Aston Villa star claims Goal of the Month award for pinpoint WSL strike

Scotland international winger Kirsty Hanson has been rewarded for her spectacular Women’s Super League goal against West Ham United.

Aston Villa Women claimed their first win of the new WSL season at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, the home of Dagenham & Redbridge, and both of Villa’s goals in their 2-0 victory over the Hammers were shortlisted for the league’s Goal of the Month award for October.

Hanson’s goal was named as the winner ahead of another fabulous finish from teammate Lynn Wilms, whose clever free kick put the game beyond the opposition and helped earn a first maximum for Natalia Arroyo‘s team to cap a broadly positive start to the season.

The other nominated goals were scored by Chelsea duo Keira Walsh and Wieke Kaptein, Anna Sandberg of Manchester United and Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly, but Hanson came out on top in the voting for October.

Hanson won the award with her 11th goal for Villa and her first of the WSL season.

It was a worthy winner, too. After Hanson took a quick corner to Wilms on Villa’s right, she received the ball on the run and whipped an unstoppable left-footed curler beyond West Ham goalkeeper Kinga Szemik and into the far corner of the net, breaking the deadlock in the process.

The former Doncaster Rovers Belles player joined Villa from Manchester United on loan in 2022 and permanently a year later.

Her best season for Villa in terms of goals and assists was her first, when she scored seven goals and made nine as fellow new signing and current Villa skipper Rachel Daly ran rampant and Villa finished fifth in the WSL under Carla Ward.

Representing Villa on the world stage

Now 27, Hanson is a regular starter and a senior member of the Villa squad. She’s also a seasoned senior international player with Scotland and started their friendly win against Morocco in Casablanca on Friday.

Scotland will also face Switzerland in a friendly at Dunfermline Athletic in the current international match window. Villa teammate Noelle Maritz is a mainstay in the Swiss squad and played in Friday’s friendly win over Canada in Lucerne.

Villa goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo was on the bench for the Canadians and there were also international call-ups for Wilms (Netherlands), Missy Bo Kearns (England) and Lucia Kendall, who has joined the senior England squad for the first time.

Speaking after her first Lionesses call-up, the 21-year-old midfielder said: “Obviously, moving to Villa this summer and moving to the WSL was a big thing for me. I’ve gone there because I think Villa is a great club and with the intention of hopefully if I could put in some good performances and get into the team and play regularly, maybe I could get a look in towards the end of the season, so I really didn’t expect it at all.”

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