Wednesday night saw a bottom of the table clash in the FAWNL Northern division 1, as Bradford City Women took on Merseyrail. This would be the first league encounter for the teams after Merseyrail's promotion into the league this season. The game was a bottom of the table clash with both teams looking to pick up the much needed 3 points and try get momentum rolling to move out of the relegation zone. City were also looking to bounce back after a heavy 6-2 defeat to Hull City on Sunday but as the final whistle blew last night it wasn't meant to be and Merseyrail walked away with all 3 points after a 1-0 victory in a game that could have gone in City's favour if they could just convert that final pass...

City started the game really well, moving the ball around and their first real chance came from Charlotte Stuart's long range effort which found it's way into the Merseyrail 'keepers hands rather than the back of the net. Throughout the first half though City had plenty of opportunities to get the ball through on goal as they were breaking through the middle of the field with ease and putting Merseyrail under plenty of pressure when they were on the ball. City definitely were doing all the hard work in the first half but were just unable to get that final pass right to get them into a position to take a challenging shot. Merseyrail had a few half chances in the first half but they were certainly struggling in the middle of the field with how City's midfield were playing.

The second half started more or less the same way the first half ended but as the half went on Merseyrail were starting to settle into the game a lot more and were starting to stop City getting through the middle so easily. City were really pushing though and stringing some brilliant passes together to get in some great positions however, they still couldn't get that final pass right and Merseyrail were able to clear the danger. There were some great balls into the box from crosses and set pieces but again nothing was connecting from City. Hannah Markey had a great shot which looked like it was going to squeeze into the bottom corner saved by the 'keeper's foot but that was City's most promising looking effort in the second half. City really bossed the possession throughout the game and the amount of chances however, it was Merseyrail who got the only goal of the game when a City clearance fell straight to the Merseyrail player in the most space, at first it looked like she had taken too long and taken too many touches but in the end she got herself into a better position and a brilliant strike saw the ball over City's 'keeper and rattling the back of the net. City tried their best to get something back but it was just not coming together for them and they ended up suffering another defeat and now find themselves sat at the bottom of the table. 

City are really going to have to start getting the results soon if they want to get away from that drop zone, if they could just connect that final pass they really would be a team to be feared but for now they are chasing the results in hopes of staying up this season. There is still a long way to go but with how the teams around them are doing they need to get momentum going as soon as possible. You could see the disappointment on the players faces when the final whistle went, they know they should have got something out of that game so let's hope they can have a good few week in the cup and hit the ground running on their return to league action in November. 

As for our player of the match it once again has to go to City's right back Harriet Jakeman, she had a fantastic game making some good moves forward whilst also tracking back really well to stop Merseyrail attacks when they did break through the City plays. Jakeman doesn't mess around she puts in some very strong challenges which are very well timed too to break down opposition attacks but she also plays a big part in the build up of attacks too. 

City have a few weeks away from the league now so let's hope in this time they can progress in the competitions they are competing in and also work on bouncing back in the league, they are capable of getting the results if they could just get that final pass right.