Manchester City have reported that Mary Fowler is back training with the squad and closing in on her return after her ACL injury — but their latest Women’s FA Cup romp has only emphasised how hard it will be for her to get back in their rampant side.
In the build-up to their 6-0 waltz at third-division Bournemouth on Sunday, City’s coach Andree Jeglertz had provided an encouraging update about Fowler’s fitness, declaring: “She’s on her way.”
“She’s been with us for a couple of sessions now. A little modified, but she’s training well with the team,” added the Swedish boss of the star Matilda who’s still recovering from the ruptured ACL she suffered in April in last season’s FA Cup semi with Manchester United.
“She’s been working hard for a long time and the last step is the difficult one where she wants to push and we want to push but the performance team need to make sure we do it in a good way.
Mary Fowler. Photo: Aleksandar Jason
“She’s not ready yet, but hopefully pretty soon and not that far away,” he added, making it sound good news for the Matildas, who are desperate to have her back for the Asian Cup in March.
Yet though the recall of the gifted 22-year-old, who had to battle hard just to nail down a regular starting place last season, can only be another boon for City in their push for a domestic trophy treble, they are currently doing very nicely without her, making it 16 games unbeaten in all competitions on Sunday.
Bournemouth couldn’t cope with the WSL leaders’ star-studded attack, with Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp and a Laura Coombs double putting them four up by halftime before Dutch great Vivianne Miedema came off the bench to score two more after the break.
It brought City’s tally of goals in all competitions to 53 in just 17 matches — an average of more than three per game.
Not just City, but Liverpool and Manchester United all enjoyed the goal fest on Sunday as 55 goals were scored across the 12 Cup ties, soem of which were alarmingly one-sided.
Liverpool, struggling in the WSL, beat fourth-tier London Bees 6-0, while United hammered third-tier Burnley 5-0, including a goal from 16-year-old academy graduate Layla Drury.
In the only all-WSL tie of the round, 14-time winners Arsenal battled laboured to a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, with captain Kim Little scoring one and laying on another.
Steph Catley played all 90 minutes, while Caitlin Foord came on a second-half sub. Kyra Cooney-Cross was still absent after her return to Australia to be with her ill mother.
Charlton, leaders of WSL2, were the most prolific team of the lot, putting 10 past Swindon Town, including a hat-trick from Amalie Thestrup.
The club can confirm that women’s first-team head coach Dario Vidosic will take a period of leave for private family reasons.
Assistant head coach Chris Roberts, supported by Arthur Brammer, will take interim charge for the foreseeable future, starting with our FA Cup fixture… pic.twitter.com/THOIsQ9LhU
— Brighton & Hove Albion Women (@BHAFCWomen) January 17, 2026
Elsewhere, Brighton’s interim management team have dedicated their Women’s FA Cup fourth-round victory to the club’s Australian coach Dario Vidosic, who’s had to take a period of leave for private family reasons.
The Women’s Super League outfit will be without their 38-year-old boss for “the foreseeable future”, Brighton reported on the eve of their fourth-round tie against Nottingham Forest.
“As a club, our priority is to support Dario at this difficult time. We ask that his and his family’s privacy is respected,” Brighton’s women’s and girls’ managing director Zoe Johnson had said in a statement.
On Sunday, in Vidosic’s absence, assistant Chris Roberts, backed by first-team coach Arthur Brammer, took the reins and oversaw a comfortable 2-0 win for the Seagulls against WSL2 side Forest, with goals from Madison Haley and Jelena Cankovic.
“He’s our leader, he’s our boss and the team is very much his and we want to continue the great work that he’s done. Hopefully, we did him proud today,” said Roberts, reflecting on Vidosic’s sterling work at the club.
“It’s been a really tough 24 hours so it was about being professional today on the pitch but being there for Dario off the pitch — and hopefully we’ve done that.”
Vidosic’s absence is a blow for the English south-coast club, which has been rejuvenated under his stewardship since he joined in 2024 after a successful spell at Melbourne City and led them to a fifth-place finish in the WSL in his first season.
They also reached the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup, before losing 3-2 to Aston Villa.
At the moment, Brighton are having a tougher campaign than in 2024-25 as they lie eighth in the 12-team league. Their next match is at Everton on Friday, before they host London City Lionesses on Sunday, February 1.