer. Her book 'Unsuitable for Females' was shortlisted for Football Book of the Year at the 2023 Sports Book Awards, and more recently 'Woman Up' was nominated for the 2024 Vikki Orvice Award for Women's Sport Writing. Her newest book 'Flying the Flag: The Footballing Heroines of the Home Nations Who Made History Abroad' is out now.