Club: Southampton
Position: Midfielder
Price: £7.5m
Last Season Points Tally: 125 (11th highest midfielder)
There are breakout seasons, and then there are seasons that make you sit up and take notice.
For Mary Bashford, her first campaign with Southampton was certainly the latter.
The midfielder announced herself in style during her debut BWSL2 season, finishing as Southampton’s outright top scorer with eight goals while earning both the Players’ Player of the Season and Coaches’ Player of the Season awards.
Her performances also saw her nominated for the BWSL2 Rising Star award.
Not bad for a first season.
Now, with that experience under her belt, Bashford enters the new campaign with expectations naturally higher — and for Fantasy managers, there is plenty to get excited about.
Already a proven Fantasy performer
Bashford's appeal isn't based purely on what she might become.
She has already shown exactly what she can offer.
Her 125 Fantasy points last season ranked her 11th among all midfielders, despite this being her debut campaign.
That makes her a fascinating option heading into the new season. She is being labelled a Future Star, but her numbers suggest she has already started delivering like an established Fantasy option.
At £7.5m, Bashford is the third-highest-priced midfielder in the game, which reflects just how highly her performances last season have been rated.
The question for Fantasy managers isn't whether she can produce.
It's whether she can take another step forward.
Goals from midfield
Eight goals is an impressive return for any player, but Bashford's ability to find the net from a midfield position makes that figure even more significant in Fantasy.
Midfielders receive five points for every goal, giving Bashford an extra route to big returns whenever she gets herself into dangerous positions.
And that attacking threat isn't limited to goals.
Fantasy points are also available for shots on target, key passes, successful crosses and successful dribbles, with a point awarded for every four of those actions.
That could suit Bashford's style.
Her box-to-box qualities and willingness to influence the game in attacking areas mean she has the potential to contribute even when she isn't finding the back of the net.
For Fantasy managers, that variety is valuable.
Why could this be the season she really breaks through?
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Bashford is that there is still so much more to come.
She is just 21, and her first season at Southampton was already enough to earn recognition from her teammates, coaching staff and across the division.
The Players' Player and Coaches' Player awards suggest her influence extended far beyond her goals, while the Rising Star nomination showed that her performances had caught attention outside the club too.
Now she has a full BWSL2 season behind her.
She knows the level. She knows what is expected. And Southampton know exactly what they have in her.
That combination could make the next stage of Bashford's development particularly interesting.
A Future Star worth knowing
Fantasy managers will always be drawn towards the established names, but Bashford offers something slightly different.
She has the potential of a young player on the rise, combined with the evidence of someone who has already delivered.
Eight goals. 125 Fantasy points. A top-scorer finish. Two Player of the Season awards. A Rising Star nomination.
And at £7.5m, the Fantasy game is clearly expecting big things from her too.
If Bashford can build on the platform she created last season, Southampton's young midfielder could quickly move from being a Future Star to becoming one of the Fantasy names everyone knows.
