Table-toppers show no mercy as Bristol City make early exit
Bristol City head coach Lauren Smith pledged to try to “take the Championship by storm” next season as she insisted she was proud of her players despite their relegation from the Women’s Super League.
Last night’s 4-0 defeat by top-ofthe-table Manchester City ensured that the West Country club would go straight back to the Championship after one season.
After last season’s Championship title success, Smith’s young and injury-hit squad have not disgraced themselves against the WSL’S heavyweights but they have rarely looked like staying up, winning just one of their 20 league games.
“We knew we were in a fight. It was a relegation fight before we’d even kicked a ball. The players knew it was going to be difficult,” Smith said. “We’ll always look at what we could do better. We’ve had many injuries this year and that has had an impact.
“We want to keep as much of a core of this team as we possibly can, but we also have to respect that some of these players will want, and have the ability, to stay and play in WSL teams. I would love to take this squad into the next season because we’ve got a good bond and we would take the Championship by storm.”
Bristol were the only WSL club without the relative luxury of having an affiliate men’s side either in the Premier League or, in the case of Leicester City, in receipt of parachute payments. Understood to be operating on the lowest budget in the division, they were always going to have their work cut out to stay up.
But while it was a sad day for the home side, victory had been vital for Manchester City in their own challenge to lift a first WSL title since 2016.
Gareth Taylor’s side moved six points clear of Chelsea, but the defending champions have two games in hand, starting with their trip to Liverpool on Wednesday.
Despite the absence of injured Jamaica striker Bunny Shaw, the division’s top goalscorer this term, Manchester City were still able to find four goals in the second half, including two from Mary Fowler.
The breakthrough finally came when Australia’s Fowler was afforded space to run at the Bristol City defence and swerve a stylish strike into the corner from just outside the penalty area. The 21-yearold from Cairns could scarcely have struck the ball sweeter. Thirteen minutes later, Fowler could scarcely have asked for a better ball in to the near post from Lauren Hemp and she dutifully turned in her second goal of the evening.
After Amy Rodgers inadvertently poked the ball into her own net to make it 3-0, Hemp rushed to fetch the ball from the net and ran back to the centre circle, reinforcing Man
chester City’s mantra that goal-difference could really be crucial come May 18.
Taylor’s team kept pushing for another goal and were finally rewarded deep into stoppage time when England centre-back Alex Greenwood headed in at the far post from a corner, bringing a broad smile onto Taylor’s face.
“We needed to secure the points, it’s as simple as that. You don’t know what’s going to happen between now and the end of the season. We have two games left, two tough games. But we look forward
to them,” Taylor said of his team’s title hopes.
“Mary [Fowler] caused a lot of damage, centrally. She’s a top player. She’s got incredible ability. She’s got so much more to come, she’s such an exciting player. She’s kicked on in these last few months, right at the right time for us.”
For the relegated hosts, the crowd of 8,749 was another sign of the positive steps made off the pitch this season, as they have averaged attendances of more than 7,000, despite losing all 10 of their home games.
In a signal of their intent to continue investing in the women’s team, the club announced just under an hour after the full-time whistle that they would still be playing all of their home fixtures at Ashton Gate next season.