Crystal Palace Women have launched the vote for their Temporal Player of the Month, following a demanding October that included five matches across league and cup competition.
Palace opened the month with a draw at Aston Villa, where Abbie Larkin’s second-half strike secured a point after the Eagles had fallen behind. There were then defeats against West Ham in the Barclays Women’s Super League, Southampton in the Subway Players Cup and unbeaten Chelsea, before a 4-2 loss to London City Lionesses in Bromley in the Players Cup.
Blanchard is among the nominees after scoring twice in three starts. Both goals came in the cup tie against Southampton, while she also found the net shortly after coming on against London City, sweeping the ball beyond Mary Earps with her first touch. Her recent positioning just behind the striker has coincided with an upturn in her goalscoring form.
Larkin’s month included the important equaliser at Villa Park, while she also created problems for Chelsea and won several fouls during the match. Her strong performances continued internationally, with the Palace forward recording a goal and two assists for the Republic of Ireland.
Summer signing O’Brien has made an encouraging start to her Palace career, scoring three times in 11 appearances. Her ability to operate on either flank or as a striker has added versatility to the team, and she headed Palace’s second goal against London City.
The Palace captain is also on the shortlist after starting all but one match during October. Her standout display came against Aston Villa, where she registered 15 defensive contributions, including three tackles, three interceptions and eight interceptions.
Tsunoda completes the group of nominees. The midfielder, who joined on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer, has impressed for Palace and recently received her first call-up to the Japan squad. She supplied the corner that led to Molly Bartrip’s goal against Chelsea. Supporters can now cast their vote for the winner.
