'We'll leave no stone unturned' - Beard.

Beard has had an extended period to work with his players since his arrival due to fixture postponements, and the 43-year-old believes the extra time given to City has put his side in good stead for a busy week of important games.

“It was frustrating for the game not to go ahead [Chelsea fixture] but it's a big benefit for me because I’ve had an extra training session this week,” said Beard.

“We worked the girls really hard last week and especially the first two days this week just to really get a little bit sharper, it does mean we've now got to find another game at the back end of the season but it's a big game for us on Saturday.

“We need to win it so it's swings and roundabouts really, but it's given us the opportunity to have an extra session in preparation for this game.”

A combination of injuries and challenging fixtures during the back-end of 2020 proved difficult for City, however Beard believes that a rebound confidence in the playing group can set them up for a strong second-half of the season.

“If you look over time, especially the last month going into Christmas, Tanya [Oxtoby] had a lot of injuries and she had come up against some top opposition as well in that period. I think if you look at the quarter-final performance where there wasn't the pressure of the league, they showed that day that they can get at teams. They are good football players and we can cause teams problems.

“Today was probably the best training session I’ve had since I’ve been here with regards to the intensity, the consistency and the confidence on the ball. To pass it, to move, to keep it, to interchange; it's been really refreshing to see the mindset is changing slightly. The intensity is getting better and they're getting a little bit sharper fitness-wise, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the week pans out and then see what happens Saturday.”

City will be coming up against Brighton and Hove Albion and Beard’s ex-team West Ham United over the next two weekends in the Barclays FAWSL, though attention will also be drawn to the midweek semi-final fixture in the FA Continental Cup against FA Championship leaders, Leicester City.

A place in the final at Vicarage Road is at stakes against Leicester but the league games are equally as important to Beard and his side in their bid to remain in the top division.

“We've said it this week that we have to win this game, we're at home, if we get three points it gets us closer to Aston Villa, it gets us closer to Brighton and then it sets us up for the week ahead with Leicester and West Ham beyond that. We're doing all we can this week to make sure they're prepared, we'll leave no stone unturned.

“It’s important that we get the balance right over the course of the three games because it's going to be a big week. We've got two games at home when we play on the Saturday which is good for us because it gives us that extra day to recover and an extra day to prepare for the semi-final, but we've got to make sure that we look after the players and we do the right things.”

After being postponed earlier in the season due to Covid-19 issues in the Brighton squad, the Seagulls finally make the trip to Twerton Park on Saturday in the rearranged fixture.

Beard expressed his admiration of Brighton’s playing style and the threat they offer, however the Robins boss believes that City can use the time and preparation they’ve had to overcome the Sussex-based side.

“The thing with Brighton is if they're in the game they're always in the game. They're very organized from a tactical standpoint – out of possession and in possession. They've got their path to play, they've got their way of defending, so that's dangerous. They're a big side as well, so they're dangerous on set plays but we’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves.

“We've got to really focus on how we can beat them and what we need to do to beat them, as I said the preparation so far this week has been really good.”