Weston Super Mare Women (0) 1 Bath City Women (1) 1 – Thursday 30 April 2026
Somerset FA Junior Cup Final – Poplar Insulation Stadium
(City lost 4-3 on penalties)
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Bath City Women suffered Somerset Junior Cup heartbreak as they lost on penalties to Weston-super-Mare at Brislington FC.
The game ended all square with Beth Edwards’ close range finish cancelled out by Rosie Williams.
Despite Libby Slater missing a decisive kick for Weston, they reclaimed the trophy from City after Jess Evans’ kick had been saved and Nell Bloomfield ballooned over.
It gained revenge for last year’s final, played 364 days previous, which the Romans won 2-1.
On that evening, Matt Abreu was forced to omit players from the bench. This time he was without several key players and could only name four substitutes.
The early exchanges were cagey with little to separate the two sides as City defended well against a team that had netted in every competitive match since November 2024.
Bath City had the first few chances. Erin Duffy’s free-kick from 25 yards was well tipped away by Jayde Holcombe and from the resulting corner the keeper did well to react when Karmisha Wilson nearly deflected the ball past her, forcing a scrambled save to the right.
The corner from that parry saw Duffy’s delivery headed on by Abby Gray to Adella Clarke, who nodded in but was harshly penalised for a push on Hollie Golding.
City took a legitimate lead on 42 minutes. Emma Vilday won the ball from Laura Jones on the right and Clarke took over.
Her teasing ball saw Chloe Morley attempt to intercept, which effectively put off Holcombe and the alert Edwards ghosted in to gleefully slam home from a yard out.
Lucy Clay wasn’t tested until first half added time when she gathered Vika Khandusenko’s stinging strike at her near post as City went into half-time the happier, though aware that Weston, on a 13-match winning run, were still in the game.
They remained in the contest thanks to a stunning Holcombe saved three minutes after the restart. Clarke teed up the left-back outside the area and her first time strike dipped alarmingly, forcing Holcombe to strongly palm over her own crossbar.
The Seagulls’ top scorer Ellie Burrows shot too close to Clay after good persistence down the left.
A substitution proved inspired for Weston who levelled on 59 minutes.
Captain Sam Crew, on her 100th appearance, helped the ball up towards Williams, who gained some good fortune when the covering Eve Trivett headed the ball against the forward.
Williams held off Trivett’s attempt to win the ball back and coolly side-footed past the advancing Clay from near the penalty spot.
She’d been on for just under three minutes and the relief was evident, with goalkeeper Holcombe dashing 80 yards to join in celebrations.
City were dealt a further blow when Spratt hobbled off with Clodagh Moran on in her place.
Slater curled narrowly off target for Weston and Khandusenko’s free-kick flew a yard wide of Clay’s left post.
It was City who squandered the best chance, seconds after eight minutes of added time were allocated.
Moran’s corner from the left was firmly headed by the unmarked Evans, but she placed it wide much to Holcombe and Weston’s relief.
The keeper as further grateful as Duffy’s free-kick brushed the top of the net and no further chances meant straight to penalties to decide the 2026 winners.
Shannon Osman and Duffy both converted their kicks with ease, before Golding put Weston 2-1 up. Evans stepped up but scuffed her penalty straight at Holcombe who made an easy save.
Khandusenko placed hers well out of Clay’s reach to make it 3-1 before Bellotti gave City hope, expertly placing into the top right corner.
Nush Rourke just about held her nerve as Clay got a hand to her kick and Moran kept the Romans in it, slamming high down the middle.
Slater stepped up to win it, but didn’t follow the pattern of all Weston players going to Clay’s right as she went for height, and fired a yard over.
Bloomfield had to score to take the shootout to sudden death, but she lofted her kick into orbit to spark mass celebrations from Sarah Adams’ side.
It meant disappointment for the Romans and Abreu, who could have little qualms with their performance, but it means a trophy-free year and just an aim to finish as high as possible in the league before a hard-earned summer break.
City’s Line-Up: Clay, Gray, Spratt (Moran 73), Taylor (c), Brown (J Evans 59), Clarke (Walls 80), Trivett (Bloomfield 64), Duffy, Bellotti, Vilday, B Edwards. Subs not used: none
Scorers: City – B Edwards (41); Weston – Williams (59)
Officials: S Thorne, K Gould, J Cooper, A Grenville (4th)
