With numerous new faces featuring alongside old faces for City it was going to be interesting to see how they were all gelling together as a team under the new management but as the game got under way it was safe to say they looked like they had worked hard in preseason and looked like a team straight away, there are obviously some areas that still need working on but as this was the first game for the season that was always going to be the case. City really started well moving the ball around especially in the midfield where Stuart & Stube seemed to be creating some great movement and getting City into some testing positions. There were a few scrappy moments from both teams but with it being the first game of the season it was to be expected with players getting used to each others style of play, City looked the more dominating side in the opening moments however, it was Middlesborough who took the lead after being awarded a free kick on the edge of the area, this was taken brilliantly and put them 0-1 up against the run of play, the goal seemed to help Middlesbrough find a bit of momentum before the half time whistle blew but there wasn't enough time for them to add to their tally in the first half.

Going into the second half 0-1 down didn't seem to let City's heads down though as they came out fighting for an equalizer and again they looked the more dominating team in the second half, chasing the ball down and moving the ball around to get into some dangerous positions but they just couldn't find the back of the goal, that was until a corner was sent into the box and some scrappy defending left the ball at the feet of City's American defender Chynna Harris who eventually turned the ball into the back of the goal to bring the scoreline to 1-1. After the equalizer it looked like the game could go either way with both teams getting the ball into some good positions which left the game feeling pretty tense at times with the chance of the result going either way but in the later stages of the game Middlesbrough gained another corner and just like with the City goal some scrappy defensive work ended with the ball in the back of the goal and Middlesbrough found themselves with a 1-2 lead to hold onto which they did meaning City's first game of the season in a defeat which really didn't do City's performance justice. 

City might have lost their opening game but they never looked like giving up throughout the 90 minutes, when they went behind they kept up the intensity and tried their hardest to get a goal back, this seems to be following on from last season where we saw a massive improvement in the teams reaction to going a goal behind and fingers crossed we are going to see this attitude throughout the whole season, although it would be great not to go behind too often. City definitely looked good to say it is only the first game of the season and I am really looking forward to seeing how they progress this year under the Charlotte Stuart and Gareth Davis because after watching them on Sunday we could be in for an interesting season.

It was good to see a few more fans in the ground on Sunday too with the Euros win seeming to have an effect on people wanting to come down to watch some women's football for a change and fingers crossed the momentum of the attendance growth keeps up into the whole season and beyond as those extra fans getting behind the team could really help shape performances, let's hope they don't drop off when the weather starts to turn.

Next up for City is a trip to York as they take on York City with both sides looking for their first 3 points of the season.