📝 REPORT: BRISTOL CITY WOMEN 5-1 SHEFFIELD UNITED
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST 2021
City Women were back with a bang as they hit five past Sheffield United on route to victory at the Robins High Performance Centre.
Match Report sponsor: University of the West of England
THE BACKGROUND
FA Championship football resumed after a two-week hiatus for international football as fifth placed Sheffield United travelled to the West Country to take on the ninth placed Robins.
City won their last outing before the break against WSL opposition in Reading and Lauren Smith opted to make three changes with Fran Bentley, Satara Murray and Ffion Morgan all coming into the starting XI.
The Blades were looking to reignite their league form after it stagnated slightly prior to the break, and they possessed plenty of talent amongst their ranks.
WHAT HAPPENED
There was drama from the first minute at the High Performance Centre as City were forced into an early change when Naomi Layzell put her body on the line to deny Rebecca Rainer inside the first minute, with her face being the blockade. Aggie Beever-Jones was introduced which meant a reshuffle in the City formation.
Soon after, the Blades took the lead as Lucy Watson was picked out in acres of space on the left-hand side and the forward made no mistake in slotting the ball into the far corner.
City immediately responded as Abi Harrison netted her third goal in as many games. Beever-Jones curled a sumptuous ball into the six-yard box which Harrison helped into the far corner to bring the Robins level.
Four minutes later the Robins would take the lead. Chloe Bull’s corner was headed on by Satara Murray to skipper Aimee Palmer, whose sweetly struck half-volley nestled into the far corner.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued with the Blades exerting a lot of pressure on the City goal. Bentley smartly denied Rainer from close range, before Courtney Sweetman-Kirk had the ball in the net, although she has strayed offside.
The onslaught continued as Murray then heroically denied Sweetman-Kirk with the goal at her mercy to keep City in front before Sophie Walton cleared Harrison’s attempt off the line at the other end.
City emerged from the half-time break looking to extend their lead and they did just that inside two minutes through Palmer. The skipper made use of the wind yet again as she curled her corner past everyone in the box and into the far corner of the net.
The set-piece was proving dangerous and it would get City their fourth as Chloe Bull headed home from anther Palmer corner to open her account for the Robins.
City had an eye for goal, and they wouldn’t be stopping at four as Melissa Johnson bagged the host’s fifth. Her striker’s instincts were in full effect as she took advantage of lapse in concentration from the Blades to poke home and make it 5-1 to the hosts.
THE TEAM
City: Bentley, Morgan, Layzell, Murray, Aspin, Cataldo, Kuyken, Palmer, C.Bull, Harrison, Johnson
Subs: Whitehouse (GK), Powell, Jhamat, Allen, J.Bull, Davies, Wilde, Beever-Jones
REACTION
UP NEXT
City Women’s next outing home will see the Robins take on Blackburn Rovers at Ashton Gate Stadium on Sunday, November 14th (3pm).
Supporters are encouraged to advantage of online pricing to watch the Robins face the Rovers in BS3.
THE PICTURES
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