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A TEAM MATCH REPORTS 2009-10
16th May 2010 Beverley Town Ladies FC 1-2 Bradford
City WFC A The last away game of the season saw City travel east along the M
62 to play 3rd in the table Beverley. Due to a number of factors, injuries, operations etc City could only
field 10 players. The plan however was to stay positive and work to our strengths. Gary explained the tactics in a good pre
match brief and from the kick off the players stuck to the plan. Despite being one player down City dominated the
game and came close to scoring on several occasions. They did get in the lead 5 minutes before half time but 3 minutes later
conceded a goal against the run of play. The halftime talk was positive, but the message was simple, keep to the plan. City
did just that and the work rate continued at a high tempo despite being a player short. They were rewarded with another goal
to go back in the lead 2-1. City continued to dominate and Beverley rarely threatened to get back in the game. For 90
minutes 10 players did the job they had been instructed to do, defended solidly as a team and then supported the attack when
we were on the offensive, working their socks off. Victory felt like winning a cup and as well as a performance of effort
it was definitely one of quality. I have not mentioned any names, not even the goal scorers, because it was a team effort,
everyone could have won player of the match. By the way apparently it was somebody’s birthday. Awayawayawayawayawayaway
or something like that.
2nd May
Bradford City 'A' 4-3
Keighley LFC
After taking the lead City collapsed in a heap for a 12 minute time period
during the second half and found themselves 3-1 down. But with 10 minutes remaining the management made the decision of
swapping Katie Suttron for Jade Szpara between the sticks and both players played a massive part in this great turn around.
Jade prevented Keighley extending their lead with a good one on one save and Katie Suttron who was placed on the front line
caused havoc amongst the Keighley back four. Sarah Binns who showed a faultless display gave hope to City after
striking home a 25 yard shot to make it 3-2. Then Katie Suttron bagged a magnificent pair in the last 4 minutes to take maximum
points which stunned the keighley team.
4th April 2010
A mixture of reserves, past players and under 16's made up the Bradford City team who
turned out to play Keighley LFC in the 25th Anniversay of the 'Valley Parade Fire' Annual Memorial Tournament held
at The Marley Stadium, Keighley.
Keighley lifted the trophey after beating City 2-1 in a very close contest between
the two teams. Despite the cold weather this years tournament was very well supported.
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30th August, 2009
Bradford City 'A' Team
6-0 Wetherby Athletic LFC (L)
Laura Gadd (38)
Chelsey
Faulkner (43,82)
Claire Popplewell
(70)
Jess Pearson (77)
Bryony Wraith (87)
The A team opened their league campaign with a visit from Wetherby, hoping to put behind them their cup exit
the previous week. Bradford started brightly and dominated the game but could not convert their advantage into goals against a brave
Wetherby defence. As half time approached Wetherby conceded an indirect
free kick in the penalty box after the keeper was ruled to have picked up a back pass. A neat free kick saw captain Sarah
Binns lay off the ball to Laura Gadd who executed a sweet finish. This goal only served to increase the domination of the
home side and the lead was doubled following a great run down the wing from Claire Popplewell. Popplewell followed her run
with a pinpoint cross which was met confidently by Chelsey Faulkener who volleyed the ball into the back of the net. The
teams went in at half time with City deserving their 2 nil lead. The
second half continued in the vein of the first half with City on top creating several chances. Throughout the side the players
were confident on the ball, passing neatly and switching play from one wing to the other and patiently building their chances.
After 65 minutes the hard working and creative Kath Connell was replaced by Hannah Rosenberg who continued the good work on
the right flank. These two players along with Jade Szpara, Laura Fagan, Emma Dobson and Bryony Wraith were all making their
League debuts and such an abundance of talented young players must augur well for the Club. Their patience and good football
was rewarded in the 70th minute when further good work from the sprightly Popplewell saw her skip past a Wetherby defender
before looping a fine shot over the keeper to increase the lead to 3 nil. City
were in full flow now and it was only a matter of time before they increased their lead. Wraith delivered some excellent corners
throughout the game and such a delivery was met in the 74th minute by Jess Pearson to calmly finish and make the
score 4 nil. It was a goal that rewarded some fine corners but also an excellent display by Pearson who alongside Binns dominated
midfield. Faulkner added to the scoring again with a fine run beating a defender and curling the ball into the net from outside
of the box. Wraith, who put in a player of the match performance, capped it off by finishing the scoring and calmly finishing
following a goal mouth scramble. It was a game that City dominated and played mainly in the opposition
half but credit must go to the defence who did all that was asked of them and kept a clean sheet. Claire Armitage forged a
good partnership in the centre of defence with Dobson, Szpara in nets cleared when required and the two full backs Fagan and
Gadd as well as defending well supported the attacks and worked hard throughout. Last weeks cup defeat taught the team a lot
of lessons and was reflected in the performance today. All 12 players worked hard but know there are many difficult games
ahead. Although we can’t get carried away we have a good platform to build on.
Player
of the Match 30.08.09 v Wetherby
Bryony Wraith
Player of the Match 23.08.09 v Sheffield United Community Sarah
Binns
2008/09
Sunday 8th March
Ossett Albion 2 – 4 Bradford City A
Garside 3
Faulkner
It was a day for Hail Mary’s as the City A Team made the short trip down
the motorway to main championship rivals Ossett Albion for the biggest game of the season so far.
The winners of this game could potentially go on to win the league and understandably
tensions were very high.
After sharing some love in the changing room beforehand City went out in a
positive frame of mind and started the brighter. They were unlucky not to have taken the lead on 3 occasions early on when
Mel G went through but shooting narrowly wide. For a spell Ossett began to assert and were given a harsh looking penalty decision
after a perfectly timed sliding tackle by Hannah was adjudged to have been player before ball. Fortunately Ossett put it wide
and justice was done.
With so much at stake the game was poised on a knife edge and the teams went
in 0-0 at half time.
The 2nd half saw City with wind and slope advantage and again started
very much on top. They were rewarded on 54 minutes when Chelsey Faulkner opened the scoring with a cheeky back heeler following
a corner.
On 60 minutes a great move saw Vicky Wood chip the ball over the defence to
Pops running into the box who in turn laid it back to the oncoming Mel G who fired it first time into the top corner. Ping,
Pong, Ping goal. With this goal the tension subsided as Ossett deflated and City relaxed.
The 68th minute saw both teams removed from the playing area and
into the dressing rooms by the referee as a violent hail storm hit, but 5 minutes later battle re commenced.
City were worried about disruption to their momentum but it wasn’t to
be as they continued to dominate and 10 minutes later Mel G added to her tally following a neat pass from Chelsey.
Barber, Pops and Erin then made way for Fickling, Gaddi
and Becky B who all got stuck in from the outset to carry on the good work.
The final 8 minutes saw Ossett rally and pull a goal back but the 3 goal advantage
was soon restored when Mel G completed her hat-trick with a fearsome volley into the roof of the net from 23 yards.
Ossett to their credit were not finished yet though and rallied again in the
dying minutes and grabbed a second following some City hesitancy in the box. Aidan at this point was saying Hail Mary’s
of his own but the job was done.
Mel G was awarded player of the match for her hat trick and intelligent ball
play whilst Chelsey came a close 2nd for her tireless running and battling against a very strong and physical Ossett
defence.
City now need 3 wins out of their last 4 games to take the Championship for
the 2nd year running.
A Mountain is being climbed and we have just overcome the trickiest part, the
summit however is still a long way ahead.
Sunday 22nd
February
Keighley
2 – 5 Bradford City
Jayne Barber
Claire Pops
Mel Garside
Sarah Binns
Laura Gadd
A local derby with neighbours Keighley is never easy and this game was no exception.
With the elements
against us first half we were blown in the wind and blinded by the (sun) light but took an early lead when Jayne calmly steered
the ball past the advancing keeper following a good pass from Becky Bostock.
A shaky 10 minutes
followed allowing Keighley back in and they scored 2 goals in 3 minutes to go 2-1 up.
We were put off
our stride for a few minutes but as we have done consistently throughout the season showed character and fight and began to
control the game.
This effort was
rewarded when Claire Pops converted a Becky Fickling pass across the 6 yard box to make it 2-2 just before half time.
With the elements
on our side we dominated the 2nd half and it wasn’t too long before Laura gave us the lead with a long range
effort that the keeper got her hands to but couldn’t prevent spinning over the line.
Bradford were now well on top and Keighleys frustrations surfaced when Pops was scythed down by a very late
challenge. Pops gingerly got to her feet and hobbled about for a minute or two obviously hurt. As captain she has led by example
all season and this was shown again when despite carrying a knock raced back to help the defence. It’s that effort throughout
the whole team that makes the A Team what it is.
The 4th
goal came 10 minutes from the end when Pops slid in a pass to Mel G down the left who ran into the area and cleverly steered
the ball round the keeper from an acute angle.
City capped off
a brave display when Binns dummied to hit it with her right, switched it to her left and fired it in to the corner following
good work from Mel G.
Hannah gave a brave
display yet again in defence, Bostock showed bravery in midfield and the energy of Barber up front was a constant thorn in
the Keighley defence.
The Management player
of the match however went to her striking partner Mel G who’s distribution and link up play was excellent and she capped
off her performance with a fine goal.
Sunday 9th November
Bradford
City A Team 5 v 2 Keighley
Olivia Duxbury 3
Claire Popplewell 17
Melanie Garside 55, 75
Chelsey Faulkner 60
It was a top versus bottom
clash with league leaders Bradford City hosting local rivals Keighley at a sodden Rawdon Meadows. Keighley had played
three games less than City and are probably in a false position but the home team were soon in the lead. City opened the game brightly and a goal mouth scramble ended with Olivia Duxbury sticking the ball into
the back of the net after 3 minutes. Despite the muddy conditions and several heavy showers City move the ball well and increased their lead after 17 minutes with another Claire Popplewell special making it 2-0 to
City.
Keighley responded swiftly and pulled one back on the 20 minute mark to make it 2-1. City dominated the rest
of the half creating most of the chances but failed to increase their lead and the halftime whistle blew with the home team
having the slenderest of leads.
It looked to be one of those
games where the next goal would determine the shape of the match. It was to the dismay of the home team then, that a shot
from outside the box found the back of the City net and pull Keighley level with the score 2-2. Keighley had started the half
aggressively pushing players forward but this left gaps at the back. Melanie
Garside exploited the situation finding herself space on the right wing. She picked the ball up close to the halfway line
carrying the ball towards the Keighley box and unleashed a shot that soared into the back of the net restoring City's lead. It was this goal in fact that prove to be the defining one as City's class
shone as they played quality football on a pitch that was virtually a mud bath. The defence again looked strong and keeper
Amy Larner bravely diving into the danger zone when required. She was that covered in mud by the end she resembled the chocolate
man in the Lynx advert. City's domination got its rewards when Chelsey Faulkner fired home to make it 4-2. Caz Cropp came
on before the restart to make her season debut for the A team.
Good work from Popplewell
helped Garside to grab her second and Bradford's 5th to complete the scoring. Another good result and a terrific squad performance.
It had been a tricky week with the size of the squad and the way we stood firm together made the manager proud. Another great
display at the back from Mel Cropp was just eclipsed by Claire Armitage who won the management team player of the match.
Sunday 26 October, 2008
Bradford City 2 v Collingham
Tadcaster 1
Melanie
Garside 3, 30
Bradford City A team welcomed Collingham to Apperley Bridge with a pitch
stickier than toffee pudding and wind which changed direction more often than a politician. City started brightly and in the
early minutes got themselves a corner. Claire Popplewell swung the corner in from the right only for it to be beaten away
by the defence. Popplewell pounced on the clearance to send it back in again and Mel Garside soared like an eagle to meet
the ball with her head and, with the deadliness of that bird of prey, directed it into the back of the net giving the keeper
no chance. City were on top for most of the first half hour creating many chances but just could not find their finishing
boots. However, in the 30th minute Popplewell and Garside combined again and Garside finished to make it 2-0.
Collingham
started to get back into the game causing work for the defence and goalie Amy Larner. One incident saw Larner having to dive
bravely at the feet of the attacker, getting injured in the process but after expert treatment from coach Matt Daly she bravely
carried on. City still looked the most likely to score after that, but went in at halftime still with a 2 goal advantage.
The second
half continued in much the same vein as much of the first, with City creating chances but failing to score. Collingham gave
City a scare with 15 minutes to go when they pulled one back. This brought a nervous edge to City’s game with one or
two passes going astray. Still they threatened to score and the ball hit the woodwork on a couple of occasions but it didn’t
seem to want to go in to make the win more comfortable. Credit must be given to Collingham for a battling display and they
pushed City all the way, although City ended up 2-1 winners.
The management
team player of the match was Melanie Cropp, who as all season, gave a fine display in central defence.
19th October 2008
White Rose 0 - 1 Bradford City
Melanie Garside 72
High Five!
Bradford City made it five wins in five and rose
to the top of the NEWRL Division 1 South with a hard fought win at Castleford
White Rose. It was a game of high quality football from both sides but it was City that started the brighter. In the first
fifteen minutes, City twice came close as Olivia Duxbury caused havoc on the left wing, linking well with Neely Murrell and
Claire Armitage. After 17 minutes, Duxbury had to be substituted, suffering from a pulled back muscle, to be replaced by Jane
Barber who moved to midfield and Claire Popplewell switched to left wing. Throughout the game Sarah Binns and Barber worked
well together in what was a highly combative centre midfield.
White
Rose then came close to scoring when they hit the woodwork. City answered in kind when they too hit the woodwork 3 minutes
later. On the half hour mark, City thought they had scored when Chelsey Faulkner calmly finished but she was adjudged to be
offside. Both sides continued to play at a high standard, with the first half finishing goalless.
The
second half continued in the same vein with good passing from both teams and city just looking to be the side on top. As the
second half wore on much of the game was played in midfield with fewer chances being created by both teams. Melanie Garside came on as a substitute making
her season debut after being on the sidelines with a bad back injury. It was a game that deserved a special goal and not long
after coming on Garside provided it. She found herself some space and collected
the ball thirty five yards from goal. Showing great technique Garside struck the ball sweetly and it soared into the back
of the net giving the keeper no chance.
Going 1 down with
18 minutes to go White Rose lifted their game another notch and created some chances. The City defence, who had been
excellent throughout the game, rose to the challenge aided by debutant Amy Larner in nets. With 5 minutes remaining a White Rose striker looked to be offside but the referee waved play on and the striker struck the ball
fiercely and Larner showed fantastic reactions to keep the ball out.
The game ended 1 nil and a well deserved victory
saw City continue their excellent start t o the season. Amy Larners fine display
earned her the management teams player of the match award.
12th October 2008
Bradford City A Team 5 - 3 Wetherby
Chelsey Faulkner 9, 68
Chloe Moore 10
Claire Pops 55
Laura Gadd 71
Bradford City A team welcomed Wetherby to Rawdon Meadows
on a blisteringly warm day that for an October afternoon put any day this summer to shame. City started the game like the
weather, hot! With Nicky Davies sidelined following an operation it was a new striking partnership with fellow youngster Chloe
Moore joining Chelsey Faulkner up front. Within ten minutes the new pairing had bagged a goal each with cool finishes to make
the score 2 -0 to the home side.
Wetherby
responded well to this opening blitz and worked hard to get themselves back in the game. Their reward came on the 17 minute
mark when a fine strike from Sarah Taylor reduced the deficit to one. There were chances at both ends but no more goals so
the teams went in to the halftime break with the home team 2-1 the good.
City
started the second half the brighter following an excellent half time talk from coach
Matt Daly and looked the most likely to score. It was the ever reliable Claire Popplewell who added to the score in the 55th
minute with a fine strike from outside the penalty box. My fellow reporter Amy Larner described this succinctly as a ‘peach’, cleverly emphasizing the A teams fondness for fruit.!
Wetherby
responded only 3 minutes later when full back Katy McMaster fired home from a distance to once again reduce the home teams
lead to only one goal. It was City’s turn to respond once again as they took control of the match and looked the team
most likely to score. In the 68th minute ,Vicki Wood who throughout the game dominated midfield with a fine display,
set Chelsey Faulkner free with a fine through ball and the young striker scored her second of the game to give Bradford a 4-2 lead. City were
dominating proceedings and 2 minutes later they won a free kick 5 yards from the penalty box on the left hand side. Laura
Gadd ran over to claim the free kick and showed why, with an excellent strike which gave the keeper no chance.
Taylor got her second and Wetherby’s 3rd
in the dying minutes of the game and although it was a great strike it was little more than consolation as the game ended
5-3 to City. It had been a tough game in the heat and City effectively ended the game
with
only 9 players due to injuries and cramp.
That last 5 brave minutes showed just what the A team is about, as they battled bravely to secure a well earned victory.
The management teams player of the match went to Vicki Wood for her excellent display in mid field but special mention must
go to Clare Armitage whose excellent display at left back closely challenged Wood for the award.
28th September 2008.
Beverley Town LFC 1-5 Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
Nicky
Davies 12, 33
Chelsey Faulkner 54
Becky Bostock 63
Claire Popplewell 70
Another convincing performance saw the A Team make it 3 out of three and maintain a good start to their season.
Both teams, newly promoted into the North East Regional Women’s League Division 1 South, played some attractive football
in the opening stages of the game. City broke the deadlock in the 12th minute following the award of a free
kick after Claire Pops was bundled over on the ede of the box. Nicky Davies collected the ball and carefully placed
it on the ground avoiding any divots (does this count as an assist Nicky?) before connecting with a sweet strike that beat
the keeper. City began to stamp their authority on the game and increased the score just after the half hour mark when good
work from Claire Pops found Nicky Davies who coolly found the back of the net to give City a 2-0 lead. The first half ended
with the away team 2 to the good but it was only 3 minutes into the second half when Beverley brought
themselves back into the game with a goal to make it 2-1 to the visitors. City have shown a steely determination this season
and conceding a goal early in the second half could put some teams on the back foot but Bradford rose to the challenge. A
delicate chip from Davies set Chelsey Faulkner free and she made no mistake with a good finish to give Bradford a 3-1 advantage.
City continued to create most of the chances and Vicki Wood unselfishly set up Becky Bostock
to fire home and make it 4-1 midway through the second half. In the 70th minute Bradford added to the score when Davies returned
the compliment to Popplewell and a neat pass found Popplewell whose sweet strike found the back of the net and continued her
scoring run. The impressive City defence never looked in danger in the last 20 minutes and the game ended with City 5-1 winners.
City keeper Lucy Green overcame the disappointment of last week’s unfortunate sending off with an impressive
display and was part of a very solid Bradford defence.
The management team’s player of the match went to Nicky Davies whose hardwork resulted in two goals
and many important passes that contributed to an all round impressive team performance from the Bradford side.
21st September 2008.
Bradford City 'A' Team
4-2 AFC Preston LFC (L)
Jayne Barber 15, 90
Claire Popplewell 58
Chelsey Faulkner 65
LESS MEANS MOORE!
A City side reduced to 10 players, following the sending off of their keeper Lucy Green, with more than an hour
to play, fought bravely to win the match thanks to an outstanding team performance and the heroics of stand in keeper Chloe
Moore.
The visitors AFC Preston started well and newly promoted City knew they had a game on their hands. Preston had
pace up front and throughout the game played the ball behind the City defence for their forwards to run onto. They looked
dangerous on several occasions but City looked dangerous when they attacked and it was the home team who opened the scoring.
Good work led to the very busy Jayne Barber calmly finishing after 15 minutes to make the score 1 nil. This goal settled the
home team and they began to dominate the game. In the 28th minute another Preston breakaway left their forward one on one
with keeper Lucy Green. Green bravely dived at the striker's feet but the Preston player pushed the ball foward and Green
brought the player down. It seemed to be a genuine attempt to go for the ball but the referee brandished a red card and City
were reduced to 10 players. Preston scored from the resulting penalty to make the score 1-1.
Chloe Moore switched from defence to keeper, Becky Bostock from midfield to defence, Jayne Barber from attack
to midfield, leaving Chelsey Faulkner as the lone striker. City coped well in this formation and more than matched Preston
and the teams went into halftime level.
A good halftime teamtalk from coach Matt Daly saw City look the better side and play some excellent football.
Claire Popplewll put the home team ahead just before the hour mark when a well judged shot squeezed in beteen post and keeper.
City increased their lead to 3-1 when Faulkner ran onto an excellent ball and shot home. Preston continued to look dangerous
on the break but it was the hard working City side that dominated the game. Faulkner was substituted to have a well earned
rest. She had worked tirelessly as the lone forward and continued her great start to the season with an excellent display.
Preston were still looking dangerous on the break and Moore in the City goal continued to thwart them with a comanding perfomance.
With only 2 minutes to go Preston grabbed a 2nd when Moore was finaly beaten. City looked to kill off the game and tried to
keep the ball in the corners. Popplewell was keeping the ball near one of the Preston corner flags when Barber made
a run unmarked to the edge of the box, Popplewell played her in and with no options available she kept the
ball, weaved through the Preston defence before firing home to ensure City a deserved victory. The referee blew his whistle
seconds later and City ended the game 4-2 winners.
Two wins out of two is the perfect way to start a season but the manner of this victory was a credit to the
whole team. It was a game when any player could have been given Player of the Match but the management team after much debate
gave it to Chloe Moore for an excelent display at right back and then as keeper. Well done Chloe and well done team. That
was A Team Performance.
Please note we omitted to name player of the match for last week's game against Wickersley. For her 4 goals
but more importantly all round performance it was awarded to Claire Popplewell. Great performance Pops!
14th September 2008.
Bradford City 'A' Team
7-2 Wickersley LFC (L)
Chelsey Faulkner
3, 85
Claire Popplewell
10, 25, 74, 81
Chloe Moore 69
Bradford City A team opened up their campaign in the North East Regional Women’s League South division
against Wickersley, who are based in Rotherham. A bright start from City was rewarded when good work from Nicki Davis
resulted in a fine finish from Chelsey Faulkner. Claire Popplewell added to the scoring on ten minutes with one of her specials
rocketing into the net. Wickersley, shocked by this start, battled well and began
to get more into the game. However it was City that made it 3-0 when another good left foot shot from Popplewell found the
back of the goal. City began to look in control but did not add to the score line and the half finished with City 3-0 up.
The second half
started with City still in control but round the hour mark Wickersley pulled two back in a 5 minute spell, with goals from
Kathyrn Mudge and Laura Watton. This heralded a nervy period for the home side, but Chloe Moore making her league debut calmly
finished from a corner to put City 4-2 up. Substitutes Jane Barber and Becky Bostock both made fine contributions and Bostock’s
presence in midfield seemed to settle the City team and they began to dominate. A fine left foot cross from Barber found Popplewell
who completed her hat trick. City and Popplewell were rampant now and she scored a fourth making it 6-2 to City. Chelsea Faulkner
got her second goal and completed the scoring, and City ended the game 7-2 winners.
It was a more
challenging game than the score line reflects, but all things considered it was a good performance from the Bradford side. Once again the team rallied together and showed even when things go wrong they have the strength
and spirit to battle through to earn a good result. We would like to give a big
thank you to Wickersley for their friendliness and understanding of a few teething problems at the start of the Season.
The End
31st August 2008.
Lytham St
Annes YMCA 2-9 Bradford City 'A' Team (F)
Becky Fickling 4
Claire Popplewell
11
Nicky Davies
19, 58, 80
Jayne Barber
21
Vicky Wood
27
Chloe Moore
47, 54
Its fun to play at the YMCA! Bradford City A Team latest game was
at the seaside at Lytham St Annes YMCA and we would just like to thank everyone there for being so friendly and looking after
us so well.
The home team started the game brightly and came very close to scoring in the 2nd minute. Bradford responded strongly and good work from Nicky Davies found Becky Fickling whose excellent shot
gave the keeper no chance. Claire Popplewell, obviously upset that someone else had the cheek to score first, found herself
in possession, neatly worked her way into space and fired past the keeper to score a super goal. That 11th minute
strike put City 2 up. Lytham were fighting well and creating chances but Davies increased the lead with a fine strike on the
19th minute. Only two minutes later City were awarded a free kick and a powerful effort from Becky Bostock was
only parried and Jayne Barber showed her predator’s instincts to be on hand to score City’s 4th. City
were piling on the pressure at this stage and forced a corner. Vicky Wood met the Davies corner with a powerful header giving
the keeper no chance and making the score 5 nil to City. City made 2 substitutions at this stage giving A team debuts to Lucy
Speake and Chloe Moore. The YMCA team continued to battle and forced their way back into the game. A well struck corner just
before halftime found its way into the net and the teams went in at halftime with Bradford having a 5-1 lead.
City began the 2nd half strongly and a superb pass from the match day captain Claire Armitage switched from
defence into attack. The ball sailed over the midfield and defence and was latched onto by Moore who calmly lobbed the keeper
to make it 6-1 in the 47th minute. Good work from Popplewell resulted in Davies and Moore having a series of attempts at goal being bravely thwarted by the defence before Moore stuck the ball into the back of the net to make it 7-1. In the 58th a good corner
from Moore found Wood whose header was blocked on the line only for Davies
to be on hand to knock it in and make it 8-1. YMCA continued to play football and in the 62nd minute were awarded
a penalty. It was a nicely taken penalty that gave keeper Steph Barraclough no chance and made the score 8-2 to the visitors.
Davies completed a fine display with a hat trick when she bravely challenged for a pass from Popplewell and stuck the ball
into the back of the net despite the challenges of a defender and the keeper.
The home team battled well and on a different day the score could have been closer but City were clinical in their
finishing and for several spells showed their quality. The defence coped well against a lively attack and Tara Nolan played
well as sweeper. The season is only a fortnight away but the preparations for
the new season are going well and we look forward to the challenges it presents.
28th August 2008.
Bradford City 'A' Team 4-2 Kirklees (F)
Claire
Popplewell 19,
Olivia Duxbury 51
Chelsey Faulkner
78, 85
The first home friendly of the season saw old rivals Kirklees visit Rawdon Meadows on a grey
August evening. The first half was a scrappy affair with both teams competing very well and chances at each end. City opened
the scoring when a corner from Becky Fickling was flicked on towards the back post. Claire Popplewell collected the ball,
beat the defender and poked it into the far corner of the net. 1-0 to City. It looked like this might have settled the Bradford side down and they enjoyed a good spell of possession but it was Kirklees that found the back
of the net around the half hour mark and the teams went in at half time level.
The second half saw a more controlled city side and Chelsey Faulkner again worked hard but her
effort was matched by Jayne Barber who was partnering her in the City attack. A good Bradford move saw Faulkner lay the ball back to Popplewell who had made a run towards the corner flag.
A first time right footed cross picked out Olivia Duxbury who ‘rose
like a Yorkshire pudding’ to head the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-1 to the home side. Again City looked
like they were in control and would go on to seal the game. A foul just inside the box resulted in a City penalty. Laura Gadd
struck it well and the Kirklees Keeper made an excellent save.
Within 5 minutes a good move by Kirklees resulted in an equalising goal to make the score 2 each.
The City midfield of Sarah Binns and Vicky Wood battled well to keep Bradford on top and look the team most likely to score. A mazy run by Wood which saw her weave through
several desperate challenges and pick a fine pass to Falkner who calmly slotted the ball home. 3-2 to City. This time City
did build on their advantage and fine work by Becky Bostock in the Kirklees penalty box ended with a crisp pass to the far
post to Faulkner who calmly found the back of the net to score her second. This made the score 4-2 to the home side and was
how the game ended.
It was a scrappy performance at times and City yet again saved their
better football for the second half. What the game did show is that Bradford are a team with heart and a determination to
win and it is a spirit that will help us in the coming season.
17th August 2008
Preston North End Reserves 4-3 Bradford
City 'A' Team (F)
Claire
Popplewell 50, 81
Nicky Davies 86
Bradford City A Team continued their pre-season build up with a match away to Preston North End Reserves at the impressive
Preston Sports Arena. Preston play in the same league as the likes of Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton reserves so it was always going to be a stiff test for the
Bradford side. The game started at a fast pace and Preston got the best
of the early exchanges posing a threat with some fast attacking football. City battled well to combat this but Preston scored from one of those breaks on the 10 minute mark. City were getting more and more into the game but again Preston
scored with a fine strike from 25 yards in the 22nd minute. City were 2 down but increasingly threatening to get
a goal themselves. As the game approached half team City had several chances but somehow the Preston goal remained
unbreached and the teams went into the halftime break with Preston leading 2 nil.
The second half began as the first half ended with City dominating play and creating chances. Their bright play was
rewarded when a fine shot from Chelsey Faulkner was only parried by the keeper and Claire Popplewell was on hand to steer
it into the net. City pressed for the equaliser but on the hour mark Preston again broke away and made it 3-1.
Again City played most of the game in the opponents half and threatened to score on several occasions only for Preston to race down the other end and score to make it 4-1 with 15 minutes to go. Many teams heads would have gone down at
this point but not the A team who continued to dominate playing some splendid football.
As the game entered the last 10 minutes Nicky Davies won the ball in midfield with a strong tackle. The ball came to
Becky Bostock who made a strong run and with an inch perfect pass found Popplewell who had made an intelligent run inside.
Popplewell took the ball in her stride and hit it first time from the edge of the area with a shot that soared over the keeper
to score a great goal that was the least City deserved. 4-2 to Preston. City began to force a series of
corners putting enormous pressure on the Preston defence. Becky Fickling who was taking them from the right delivered some
excellent corners, one headed by Vicky Wood just sailing over the bar. The defenders Hannah Wardman and Clare Armitage were
coming up for the set pieces and their presence looked a dangerous threat. The pressure resulted in a free kick near the dead
ball line 5 yards outside the penalty box. Popplewell took the free kick picking out Nicky Davies at the back post who was
waving her arms about like an air traffic controller. Davies met the ball with a brave stooping half diving header that found
the back of the net. The last 5 minutes was constant City pressure as thy strove to get the deserved equaliser but to no avail
and the game ended 4-3 to Preston.
The partnership of Faulkner and Davies was again full of
promise and the youngster, Faulkner gave a very mature and brave display against some very robust defending. The midfield
had more balance when Wood moved there from defence and Armitage and Erin Rosenberg warmed to their relatively new positions
throughout the second half giving excellent displays. Lucy Green made some good saves and her kicking was good as well. It
was an exciting game to watch and a game from which City will learn a lot. There are many new faces so at this stage of the
season it was an excellent performance. As a team we will defend better as the season progresses but it was a brave and gutsy
performance and in the second half City played some excellent football.
| Wood heads clear |
|
| nicky stoops to conquer |
|
17th
August 2008
Collingham Tadcaster LFC 3-8 Bradford City 'A' Team (F)
Claire Popplewell
2
Sarah Binns 2
Nicky Davies
3
Chelsey Faulkner 1
Bradford City A Team began their preparation for the new season with a friendly away to Collingham Tadcaster LFC.
It was a very promising performance for the first
game of the season with the new players blending in well. Lucy Green made her senior debut sharing goal keeper duty with Amy
Larner. Laura Gadd, Hannah Wardman, Erin Rosenberg and Claire Armitage began in defence. The midfield consisted of Becky Bostock,
Vicky Wood, Sarah Binns and Clare Popplewell with Chelsey Faulkner upfront and Nicky Davies playing just behind her. Alice
Rogan was the sub and came on at the half hour mark to play on the right wing.
The first half consisted of City playing quite
well and scoring only to concede a goal on the break . This happened
on three occasions so the teams found themselves 3-3 at halftime. Wood switched to sweeper and her experience calmed down
the defence who looked very solid in the second half. This solid platform allowed the midfield to take charge with Binns and
Bostock working hard in midfield with good support from the wings.
The
pairing of Faulkner and Davies worked extremely well , with Davies getting a
hat trick and Faulkner’s hard work rewarded by a goal which was celebrated as much by Davies as the goal scorer.
On Monday City‘s promotion to the NERWFL Division 1 South was confirmed. This is
great news for the team and a just reward for last season’s effort. The result and performance on Sunday were good but
it is only a very small step on what should be a challenging but enjoyable season.
'A' Team Match Stats and Results 2007/08
5th May 2008
LEAGUE CUP FINAL
Leeds
City Vixens 0-2 Bradford
City 'A' Team
Clare Fawcett (76,88)
Bradford
City retained their 100% record for the season but only after an epic Cup Final encounter with rivals Leeds City Vixens
Leeds
were first out of the blocks and the Bradford defence needed to be at their best to keep the Vixens at bay but City finally
began to make their way into the game and almost took the lead on the half hour but the woodwork came to the Vixens rescue
and an outstanding save from the Vixens keeper from point blank range and the game remained without a goal at the half time
break.
The
second half produced plenty of end to end action to keep the supporters on their toes and the game could have gone either
way but it was Bradford who eventually made the breakthrough when Claire Fawcett stayed cool to place the ball into the bottom
corner of the net.
The
Vixens tried everything possible to get back on level terms but the City defence and the hard working midfield dominated and
in the last 5 minutes Clare Fawcett nailed it for City and the Vixens heads dropped. A highly entertaining game throughout
but when Fawcett doubled City's lead they knew they had achieved the double. Congratulations Girls!
20th April 2008
Leeds
city Vixens 1-3 Bradford
City 'A' Team
(L)
OG (60) Clare
Fawcett (7)
Mel Garside (52)
Olivia Duxbury (79)
City travelled to Leeds City Vixens for the final league match knowing that victory would put them in the record
books with a 100% record. It was always going to be a tough task against second place Vixens but a determined City stamped
their authority from the off and got the better of the early exchanges. There
was a steely determination throughout the side and in the seventh minute they were rewarded with a goal after good work down
the right flank. This resulted in Claire Popplewell receiving the ball in the box and a good pass found Clare Fawcett who
calmly steered the ball home. The half wore on with City having more possession and chances but Vixens looking dangerous when
they attacked. Keeper Jess Mallison and the defence looked solid and reacted well when Vixens threatened. There were no further
goals and the teams finished the half with City one to the good.
Vixens started the half brightly but City worked hard and after five minutes of the half began to get on top again.
In the 52nd minute Mel Garside picked the ball up 7 yards in from the touch line and at least 30 yards from goal
and unleashed a shot which sent the ball just off the ground through the Vixens defence like a guided missile and into the
bottom left hand corner of the net. One of the best goals this correspondent had ever seen, better
than some sensational ones seen at the home of football, Turf Moor. 2-0 to Bradford City.
City were well on top and should have coasted from here but on the hour mark a Vixens corner resulted in a goal to the home team making the score 2-1 to the visitors..
Danielle Domanski, who kept us entertained all afternoon including a couple of sensational dance moves when she allegedly
had cramp, had nothing to do with it, apparently. Jayne Barber came on for Hannah
Wardman as City changed to a back three. This seemed to settle City down and once more they imposed themselves on the game
and looked the better side. Their good work was rewarded with an excellent goal from Olivia Duxbury in the 79th
minute. The two goal lead restored, confidence oozed through the team and they were unlucky not to get a fourth when a Garside
strike was ruled offside even though it seemed the referee had originally waved play on.
The final whistle went with City 3-1 victors and sitting proudly on top of the table with a 100% record. Well done
girls. Well done Steve. What a season. I am so proud of you, I think if I’m honest, Burnley might only be
my second favourite team!
13th April 2008
Bradford City
'A' Team 8-2 Morley Spurs (L)
Melanie Garside (6, 9, 11, 18)
Claire Popplewell (23)
Laura Gadd (61)
Clare Fawcett (75, 82)
The
final home game of the season for league champions Bradford City was against Morley Spurs. City looked lively from the off and within twenty minutes enjoyed
a 4-0 lead with all of the goals being netted by Mel Garside. The first was a breakaway and a cool finish in the 6th
minute. A spectacular overhead kick gave Garside her second in the 9th minute. The third was a good example of
the fine football City were playing. A measured clearance from keeper Jules Jeffries found Claire Fawcett on the right wing. Her fine pass
found Garside who had her first shot blocked by the keeper but a neat chip converted the chance. It was some more good work
from Fawcett that led to Garside’s 4th goal. Another clinical finish from the City striker and Bradford were
4-0 up in the 18th minute.
City
were full of invention and a nicely worked short corner from Neely Murrell and Fawcett picked out Nicky Davies whose shot
looked to be going wide only for Claire Popplewell to launch herself towards the ball and a tremendous diving header thumped
the ball into the back of the net. 5-0 after 23 minutes. Morley fought bravely throughout and were rewarded with a goal in
the 26th minute to make it 5-1.
The
second half started with City making two changes due to illness with Garside and Murrell being replaced by Louise Lindley
and Olivia Duxbury respectively. As the half wore on City looked the most likely of the two sides to score as the half progressed.
City made another change early in the half when Jayne Barber replaced Davies. City were
awarded a free kick and from at least 25 yards Laura Gadd found the top right hand corner of the goal with a superb strike
to make it 6-1. Clare Fawcett followed up her first half assists with two excellent goals herself in the 75th
and 82nd minute. In between that brace City were awarded a penalty when Jayne Barber was pulled down in the box
only for an excellent save to deny Hannah Wardman a goal. Also before Fawcett’s second Morley pulled another back and
the game ended with an 8-2 win to the home side.
Another
strong performance from Bradford City and another game which shows the strength of the squad with all 14 players involved and
contributing well. Thanks to Stephanie Barraclough who acted as substitute keeper as Jeffries was carrying an injury.
6th April 2008
Bradford City
'A' Team 3-1 Lepton Highlanders (F)
Clare Fawcett (23,78, 84)
With
16 players on hand for this friendly it was always going to be difficult to settle and play good football. Although there
were only a few good passages of play, overall the management were very happy with the players. Thankfully Clare Fawcett
had her goal scoring boots on and secured a win with an excellent hat-trick. Next week City take on Morley at home.
30th March 2008
Leeds
City Vixens P-P Bradford
City 'A' Team (L)
water
logged pitch apparentely!
No
Report
23rd March
2008
Bradford City 'A' Team 3-1 Bradford PA (Valley Parade Torn)
Nicky
Davies
Emmie
Kinnear
Neely
Murrell
City
won 3-1 on penalties after grinding out a 0-0 result with 10 players for half the match.
16th March
2008
Bradford City 'A' Team 3-1 Bradford PA (semi-final)
Melanie
Garside (43)
Kelsey Byrne
(50)
Clare
Fawcett (70)
Emmie
Kinnear (79)
A good crowd
watched the first competitive meeting of local rivals, Bradford City
and Bradford Park Avenue in the semi final of the West Riding Girls League Open Age Cup. It was a blood
and thunder affair with the away side having a game plan of filling the middle field and taking the game to City. An experienced
City side coped well and showed good composure when required. An even first half but with the clear cut chances going to the
home team, it looked liked the sides would go in at halftime level. In recent games Neely Murrell and Mel Garside have been
developing an excellent partnership and it was these two that broke the deadlock. Good work from Murrell freed Garside who
found the back of the net to make it 1-0 with only two minutes left of the half.
The second half
started with City looking to impose themselves but the visitors were having none of it and an excellent strike from Kelsey
Byrne in the 50th minute levelled the scores. City had to make changes due to illness and injuries with Captain
Jess Pearson, Garside and Murrell being replaced by Danielle Domanski, Emmie Kinnear and Olivia Duxbury respectively. As the
half wore on City began to play better and better football and always looked the most likely of the two sides to score. It
was Clare Fawcett who put the home team back into the lead in the 70th minute when she showed great composure in
the penalty box before firing home.
Emmie Kinnear
put the tie beyond doubt for the home team making it 3-1 in the 79th minute with a super strike showing what a
quality forward this young lady is. Talking of young ladies Hannah Wardman had another excellent game in the centre of defence
and is in a fine vein of form. Well done to Bradford
Park Avenue who battled all the way but
it is City that go through to the final where they will meet Leeds City Vixens. It will be the 4th game (ko time
to be determined) on Monday the 5th May at Ossett Town FC. Mel G that’s
Monday the 5th of May. OK? The U14’s and 16’s also won their semi final’s and are also through to the finals at Ossett. The U14’s are game 2 on Sunday the 4th and the
16’s are the second game on Monday the 5th. Three teams in the finals is a great achievement for the Club
so get the dates in your diary and let’s get behind our teams.
9th March
2008
Lepton
Highlanders 0-3 Bradford
City
'A' Team (L)
Claire
Pops, (1)
Melanie Garside, (4)
Neely Murrell, (60)
Bradford City A Team made a perfect start to their crucial away game at Lepton Highlanders taking a two goal lead within
the first five minutes. In a game where victory would secure the West Riding
County Premier League City imposed themselves from the start. Lepton kicked off but City were soon in possession when Laura
Gadd won the ball and found Neely Murrell who passed it to Melanie Garside who
knocked it on to Claire Fawcett whose shot was blocked. Claire Popplewell pounced on the loose ball and found the back of
the net from a narrow angle. Excellent football from City rewarded by an opening goal in only 22 seconds. Popplewell who had
failed to score in our last competitive game against Pontefract, ending a run of scoring in 6 consecutive games, was wasting
no time getting her name back on the score sheet.
City showed
their class in the opening minutes dominating proceedings. Murrell picked up the ball in midfield and chipped it over the
defence for Garside to race onto and calmly slot the ball past the keeper into
the back of the net. 2-0 to City with only four minutes gone. The pitch at Lepton has a difficult slope from side to side,
but Bradford adapted very well and continued to dominate for
the first 25 minutes. The rest of the half was a little more ragged but it was City who looked the most likely to score and
the teams went in at halftime with the Bradford side 2 to the good.
|
| Neely Murrell |
Hannah
Wardman, our very own Action Woman was again having an excellent game in the centre of defence. A typically brave, hard but
fair, tackle resulted in a lengthy stoppage as she and the Lepton forward needed treatment. Lepton exerted some pressure but
the Bradford goal was rarely threatened and the away side continued
to look the more likely to score. On the hour mark Garside found herself one on one with the keeper but her shot was saved
outside the area. The referee had no choice under the rules of the game and sent the keeper off. Murrell, who was having an
excellent game, took the free kick and brilliantly curved it into the top left hand corner of the net..
A brave
10 woman Lepton kept battling away but City were now in control of the game and should have added to their score. The three
subs, Erin Rosenberg, Jayne Barber and Emmie Kinnear all made appearances and showed the depth of the City squad all making
good contributions. The final whistle went to be greeted by a huge roar from the City contingent and some emotional scenes
of celebration. The title won with their 100% record still intact. It has been a squad effort and credit goes to the whole
team not only the 14 that played today. One of those players was Olivia Duxbury who had a suspected burst appendix. Reports
are that thankfully it was not quite as bad as that but she was very poorly with a bad viral infection. We all wish her a
speedy recovery. Also unavailable was Lou Lindley who injured herself in training and watched the match on crutches. Hope
you are soon back with us Lou.
City’s
attentions now turn to the Cup where they meet an ever improving Bradford Park
Avenue in the semi final’s on Sunday at Rawdon Meadows.
2nd March 2008
Bradford City 'A' Team 0-3 White Rose (L)
No report
this week.
24th February
2008
Bradford City 'A' Team 5-0 Ponefract SSC (C)
Melanie Garside (9,16, 83)
Neely Murrell
(53)
Kelly Brown
(76)
Second division Pontefract visited Bradford City WFC A Team in the quarter finals of the WRGFL Open Age Cup and despite
the score line gave an excellent performance and fully tested the home team. Pontefract could have gone ahead as early as
the 6th minute when a corner resulted in a goalmouth scramble but City defended bravely and managed to get the
ball away. City had a corner themselves in the 9th minute and it was nicely delivered by Nicky Davies and met by
a header from Mel Garside. The keeper had looked as if she saved it but despite her efforts it crossed the line and City led
1-0.
The game continued to be end to end but it was City who increased their lead in the 16th minute with a quality
left strike from Garside. Despite the 2-0 score line Pontefract were having as much, if not more, of the game as City and
in the 35th minute were unlucky not to score when in another goalmouth scramble they hit the bar.
The second half began with no personnel changes for City but the first half switch of Erin Rosenberg to playing in
front of the defence was beginning to bear fruit and they looked more comfortable. A mistake in the Pontefract defence gave
an opportunity to Neely Murrell which converted with an accomplished finish to make it 3-0. Hannah Wardman, who after an incident
in the first half is considering a career in wrestling, came off after an injury and was replaced by Emmie Kinnear.
Jessica Gibbons who had another strong game at full back gave way to Kelly Brown who slotted into midfield as City
went to three at the back. Pontefract kept playing well but it was an uphill struggle for them at 3-0. Danielle Domanski came
on as left back as City made their final change and reverted to a back four. Kelly Brown in only her second game for City
scored her second goal when she beat the offside trap and scored with confidence. In the 83rd minute City made
it 5-0 when Garside completed her hat trick after a great pass from Murrell was converted with a calm finish as Garside took
the ball round the keeper and slotted it into the net.
The game ended 5-0 to City but Pontefract can be proud of their performance which was not only brave but showed plenty
of skill. It was a game where City had to dig deep and the defence worked very hard, among them Laura Gadd who had a very
good game. Kim Kaye kept a clean sheet in her final performance for the A Team as she moves to pastures new. We wish her all
the best for the future.
10th February
2008
Kirklees Ladies FC 2-3 Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
Dawn ‘Barbie’ McMahon (26) Kelly Brown (15)
Emma
Fawcett (88) Claire Popplewell (22)
Melanie Garside (85)
On a beautiful spring like day City travelled to Kirklees hoping to maintain
their impressive run and strong push for the Premiership title. As the players gathered it became apparent that the kit plus
Nicky Davies hadn’t arrived and soon the ever reliable Claire Popplewell was on the phone. Feeling like we were
in an episode of Last of the Summer wine it transpired that Nicky had brought ‘tea making facilities’
but had no milk and was scouring West Yorkshire for a drop of the white stuff. I had
visions of a lone figure on a motor bike armed only with a large bucket scooting up the hills of Yorkshire in the search for cattle. Five minutes
later the kit arrived and we relaxed a little.
With call ups to the first team for Jess Pearson and Erin Rosenberg, several
absences through injuries etc. and three of our players still kangaroo racing down under, the starting line up had five different
players from last week’s starting line-up. We were pleased to welcome Jess Gibbons from the first team, Kim Kaye, Melanie
Cropp, Neely Murrell and debutant Kelly Brown to the starting eleven. On the bench alongside Jayne Barber and Sarah Welsh
it was good to see ex City player Melanie Garside back in the fold.
The game started brightly with both teams contributing to the action and City began to settle after about the ten minute
mark and began to get a grip on the game. In the 15th minute a well
placed free kick from Nicky Davies was cleverly steered into the net by Kelly Brown. It was a great way to start her A team
career and followed the promising start she had made to the game.
Kirklees responded almost immediately and had a good chance for an immediate reply but failed to take their chance.
Jess Gibbons playing at right back was keen to go forward at every opportunity and in the 18th minute a powerful
run ended with a good pass to Pops who narrowly fired over the bar. City began to get on top again and in the 20th
minute a Neely Murrell shot was blocked and the rebound was picked up by Emmie Kinnear. Her excellent
shot looked a certain goal until the Kirklees keeper made a great save.
Kim Kaye, who was playing on the right wing, was
linking well with Gibbons and covering when required. Kaye won the ball in defence and then made an excellent run to the other
end of the field where a good pass found Pops (who simply
refuses to be left off the score sheet) and the ball found the back of the net with an excellent shot. No doubt Steve thought
it was too near the keeper but Aidan didn’t care. As long as it goes in it’s good enough for him!
That made it 2-0 to City but the home team were detemined not to let Bradford
have it all their own way and had a good spell of pressure which resulted in a corner. It was excellently delivered from the
left and was met confidently by Dawn ‘Barbie’ McMahon
to narrow the score to 2-1. The goal seemed to knock City out of their stride and it was a very even contest until halftime,
but with no further goals it remained 2-1 to City.
There were no changes made at halftime and the game remained quite even but with City looking the more
likely to score. In the 58th minute a scramble in the City area resulted in keeper Stephanie Barraclough lying
on the edge of the six yard box following a kick to the head. After a couple of minutes treatment from
Steve she seemed bright enough. She answered a couple of the usual questions (how many fingers etc) and when asked who was
the best team in the world she answered Bradford City WFC A Team. Even Burnley fan Aidan
couldn’t argue with that. However with in a minute she suffered some more reaction to the blow and
it was clear that she was not right. Luckily for City Kim Kaye is an experienced keeper and she went in nets with Jayne Barber
replacing Kaye on the right.
Five
minutes later in the 65th minute City made another change with Melanie Garside replacing the tiring Brown. It was
Kelly’s first game for 3 months but she had to be pleased with her performance which showed plenty of promise.
City were creating the better of the chances with Kinnear playing behind the front two of Murrell and Garside, and
ably supported by the midfield Bradford created some good chances. However with the closeness of the game they showed signs
of nerves at times and they looked to have sealed the game when a mistake in the Kirklees defence was seized on by Garside
to fire home into the top left corner and make it 3-1 to City.
A brave Kirklees were having none of it and pushed forward looking to get back in the game. With only two minutes left
a clearance in the City defence hit another defender and Emma Fawcett made
the most of the opportunity to make it 3-2 . It was a nervous end to thee game but City showed a determined quality and ended
the game in the Kirklees half.
The
result made it eleven wins out of eleven and all fourteen players could be proud of the part they had played in a performance
which showed great character. City were at times a little nervous but there were some excellent phases to their play and there
were a lot of promising aspects to the game.
Steph
came round and seemed much better by the end of the match and we hope she is recovering well. According to my sources Nicky
Davies is hoping to apply for a job in Betty’s Tea Rooms. We shall see what the future holds. Does anyone know if the
jockeys in kangaroo racing sit on their backs or get in the pouches? On the football front City’s next competitive game
is in the quarter final of the cup when we welcome Pontrefact to Rawdon Meadows in a fortnights time.
3rd February
2008
Silsden LFC 1-4 Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
Claire Popplewell (34)
Olivia Duxbury (44)
Neely Murrell (61,80)
City travelled
to Silsden for their first league game since the 11th November and in a game delayed by over 30 minutes due to pitch
problems, it was no surprise that it took 10 minutes for league leaders Bradford to settle down. Julia Jeffries playing centre
back alongside Hannah Wardman showed quality throughout the game, but particularly in the early exchanges she made several
important tackles and clearances and stamped her authority on the game. Despite playing against a strong wind in the first
half City began to get on top and Claire Popplewell threatened to score on a couple of occasions.
After 25 minutes Silsden broke away and
Jeffries appeared to make another excellent sliding tackle as she won the ball, nudging the ball back towards the keeper,
but the referee gave a free kick on the edge of the area. It was an excellent effort from the Silsden player and looked certain
to fly into the top corner of the net but Stephanie Barraclough in goals made a fine leap and with a strong hand pushed the
ball over the crossbar for a corner. In the 34th minute Popplewell
broke the deadlock with a good shot that beat the Silsden keeper. City were now in charge and Emmie Kinnear was unlucky not
to score when a fine shot hit the post and a good effort from the rebound was saved by the keeper. City were soon on the attack again and Jayne Barber saw a cleverly steered shot slide the wrong side of the post.
As halftime approached Kinnear won the
ball in midfield and made a precision pass to left winger Olivia Duxbury who latched onto the ball and steered it past the
keeper. City went into the break 2 up and in the conditions had to be satisfied with their performance.
Neely Murrell came on up front for the
hardworking Barber and City continued to create most of the chances. The versatile Erin Rosenberg, who was playing in midfield
alongside Nicky Davies, made a good pass and a combination of that and a good run from Neely Murrell saw City break the offside
trap. Murrell latched onto the ball and drove into the penalty area and pushed
the ball to her left before placing an excellent shot into the far corner past a despairing keeper to increase the lead to
3 -0 after 61 minutes.
In the 64th minute Silsden
pulled a goal back with a fine finish to make the score 3-1 to the visitors. There was no panic from Bradford
and a solid and hardworking performance was rewarded in the 80th minute when Murrell picked up the ball on the
right wing and fired a ball towards the far post where Duxbury was waiting, only to see the ball deceive the keeper and sail
into the net.
City ended the game deserved 4-1 winners
and given the cold and blustery conditions and a heavy pitch it was a good performance for a team that had not had a competitive
game for nearly three months.
27th January 2008
Silsden LFC P-P Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
13th January 2008
Bradford City
'A' Team P-P Morley Ladies (L)
16th December
2007
Lepton Highlanders LFC P-P Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
9th December
2007
Leeds City Vixens P-P Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
2nd November 2007
Kirklee's P-P Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
18th November
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 8-1 Bradford Park Avenue (F)
Dani Domanski (42)
Jayne Barber
(44)
Louise Lindley
(48, 75)
Vicki Wood
(54)
Charlotte Stuart
(63, 86)
Claire Popplewell
(83)
The long and winding road of a football season found us in mid November welcoming Bradford Park Avenue to Rawdon Meadows
for a friendly. On a soggy day Rawdon Meadows was closer to an octopus’s garden than a sporting arena. Bradford City
were able to give a start to Jayne Barber, Neely Murrell and Charlotte Stuart who for varying reasons have not had a game
for several weeks.
Neither team got any help from the conditions and both teams battled well and the first half was fairly even, although
City created most of the chances. Dani Domanski, who was here there and everywhere, broke the deadlock with a rocket to open
the scoring for City in the 42nd minute. Things were now getting better for City and Jayne Barber got a deserved
goal two minutes later and the sides went into the halftime break with City two up.
Being a friendly the management team were able to make changes at halftime with Nicky Davies, Olivia Duxbury, Clare
Fawcett and Vicki Wood replacing Jayne Barber, Emmie Kinnear, Neely Murrell and Erin Rosenberg. The ball often behaved more
like a glass onion than a football but, despite a hard days night the night before, Lou Lindley made light of the conditions
with a superb strike to add to City’s lead early in the second half. City’s midfield worked hard and were able
to get back and support the defence when Avenue attacked on the break.
City continued to dominate and the goals continued to fly in. There’s always something special about a Vicki
Wood goal (well you don’t get many to the pound) and she made it 4 nil to City in the 54th minute. Charlotte
Stuart who had a promising game after a bad injury made it 5 in the 63rd minute.
Lindley scored her second goal in the 75th minute to make it half a dozen to City. A hardworking Avenue
pulled back a goal through ex City player Leanne Benjamin in the 81st minute. As the rain continued to fall Claire
Popplewell added to her season’s tally, scoring in yet another match to make it 7-1. Charlotte Stuart completed the
scoring in the 86th minute with the game finishing at 8-1 to City.”
Both teams did well in difficult conditions and it was a good work out for City who don’t have a game for a fortnight.
Avenue were excellently marshalled by Amy Larner whose only moment of doubt was when Wood sought to calm things down at one
point. Afterwards she told us “It was likes somebody’s mum had come onto the pitch. I thought I would have to
call her Mrs Wood” Thanks to our friends at Avenue for the game and we wish them all the best for the rest of the season.
11th November
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team
3-0 Collingham Ladies FC
(L)
Nicky Davies
(41)
Claire Popplewell
(45)
Laura Gadd
(54)
Visitors Collingham Ladies fresh from their first victory of the season against Silsden last week came to Rawdon Meadows,
home of top of the table Bradford City A team, hoping to continue their improved run of form. Collingham made their
intentions clear from the start, playing one up front and packing the midfield. City created most of the chances and the Collingham
keeper looked in fine form pulling off a couple of excellent saves when a goal looked certain.
Bradford City showed their quality in the 41st minute when a fine ball from Clare Fawcett beat the offside trap and Nicky Davies calmly took her time in the penalty area to score with a good finish.
The goal galvanised belief in the home team and they finished the half strongly. Lou Lindley had a good shot turned onto the
post by the Collingham keeper making another excellent save. In the second minute of injury time City put themselves further in front when more good work from Lindley resulted in a Collingham tackle knocking
the ball to Claire Popplewell who calmly finished making it 2-0 to City at halftime.
Stephanie
Barraclough replaced Kim Kaye in nets to make her debut for City. Kaye and Lindley who made way for Melanie Cropp could both
feel unfortunate to be substituted after good performances but the changes did not reflect on them but the size and quality
of the A team squad.
City changed to a 4-3-3 formation and Gadd who had been pushed up front collected a cross from Olivia
Duxbury in the 54th minute and confidently slotted the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
In
the 65th minute Erin Rosenberg was replaced by Hannah Wardman in a straight swap in defence and another example
of the strength of the squad with one fine player replacing another.(That’s £5 each girls) City continued to have most
of the ball and chances but a hard working Collingham had a strong part to play in the game and gave a performance which belied
their position in the league.
City
had to play the final ten minutes with 10 players when Davies fell awkwardly and had to leave the field of play with a suspected
broken hand. City saw out the last ten minutes with assured confidence to win 3 nil and cement their place at the top of the
table.
Nicky
Davies has broken a small bone in her hand and we all wish her a speedy recovery..
4th November
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team
9-0 Huddersfield Town Reserves
(L)
Clare Fawcett (12)
Claire Pops
(51, 54)
Nicky Davies
(58)
Emmie Kinnear
(70, 84, 90, 91)
Olivia Duxbury
(88)
It was a return to league action for City after their win in the cup last week and they welcomed 5th placed
Huddersfield town to Rawdon Meadows. City had to make
changes with Mel Cropp unavailable due to work commitments and Jess Pearson being called into the first team squad. This was
reflected in a shaky start with Huddersfield
having the best of the early exchanges and dominating play without threatening to score for the first 10 minutes. City soon
settled after this, probably helped by scoring the opening goal in the 12th minute. Vicki Wood collected the ball
in midfield and lobbed the ball over the Huddersfield
defence for Claire Fawcett who chased onto the ball and took it round the keeper to score.
City came more and more into the game and should have scored on several occasions. There was some very good simple
passing and movement but too often City resorted to ambitious balls rather than the easy one which at times resulted in giving
possession back to the opposition. The much changed City defence grew in confidence as the half wore on and worked well as
a unit. They were ably supported by keeper Kim Kaye who bravely smothered the ball on a couple of occasions when the Huddersfield forwards broke through. City looked the most likely
to score but the teams went in at halftime with City holding onto a slim 1 nil lead.
No changes were made to personnel at halftime but it was a different City in attitude and style as they dominated play
from the first kick of the half. Building on the promise of the first half the passing was swift and calculated in all areas
of the pitch including the defence who looked confident and assured beginning several attacks from the back with good passing
and link up play. The good football was rewarded as early as the 6th minute of the half when Fawcett switched play
and found Wood on the right side of midfield. A superb ball found Claire Popplewell whose well timed run beat the offside
trap and she scored with a cool finish to make it 2-0 to City.
The team was buzzing now and only 3 minutes later Nicky Davies neatly
tucked a pass over the Huddersfield defence for Popplewell to receive the pass
on the dead ball line. Popplewell fired it towards goal and the keeper got a hand to it but couldn’t prevent it crossing
the line and making it 3-0.
In the 58th minute it was Davies’s turn to get on the score sheet when she weaved her wave through
the defence and bravely stabbed the ball into the back of the net despite being hurt in the process. 4-0 to City.
Hannah Wardman, who was carrying an injury from the first half was substituted to be replaced by Emmie Kinnear. Wood
went into defence and Fawcett into midfield and Kinnear joined Lou Lindley up front.
Kinnear was soon causing problems for the Huddersfield defence and in the 70th minute was found by Fawcett and a clinical finish saw the ball hit the post and
into the net. 5-0 to City.
The football from City continued to be of a high standard and the sixth goal in the 84th was a fine example
of this. A neat interchange of passes between Domanski and Fawcett ended with a pass to Lindley who found her partner Kinnear
who scored, again after hitting the post.
In the 88th minute Olivia Duxbury made it 7 with a typically
impressive finish. Kinnear got her hat trick in the 90th minute with a solo run (described as snake like by the
City bench) and a cool finish that again ended in the back of the net courtesy of the post. City and Kinnear in particular
were not finished yet and in injury time made it 9-0 to City and 4 for herself with a goal almost identical to her third including
it striking the post on it’s way in.
This result makes it 8 wins out of 8 in the league for top of the table City but it was a performance that every player
could be proud of. The new look defence of Domanski, Wardman, Erin Rosenberg, Laura Gadd (and Wood in the second half) looked
like they’d been playing together for years. Everyone did their job and
their response at halftime to the team talk showed what a good unit the A team are this season.
28th October
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 5-0 Heyside (L/Cup)
Clare Fawcett (12,
30, 68)
Claire Popplewell
(17)
Olivia Duxbury
(23)
Second division Heyside came to Rawdon Meadows, the home of Bradford City WFC A Team for the 1st round of the WRGFL
Open Age Cup. The away team set out their stall from the off and it became apparent that they were going to use the off side
trap in an attempt to frustrate City and played a high line. In the early exchanges the home team were caught offside several
times but twice Lou Lindley managed to outsmart the defence and forced the keeper to make saves. Lindley continued to threaten
the Heyside goal and in the 9th minute hit the post and the ball was cleared away by the defence.
Lindley was involved in the opening goal for City with an intelligent pass finding Clare Fawcett who calmly finished.
City were now very much in the ascendancy and Olivia Duxbury began to get more and more into the game. In the 17th a good
run and shot from Duxbury was only parried by the keeper and Claire Popplewell latched onto the ball and smashed it into the
net extending City’s lead to 2-0.
The good spell of pressure by City continued and in the 23rd minute they forced a corner. Popplewell took
the corner and the ball evaded the bodies in the packed goalmouth and bounced on the edge of the 6 yard box. Duxbury anticipated
the path of the ball cleverly and met it with a lobbed header which cleared the keeper and a defender to find the back of
the net. 3-0 to City.
It was still all City and in the 30th minute Fawcett picked up the ball midway in Heyside’s half and
scored following a good run and shot to make it 4-0. For the remainder of the half City were still largely in control but
the defence had to be alert on a couple of occasions and Jess Mallison in nets did well to clear her lines when Heyside played
a good ball behind the City defence.
Halftime came with the score still 4-0 to City. With the home team looking very comfortable they made changes bringing
on Danni Domanski and Emmie Kinnear for Laura Gadd and Lou Lindley. Heyside came out much stronger in the second half and
a more adventurous formation saw them enjoy more of the ball then they had in the first half. Their substitutions worked well
and Heyside had more attacking options but the City defence coped well Kinnear
got involved well and created a couple of good chances. In the 68th minute City broke the second half deadlock
when Fawcett completed her hat trick with a goal reminiscent of her second with a good shot and run.
Nicky Davies made way for Hannah Wardman as City changed to a back 3 and
super striker Domanski moved up front. City saw the game out very much in control as was Vicki Wood who calmed things down
with some words of wisdom when some frustrations surfaced. Heyside gave a brave second half performance but it was City who
continue their good start to the season and progress to the quarter finals of the Cup.
21th October
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 8-0 Silsden (L)
Lou
Lindley (10,44,60,88)
Clare Fawcett (15,63)
Laura Gadd
(57,81)
The seventh game of the season played on a beautiful autumnal afternoon saw City kick off the game with a maximum 18
points. Their opponents Silsden have struggled this season and due to injuries they began the game with only ten players.
City started brightly and created several early chances. In the 10th
minute captain Jess Pearson headed a clever ball from the halfway line to find Aimee Driver who in turn found Lou Lindley
with a nice pass. Lindley beat the keeper with a nice right footed finish to give City the lead.
Bradford continued to pile
on the pressure and 5 minutes later Clare Fawcett smashed home a good cross from Olivia Duxbury to make it 2-0. Midway through
the first half Silsden began to get more into the game and twice keeper Kim Kaye had to be alert and clear her lines. As half
time approached City made it 3-0. A nice interchange of passes between Laura Gadd and Nicky Davies was finished off by Lindley
despite the Silsden keeper getting her fingertips to the ball. The teams went in at halftime with City leading 3-0.
City looked to be in control of the game and with a big squad made three changes at halftime to get as many players
as possible involved. Claire Popplewell, Nicky Davies and Aimee Driver were replaced by Dani Domanski, Vicki Wood and Hannah
Wardman.
The game continued in much the same manner as the first half with City doing most of the attacking. In the 57th
minute Gadd did a nice one two with the upright to make it 4-0. It took only another three minutes for City to score with
Lindley completing her hat-trick with a good run and finish. It took only another 3 minutes before City were leading 6-0.
Fawcett picked up the ball from out wide made a good run towards goal before calmly shooting into the net.
Despite the score line Silsden continued to battle well and it wasn’t until the 81st minute that City
added to the score. Gadd scored her second with a delicate left foot shot which the keeper almost stopped to make it 7-0.
The final goal was something special and it fittingly involved two of the game’s stand out players. Fawcett made a very
clever lofted pass from one edge of the penalty are to the other to find Lindley who latched on to the ball and hammered it
into the net. That made it four for Lindley and eight for City. That final goal was in the 88th minute and the
score ended 8-0 to City.
That result makes it a magnificent seven out of seven for City and they remain proudly on top of the table. A big thanks
to Sarah Binns who came in to the squad to give us cover. City have a break from the League next week as they entertain Heyside
in the League Cup.
14th October
2007
Morley Spurs 1-3 Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
Claire
Pops (14)
Olivia
Duxbury (40)
Clare fawcett
(44)
The A team travelled to unbeaten Morley Spurs on Sunday hoping to extend their own unbeaten record.
Morley’s new ground was
small, slopped and over grown and looked to have a lot of home advantage. Both teams looked a bit cagey in the first ten minutes
but Claire Pops settled any City nerves on the fourteenth minute with a typical Pops left foot in to the top corner. City’s
keeper Jess Mallison and the back four of Gadd, Cropp, Wardman and Pearson looked to be in control and the midfield of Pops,
Davies and Wood fed the front line time and time again creating many goal opportunities but the Morley keeper was on form
and denied several attempts from Lindley, Duxbury and Fawcett. Morley looked good on the break but Mallison was on her toes
in the City net and swept up the through ball on more than one occasion to keep them at bay. The game became scrappy and due
to a lack of support play from the City players there was no fluent football being played. Olivia Duxbury eased the tension
with one of her tantalizing runs down the left, skinning the right back and pulling the trigger on entering the area and hitting
the back of the Morley net to make it 2 on the 40th minute. Soon after Clare Fawcett made it 3 and City looked
well in control. The second half started well for City passing the ball around with loads more confidence but Morley didn’t
give up. They had a good 20 minute period where they pulled one back from a corner and looked like they could get back into
the game but City dug deep and worked extremely hard and weathered the storm well with the midfield working both up and down
the pitch to break up Morley’s plans. Emmie Kinnear came on for Lindley up front with 20 minutes to go to partner Fawcett
but between them couldn’t extend City’s lead. With 10 minutes left on the clock Morley broke through the city
back four and unleashed a thunderbolt towards the City goal but Mallison was up to the challenge and dived full length to
her right and finger tipped it around the post to keep the score at 3-1. With Davies coming off injured in the last 8 minutes
Erin Rosenberg took to the field in the middle of the midfield and grafted with everyone else right up to the final whistle
to secure the 3 points that take them 8 points clear in the Premiership. Even thou all the players worked very hard on a pitch
that didn’t suit the way they like to play a special mention must go to
Olivia Duxbury who never stopped running for the entire 90 minutes and Laura Gadd who had a very sound game at left back.
Next week sees City play Silsden at Home which will be the midway point of the A teams season and the week after they start
their cup campaign against Heyside.
Keep up the great team spirit and the hard work! ‘O
and before I go, have you heard the one about the big guy who sings who went to heaven……………………..?’
7th October
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 3-2 Lepton Highlanders (L)
Olivia
Duxbury (24)
Lou
Lindley (54)
Clare fawcett
(79)
Today’s game saw City taking on second in the league Lepton Highlanders, and was going to be a good test
for the girls after their 3 previous comfortable wins. Confidence was high before the game, and with the return of keeper
Kim Kaye the girls prepared themselves for what was to be a tough game.
The first
20 minutes saw both teams very evenly matched, with both struggling to settle and at times the football was very scrappy.
However it was City that took hold of the game. Whilst Lepton’s back four were busy claiming for offside, Lou sprinted
from a deeper position to collect the ball and play Olivia in on the left side, Olivia coolly placed the ball beyond the keeper
to take City into the lead after 24 mins.
The goal seemed to be a bit of a wake up call for Lepton, and they immediately piled
the pressure on. With their left winger causing all kinds of problems, Pops was left man marking which then resulted in a
gaping hole in midfield. It wasn’t long before Lepton took advantage of our stretched midfield and within 10 minutes
they had equalized. City kept battling but couldn’t hold Lepton off, desperately needing half time to come to regroup
City conceded again, frustratingly the last kick of the half which gave Lepton a 2-1 lead.
At half time
City had their heads down and looked to be out of the game. But Steve and Aidan made immediate changes to the line up and
formation, bringing on Mel Cropp for Erin Rosenberg and Emmie Kinnear for Vikki Wood. After the team talk the girls were raring
to turn the game around.
The impact
the changes made was immediately noticeable, and City dominated the second half. The girl’s hard work paid off when
Lou scored from a ball played in by Laura Gadd after 54 mins. After the equalizer
City continued to control the game. The subs Emmie and Mel looked very comfortable,
and it wasn’t long before City took the lead, with Lou picking the ball up on the left side of midfield and playing
an inch perfect pass to Clare Fawcett who was left with just the keeper to beat. With a fantastic finish this took City to
3-2 in front on the 79th minute. Despite some late efforts from Lepton, City managed to keep hold of their lead
and even came close to getting a fourth.
The
final whistle was met with sighs of relief from everyone, and the girls were delighted to have got a well earned three points.
The second half was a fantastic example of what we can achieve with team work. The team spirit was brilliant with everyone
playing for each other, and with a never say die attitude like we showed who knows what can happen this season.
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23rd September
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 3-1 Leeds City
Vixens (L)
Lou
Lindley (10)
Claire Pops
(65)
Aimee
Driver (69)
Today's game against Leeds City Vixens welcomed Ami Nolan and Aimee Driver to the team making it
a 16 man squad, including peg leg Melanie. Manager Aidan and Coach Rev. Steve therefore had a hard decision to make in terms
of line-up, Rev. Steve brought Milkyways and Mars Bars to soften the blow for those left on the bench.
During the warm up I couldn’t help noticing how much more professional and organised we looked
compared to Vixens, who turned up in mix match kit 20 minutes before kick off. The game kicked off and City looked good, keeping
possession and sending lovely balls over the top of the Vixens defence for Olivia, Pops and Lou to run onto. Olivia knocked
a few crosses into the box to no gain. Then on 10 minutes Lou steamed onto a ball from Pops and knocked it past the keeper
who was at least a foot shorter that our keeper, Jules. Just before half time Olivia was feeling the strain of all the long
balls over the top and was replaced by Super sub Erin... Olivia took her seat on the wooden bench dragged over from the cricket pitch
next to fellow peg leg Mel.
Half time saw Diddy take a leak on the tree while Rev. Steve handed out Milkyways and Mars bars
to the team and some sneaky supporters!
The second half felt different, maybe Vixens had had a kick up the butt from their manager, they
came out all guns blazing... Neither team really got hold of the ball until it was played through to Aimee Driver who took
on a few players here and there, with just the keeper to beat she side footed it towards the goal...and hit the post... never
fear though, due to the playing experience of Pops she never gave up and was there to side foot the ball home. Some people
think Pops stole Drivers goal, some people think Driver was aiming for the post.....I think it made City 2-0 up after 65 minutes. After all the hard work Driver had done for the previous goal she was rewarded with
her own after 69 minutes... again the ball was played through and split the Vixens defence just like the glass split my leg,
Driver was 1 on 1 with the keeper, after throwing some shapes and skipping past the bewildered keeper, Driver made sure she
got the ball in the back of the net this time, getting her name on the score sheet and in this match report. 3-0. On the 75th minute some blonde girl upfront for Vixens got hit in the face with the ball and the Referee
gave a free kick... Skipper Jess did well to keep calm after such a ludicrous decision! Good job we practised defending crosses
in training, or not... 3-1... Rev. Steve swore, and then said 6 hail marys. Time for another sub, on came Kim for Hannah.
Hannah got 3 High 5s from the supporters... Final Whistle...
City made it 4 out of 4....
Tune in next week to find out How Mel's leg will look after the stitches come out, How many High
5s Hannah gets after the game and what Rev. Steve brings in his CoolBox...
Over and Out...
Melanie Cropp.
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16th September
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 4-1
Kirklees ladies (L)
Claire Pops (11)
Olivia Duxbury (32, 40)
Nicky Davies (81)
With the return of Erin Rosenberg
to the A team they just made the one change from last weeks victorious line up. Hannah Wardman joined
the bench to make way for Erin in the back four. Last season Bradford
struggled against Kirklees on more than one occasion, but with the new look and much improved squad the players
confidence was high. Bradford started well keeping the ball, frustrating the opposition and applying
good pressure on the Kirklees back four. So much so that Bradford earned themselves a direct free kick
from a miss timed tackle just outside the penalty area. Pops took charge, lining herself up and striking the ball sweetly
over the Kirklees wall beating the keeper to make it
one nil on the eleventh minute. The pressure continued and a solo effort from Olivia Duxbury down the left flank carving up
the right back made it two, placing the ball between the stranded keeper and the near post. It wasn’t long before Bradford
made it three with a well worked move down the right ending with an inch perfect cross from Nicky Davies finding Olivia who
calmly volleyed home from just in front of the despairing keeper. Four minutes to half time and an unfortunate facial injury
to Erin Rosnberg and a laps in concentration in the back four gifted Kirklees with a one on one
with Jules the City keeper. Kirklees scored which boosted their confidence at the half time stage. Bradford
resisted the immediate pressure from Kirklees early in the second half and slowly but surely started to control the game.
Looking comfortable, the back four of Alice, Jess, Erin
and Laura worked hard together and with Jules in the nets they never looked like conceding again. The wide midfield players
of Pops and Olivia chased everything and the middle of City’s midfield of Vicki and Nicky started dictated the play.
The ever running Lou and Clare bamboozled the Kirklees defence and could have increased the lead on numerous occasions but
it was only to be increased by one before the full time whistle but it was worth waiting for. Nicky Davies collected the ball
35 yards out facing her own goal and with a spin turn setting herself up struck an un-stoppable half
volley into the back of the net to make the final score line 4-1. All three subs were used during the second half who all
settled in well giving other players a well earned rest. Kim Kaye came on for Lou up front, Hannah Wardman
came on for Erin Rosenberg and Charlie Simpson came on for Olivia Duxbury. Overall a very good performance.
9th September
2007
Huddersfield
Town Res. 0 - 6 Bradford City 'A' Team (L)
Lou
Lindley (18,64)
Claire
Pops (51,73)
Clare Fawcett (82)
Nicky Davies (88)
On top of a mountain all covered in snow,
we scored our 6th goal with 2 minutes to go.
Lou opened the scoring with the first of her pair
she headed it in from a cross from young Clare,
The defence was held solid by Hannah and Jess
and Jules was just there to clear up the mess
Alice and Laura worked hard as full backs
always up there to support our attacks.
Olivia and Laura so well did combine
as Livvy ran tirelessly right down the line,
We battled and toiled in the dirt and the grime
but the score still remained 1-0 at half time.
The second half began just like the first
then Pops scored a goal it was just like Geoff Hirsts
Clare Fawcett scored next she rounded the keeper
Lou scored the 4th from a little bit deeper,
Midfield at times were taking the mickey
as the passing was tops from Nicky and Vicky.
Pops 30 yarder took it to five
then Nicky rounded off with a 30 foot drive.
At the end of the day our goal was achieved
and we got 'well done' from Aidan and Steve!!
2nd September
2007
Bradford City 'A' Team -DNP- Collingham (L)
Nothing to
report. Collingham failed to register players in time for their first league fixture!
Points awarded
to City.
But an excellent
3 hour training session!!!!!!!!!!!
26th August
2007
BCWFC 1st
XI 1 - 2
Bradford City 'A' Team (F)
Pops (56)
Kinnear (80)
Last
friendly before the battle commences. The A team played hosts to Bradford city Women’s 1st XI.
The conditions were perfect and the pitch was immaculate. Once again the A team got off to a slow start with key players missing
and players playing in unfamiliar positions yet again. Despite the above, individual and team performances were gutsy and
at times hard to tell who the 1st XI were. Jo Tennison kept goal for the A team and made some very very important
saves keeping the A team in the game. The back four consisting of Charly, Jess, Erin and Alice frustrated
the 1st XI attacks hunting down in packs and covering all angles and options that they had to contend with. The
ever hard working mid field didn’t disappoint either with Nicky, Pops, Laura and Clare working together as a close knit
unit and linking up well down the flanks. The front two of Jayne and Emmie run their socks off, running the back line ragged
at times. Overall the team were very unlucky to leave the field at half time 1-0 down.. A reminder from the management to
the players that the first league match is next week and the work rate during
the first half was below par and on far to many occasions were giving the ball away far too easily, ears appeared to prick
up and with a slightly different formation to start the second half from the start to the final whistle of the game they looked
a completely different team. Clare and Emmie partnered upfront with Jayne sitting in behind Nicky , Pops and Laura made up
the 3 across midfield and the back four stayed the same apart from Claire Armitage who came on for the injured Charly during
the first half. Much more settled and passionate as a team the A team played some delightful passages of football pulling
the scores level with a well worked move with Pops having the final say, passing the ball past the stranded keeper. This fired
the team up to another level and it was an absolute pleasure to witness, especially being 1 week away from the start of the
season. The manager and coach couldn’t ask for anymore from their team. The icing on the cake was a winning goal for
the A team with 10 minutes remaining, yet another well worked passage of play down the left flank feeding the final ball through
for Emmie to run on to with just the keeper to beat made no mistake and made it 2 for the A team. All the players can pat
themselves on the back for great individual and team performance.
19th August
2007
Bradford
Park Avenue 2 - 6
Bradford City 'A' Team (F)
Duxbury
Pops 2
Davies
Fawcett
Lindley
Pre season friendly for the A team was against Bradford Park Avenue, supposed to be at the stadium but again our big
feet were a fret to the pitch so we were condoned to the park pitch with matching changing rooms. It was Benji's first ecounter
against her old side, she must have thought she'd made the right choice as Avenue took an early lead, as Bradford struggled
with yet a new back four,with first time pairing of Dani and Vicky at the heart of it.
 Olivia drew us level with a fine strike which settled
the team with Pops making it 2 ten minutes later with one of her bursts from midfield. Alice who starred in goal stood no
chance for Avenue's second. Bradford then started to play some really good football with good wing play from both Olivia
and Laura. Nicky had a long range effort hit the crossbar and although Emmy scored a perfectly good goal and we
were scoring more disallowed goals than allowed ones we kept going.
With Clare Fawcett scoring with a great shot which was too powerful for the keeper to hold.
Bradford lead 3-2 going into the break.
The second half saw a similar pattern to our first
pre season games by bradford taking the game to Avenue by good work from the forwards and defending from the front, and
within minutes of the second half starting saw Bradford go 4-2 up, following up on a fine effort by Olivia which
hit the cross bar which then bounced nicely for a tap in for Lou.
With Jess now alongside Vicky at the back the defence
looked solid and the team grew stronger and stronger. Our fifth goal came from a perfect cross by Clare Fawcett and Nicky
getting in front of her marker to direct it into the goal.
With 5 minutes to go pops notched her second which capped a fine team performance. Bring on the
new season.
12th August
2007
White Rose 2 - 2 Bradford City 'A' Team (F)
Kinnear
Pops
The second
pre season friendly for the A Team was against White Rose from the league above, not that you could tell there was a
difference in the first period with the girls taking the game to White Rose and the girls looking to improve on last week's
performance. Neither side really created any chances in the first period, with the sides pretty even going into the break.
The second period saw more goal mouth action from both sides, Bradford coming close
with efforts from Nicky, Lou and Pops. The girls kept the pressure on but against the run of play White Rose took the lead
with a speculative shot from Rose's number 8 who lobbed Chelsea
from just outside the area. This spurred Bradford on, we started creating more and more chances with Jane and Lou
running their back line ragged. The break through came from a fine corner from Pops, with Emmy getting in the box where it
hurts and drew us level. The girls were growing more confident as the game went on with Olivia and Erin becoming more involved
and starting to influence the game; but again against the run of play, poor defending from a corner saw Rose's number 12 unchallenged
give White Rose the lead. Not discouraged by this the girls kept going with Laura going close with a number of fine
shots on goal. We kept pressing forward and eventually got our reward, our second goal came from Claire in defence
who played it inside to Nicky who played an inch perfect 40 yard pass for Pops to run on to, it took all her 5ft 4in body(plus
little toe)to steer the ball into the net for a well deserved equaliser. The girls weren't content with the draw and kept
pressing right to the final whistle with both Pops and Emmy going close again. The game was a positive step in the right direction
for the coming season with good performances by many players.
(ND)
5th August 2007
Bradford City 'A' Team 2 - 2
Collingham Ladies FC
Davies 27 min
Fawcett 77 min
In Extreme hot weather conditions both teams performed well for their first pre-season
friendly. With key players absent several unfamiliar roles had to be performed by individual players. This showed during periods
of the game. City’s keeper for the day was centre back, Hannah Wardman, who looked like a natural, saving City on more
than one occasion. The newly formed back four of Laura Gadd, Danny, Erin Rosenberg, and Jess Pearson adapted quickly and looked
more comfortable as the game went on as did the hard working midfield of Pop’s, Nicky Davies, Jane Barber and Vicky
Wood. The new look duo upfront, Louise Lindley and Emmie Kinnear didn’t get a chance to flourish due to an early exit
from the field of play due to injury. Clare Fawcett took to the front line and linked up very well with Emmie what looks like
could be a very exiting force up front for City this season.
Collingham took an early lead with a well executed lob from outside the area
over the stranded keeper. This was a wake up call for City who appeared to be struggling to settle and cope with the heat.
Thankfully after about 20 minutes they started to take control and applied good pressure on the Collingham back four and keeper
and were rewarded with a goal with a great 25 yard strike from Nicky Davies, ricocheting of the underside of the bar giving
the keeper no chance at all. Even thou the pressure was constant, frustration set in due to poor finishing. Time and time
again the build up’s were good but the end product was below par and started to effect team performance. The second
half saw a mirror image of the first half pressure with Sarah Welsh taking to the field giving Jess a well earned break. Still
very frustrating for players and supporters witnessing poor finishing yet again which should have resulted in more goals and
wrapping the game up. With that said City’s second goal was very well executed. A great kick from the Hannah the City
keeper found Pop’s who’s controlled, looked up and placed an inch perfect through ball for Clare to run on to.
Clare’s first touch was perfect followed by a great display of running with the ball finishing off with a good strike
across the stranded Collingham keeper. 2-1 to City and it never looked like City could lose this encounter until an unfortunate
referring error. The back four had pushed on nice and compact playing for the offside trap which worked (5 yards!) but to
add to City’s frustration the players and side line objections were dismissed by the referee and the goal stood. With
minutes to go City still had chances of securing a win but with the heat taking it’s toil, players were pleased to hear
the final whistle and start to re-hydrate and recover. Summary: 16 shots. 7 on target. 3 struck well.
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