‘Fans are dejected at how badly Bristol City’s season has played out so far’

Bristol City Women are at a crossroads and the trajectory is sucking us downwards. Fans are frustrated, some dejected, at how this season has played out so far.

Regular 4-0 drubbings are not good for supporters’ spirits; they wear the players down too.

City’s season has certainly been affected by the Covid crisis. The 8-1 hammering by Man City should probably have been cancelled and manager Tanya Oxtoby getting coronavirus has impacted the squad.

There was recently further off-pitch news that will undoubtedly shape outcomes this season: Oxtoby announced she was pregnant, with the baby due in March 2021.

What this means for the management of the team over the coming months is not yet clear.

Sometimes, as a football fan, it’s the hope that kills you. Ebony Salmon’s last-ditch equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in November stirred hopes that City’s non-start season could be revived.

An impressive 3-1 away victory against Championship mid-tablers Lewes in the Continental Cup followed a few days later, a win that meant the Vixens topped their group and progressed to the quarter finals of the competition.

Both matches were overseen by academy manager Gary Probert, who stepped in while Oxtoby recovered from Covid-19. It seemed those elusive three points in the league were just a few kicks away.

After the international break Bristol faced Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Last season’s match produced a thrilling 3-3 draw, with the Vixens playing memorable, counter-attacking football.

This season’s contest followed a similar pattern. City took the lead from a Sophie Baggaley save that was pushed forward to Charlie Wellings by Welsh international Gemma Evans. Wellings turned, ran and played an intelligent one-two with Salmon. This move opened up space for the Bristol forward to gallop into before squaring to teenager Emma Bissell who scored with an impressive finish – her first goal in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League.

The move was Oxtoby-ball at its finest: rapid, flowing, counter-attacking football which has the potential to knock opponents back.

The problem is, however, that such tactics rarely – if ever – knock opponents out.

The M4 derby against Reading ended in a 1-1 draw. This was due, in no small part, to a catalogue of stunning saves from Baggaley. Thirteen saves, in fact. It was one of those spirited away performances that felt like a victory. Perhaps we could have won if we were a bit better at smashing and grabbing.

So hopes were running high last week. Still rooted to the bottom of the league, yes, but Bristol had fought for and won two points. Was the resilience and battle-readiness displayed against Spurs and Reading a sign that the rot had stopped?

Two relegation six-pointers at Twerton Park – the first against Aston Villa on Wednesday, followed by West Ham on Sunday – would confirm if progress had been made.

Like Bristol City, Villa and West Ham had spent the first half of the season languishing at the wrong end of the table, struggling for results, and performances. You wouldn’t have known this, though, if you looked at the final score of both games. Consistent with other home defeats this season, Bristol lost 4-0 each time.

Both matches made grim viewing for Bristol fans.

The winter transfer window opens on January 1 2021. Perhaps this will bring fresh legs and energy into the squad. Chloe Logarzo and Aimee Palmer return from injury in the new year, which will provide a shot of muscle and creativity.

But given how much is at stake, and how much has already been lost, will an influx of new players be enough to turn things around?

In City’s lowly position, questions will continue to be asked about where the team sit within the Bristol Sport conglomerate.

Will City Women ever be a priority? And what level of investment is realistically needed to bring the team up to the level of other high-flyers in the WSL?

What investment is available now, can it be delivered quick enough to save this season? If this season can’t be saved – which seems likely – should plans for the rebuild start now?

D-M Withers is co-host of Bristol City Vixencast, a podcast about Bristol City Women FC. Follow the podcast on Twitter via @BCVixenCast

Main photo: JMP

Read more: Bristol City Women manager Tanya Oxtoby reveals she is pregnant