Kerys Kicks

Birmingham City skipper Kerys Harrop continues her column with a view from the Blues at the turn of the year. She admits to a poor personal start to 2017/18, having been sent off against Manchester City for retaliating against a late challenge, something she does not recommend, and says she has not really got going. The team have been frustrated by results not matching performances and an early Continental Cup exit, but she sees 2018 as a fresh opportunity in the league and hopes for a good FA Cup run after reaching the previous year’s final. Harrop writes movingly about goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger’s thyroid cancer diagnosis, the overwhelming support from teams, fans and players worldwide, and Berger’s recovery from surgery. She closes on a 2-0 defeat at Sunderland in which Birmingham dominated the first half before conceding twice from set-pieces.