The understudies in the ensemble of Les Misérables are not ordinarily interviewed by football coaches. For detail-driven Amy Merricks, the Birmingham City head coach and a lover of the West End musical, they were her prime focus during her Uefa Pro Licence dissertation on maximising squad harmony and ensuring the fringe members of a squad feel valued.
With three games to go in the Women’s Championship title battle, the time has come for Merricks’ second-placed team to formez vos bataillons as they fight with London City Lionesses for promotion to the Women’s Super League, in a race so close it is offering theatre-worthy drama. But four years ago it was very hard for anybody at Birmingham City Women to feel happy, understudies or not.
