How will Bristol City Women fare for the 2022/2023 season?

It’s been a decade of constant tipping points for women’s football in England, and the Lionesses’ victory in the EUROS 2022 final forcefully pushed the sport into the collective consciousness.

Everyone, no matter who you were, fell in love with the guile and grace of women’s football.

With more eyes on the women’s game than ever before, how will Bristol City Women fare in the 2022/23 season?

21/22 was essentially a rebuild for the club. After several desperate seasons struggling at the bottom of the Barclays Women’s Super League (the top tier of women’s football), the club were relegated in 2020/21 to the FA Women’s Championship. There was a mass exodus, with then-new Head Coach Lauren Smith pulling together an impressive squad, essentially from nothing. A few key players stayed on, most notably Abi Harrison, who went on to have the season of her life. She terrorised defences and smashed home 21 goals in all competitions, winning Bristol’s Player of the Year, the Golden Boot and becoming City Women’s all-time leading goal scorer in the process. Aimee Palmer also committed to Bristol and became club captain at the age of 21. She impressed with her delectable dead- ball delivery and a tireless midfield work-ethic. Her season was cut short due to injury, a massive shame for a player who was hitting new form levels and has already suffered too many injuries across a short career. Both will be key players this year, as Bristol push for promotion.

City Women finished third last season, scoring freely while playing exciting, attacking football. At times it looked as if we might steal into the top position, but Liverpool ultimately proved too strong for everyone and secured the league title in front of a record 5,762 attendance (for City Women and the League) at Ashton Gate in April. Bouncing back to the WSL first time was never really expected; City are playing the longer game. We’ve kept together the core of the squad and added quality in areas where we lacked strength and depth. In wing back and wide positions City are blessed with the pace and athleticism of Lia Cataldo and Welsh internationals Ella Powell and Ffion Morgan. Another Welsh international, Chloe Bull, is capable of scoring memorable goals, she also brings an impish mercurial creativity to the number 10 role. Last season’s Young Player of the Year, goalkeeper Fran Bentley, will again be between the sticks after signing on a permanent two-year deal from Manchester United. Olivia Clark, signed from Coventry United, City’s first league opponent this season on 21 August, will be our number two keeper.

Bristol City’s secret weapon is arguably our academy system, which keeps producing exceptional players, year on year. Last season the abundantly talented centre back Brooke Aspin bossed the defence at the tender age of 16. Several other academy products are regular first team starters: the versatile Naomi Layzell; wing-back Maddi Wilde, who grows in confidence with every game and Jasmine Bull, who brings a firebrand creativity to the midfield. The latest exciting academy player to emerge showed up during City Women’s 2-1 pre-season friendly victory against WSL journeywomen Reading: Tianna Tiesar, recently graduated from the U16 side and now pushing hard for first team recognition. Nicknamed ‘T-Dog’ and described by Lauren Smith as an ‘animal’, Tiesar came on in the 59th minute, won several fouls before forcing Reading to concede a penalty twenty minutes later. She stepped up, stroked it home and proceeded to exuberantly knee-slide in front of City fans
who celebrated fervently in the stands.

City’s other summer signings also shone brightly in the August sunshine in the pre-season friendly against Reading. Many City fans were disappointed when experienced defender Satara Murray left the club at the end of last season. Her competence and quality snuffed out many attacking threats, and she was clearly a great mentor for Aspin. Murray’s replacement is US defender Vicky Bruce, who shares much of the pitch-shifting football intelligence of her predecessor and will bring a similar level of experience to what is otherwise a very young Bristol backline. Midfield has often been a problem area for Bristol and, arguably, the women’s game more broadly. Despite Keira Walsh’s majestic performances for the Lionesses at the EUROS this summer, there are comparatively few classic midfield generals in English women’s football. Thankfully, it looks like we might have bagged one, with the return of academy product Emily Syme, who controlled the midfield with deft touches and Head Girl efficiency. We’ve added some muscle too – and we’ll need muscle to win the league, make no mistake – with Elysia Boddy, Jodie Hutton, Irish international Chloe Mustaki and Jamaican forward Shania Hayles.

Pre-season completed ✅ @bristolcitywfc pic.twitter.com/1IyQ2SxWkq

— Maddi Wilde (@Maddiwilde) August 8, 2022

Watching Bristol secure their fourth pre-season win on Sunday – two of which have been against WSL clubs – it all had the feel of an already well-oiled machine, and a cunning plan that might just be coming together. It will be an exciting and competitive season, for sure, and City fans won’t want to miss out as we battle for the title against big-spending Southampton, arch-rivals Birmingham, an increasingly ambitious Crystal Palace and women’s football franchise, London City Lionesses. In case you don’t know, City Women play most games at the Robins High Performance Centre. The first home game of the Barclays FA Women’s Championship is Sunday, August 28 against Blackburn, There is a bus that goes from the city centre on matchdays, or on-site parking. City Women are also playing three matches at Ashton Gate this season, the first against Southampton on Sunday, September 25. Come down – you’ll love it!

Main photo: JMP

Read more: Abi Harrison becomes Bristol City’s all-time leading goalscorer

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