Bradford City Women Victorious In Their First Game At Their New Home


Bradford City Women started their life at their new home the Horsfall Stadium with an important win over Alnwick Town Ladies. With games in hand on those teams around them it was always going to be an important game for City who are looking to keep momentum going and grab those points to get them further away from the drop zone and the teams hard work certainly paid off with a 5-1 victory. 

City didn't start the game particularly well with Alnwick taking the lead after just 3 minutes thanks to a great break straight through the City defence. After Alnwick's early goal the game did look a bit scrappy as City tried to get back into the game and Alnwick tried to hold onto their lead, it was like this until the 12th minute when a fantastic free kick from City's Norde found its way to Woodcock who put the ball into the back of the net to draw the game level. 

In the 21st minute Woodcock got her second of the game in a very similar way to her first, another great free kick from Norde found its way to Woodcock who put City in the lead. Set pieces, especially free kicks, are definitely becoming a threat for City now and it is nice to see them capitalising on Norde's ability to get a great ball into the box. 

Just 6 minutes after Woodcock's second goal Knight extended City's lead with a fantastic curling shot from outside the box which the Alnwick 'keeper had no chance of saving. City didn't stop their though and kept creating plenty of chances for themselves however, the Alnwick 'keeper did well to keep City at bay but that all changed in the 34th minute when Stuart finally beat the 'keeper to get her name on the score sheet. Stuart managed to breakthrough the Alnwick defence and fire it home to take City in to half time with a 4-1 lead.

The second half started off with City creating themselves some great chances but just couldn't add to their lead. City's 5th and final goal came in the 69th minute with Hawkins finally getting herself on the score sheet after being denied so many times previously in the game. Once that 5th goal went in for City they still continued to press and look for a 6th however, they just couldn't find the back of the net one final time and the game ended 5-1 to the home team. 

City definitely started off slow however, once they really got into the game they looked threatening on the attack and at times they moved the ball around really well. As for our player of the match pick I think it is safe to say there are a few players who could walk away with this however for us it is a tie between Stuart and Hawkins. Both these players had a great game and made an impact on the game for the full 90 minutes. Stuart and Hawkins both got on the score sheet but they also created some great passages of play to set up some great chances for each other and the rest of the team.

This was City's first game on their new pitch and I think overtime we are going to see City really use this pitch to their advantage. It looks a lot wider than Eccleshill's pitch was and with the use of those players out wide I think they could really challenge the opposition and create some issues for them. There is also the bounce for the ball to take into consideration ow too as that can cause trouble for both teams and we saw a few times today that it is going to be something that City need to get used to too, if they can get used to it and use it to their advantage they could definitely cause issues for the visitors. 

This win now leaves Bradford City 4 points above the drop zone with games in hand on the teams directly above and below them, I think it is safe to say times are changing for City and it is nice to see them picking up the points they deserve. 

Let's see if City can keep the momentum going in their next game when they are away to Stockport County. 

Match Preview : Bradford City Women vs Alnwick Town Ladies


It is a return to league action for the Bradford City Women first team on Sunday as they take on Alnwick Town Ladies at their new home... the Horsfall Stadium. It is safe to say we should be in for a treat with this game as Bradford are trying to build momentum on the field to pick up those all important points to avoid the relegation zone whilst Alnwick are trying to gain their first win of the season. 

Alnwick are playing their first season in the league and I think it is safe to say that it isn't going too well for them so far as they are sitting at the bottom of the table on just one point, they do have quite a few games in hand on the teams around them so they will be looking to make an impact and try to change their fortunes around. 

As for Bradford they are going into this game in 9th place in the table just 5 points behind 8th place FC united with 4 games in hand. If Bradford can pick up points from this game it is bound to send out a warning signal to those teams around them who are also wanting to avoid the drop. On the other hand though Bradford are still just 1 point above the drop zone so they will be hoping to keep the momentum going from their past few games to get a bit further away from those teams also fitting to avoid relegation. I think if Bradford can find their feet on the new ground quickly we could see them really build on from their recent league draw with Leeds United where the team gave it their all to earn a point even after going behind a few times. I think this just goes to show how the team is really progressing this season as they aren't seeming to give up when decisions and results go against them they are really fighting to prove themselves, something that as a fan is great to see. 

Bradford are definitely going into the game in the better form but we have seen this season form means nothing in this league and anything can happen and with fixtures starting to build up. Bradford are definitely going to be giving it their all to keep that momentum going and to show those they will be playing soon they are not a team to be taken lightly. We are seeing so many improvements from the team and let's hope Sunday's result shows that. 

This is the sides first meeting and with it being on a new ground for Bradford too I think we could be in for a good game with both sides wanting those all important 3 points. With it being a pay what you want scheme at the turnstiles lets hope we also see plenty of fans come out to support the team at their new home and really get behind them to get that win. 

If you are free on Sunday afternoon definitely head down to the Horsfall Stadium to see for yourself how this game plays out. 

Kick off : 2:15pm 

Venue : Horsfall Stadium, Cemetry Road, Low Moor, Bradford, BD6 2NG

Tickets : Pay what you want 

Bradford City Women Have A New Home

 

Photo credit @bcafc_women

It is all change for Bradford City Women as they will play out the remainder of the season at their new home, the Horsfall Stadium. The team are moving away from their now former home in Eccleshill to begin a new partnership with Bradford Park Avenue. 

I actually quite liked heading to Eccleshill as it wasn't too difficult to get to and the ground its self wasn't too bad to say it was a non-league ground. However, I am really looking forward to the new chapter for the club as the Horsfall Stadium is definitely one of the best facilities in the City and should be really really beneficial for the club in the long run. Not only that but it is a lot closer for us to get to which we can't complain about. 

The Horsfall stadium is one we are familiar with thanks to the Bradford city men's team playing against Bradford Park Avenue in preseason at the ground alongside us attending a whole host of events at the stadium such as charity rugby games. It is safe to say this partnership should help align Bradford City Women within the community as it is just one of the great sports teams that will now be playing their games at the ground. 

Probably the best part of this move though is the partnership that it creates with Bradford Park Avenue and their women's team. We have seen in the men's game how the two Bradford teams work together with City players heading out to Park Avenue to gain valuable game time to help them progress in the game. If we can see a similar thing in the women's game I really do believe it will be really beneficial for those players on the verge of breaking into the first as they can go off get some game time and work on their game rather sitting on the bench watching on and waiting. It will also create the opportunity for dual registration players which again will be just as beneficial as a player going out on loan. 

The move and partnership is also going to be a very good way for more girls in Bradford get into the game and hopefully progress through the ranks to end up in the Bradford City Women's first team, it just gives them another avenue to achieve this and will hopefully keep young players at the club(s) for a longer period of time rather than going off elsewhere looking for opportunities. Fingers crossed this is just the first for partnerships with local clubs to give more young players in the City a pathway into the club and give them more opportunities to develop and work towards joining the Bradford City Women's club in the long run. 

With Bradford City Women partnering up with Bradford Park Avenue I really do believe that this is just one step towards how the club is working on developing behind the scenes, now the Foundation have seen the club in action and what needs improving I think this is just the start of developments we are going to see from the club both on and off the pitch and I think we are going to be seeing a pretty big difference with the club over the next few seasons as everything starts to gain momentum. We have already seen results start to change and with the off field changes from this season and into the future I think us fans could be in for a treat. 

The first game fro the club at Horsfall was due to be on the 27th of February however, rearrangements from cancelled games has meant the first game will now be Sunday 6th March vs Alnwick Town Ladies, with the game being a pay what you want on the day fingers crossed we see a lot of fans filling the new ground to give the team a boost for them to finish the game with those all important 3 points to get further away from the drop zone. 

With us now being in the second half of the season every point picked up counts more than ever to keep the team away from relegation so lets get Horsfall filled with fans to create a great atmosphere and really get behind the team. I have a feeling this ground move is only the beginning...