Manager Matt Abreu’s thoughts ahead of milestone match on Sunday
Ahead of the match against Stockwood Wanderers on Sunday, Manager Matt Abreu has reflected on Bath City Women’s first team reaching their 100th match.
A reminder that to celebrate this milestone, entry is free for everyone. Kick off is at 2pm. Charlie’s bar will be open before and after the game and Roman’s will be open during the match.
Matt’s programme notes
Today is a particularly special occasion for everyone connected with Bath City Women as we reach our 100th competitive First Team fixture.
It’s a milestone that gives us a chance to look back at where this journey started, appreciate how far the section has come and also look ahead at how much more we still want to achieve.
Our very first competitive fixture was against Pen Mill, so there was something quite fitting about seeing our Development Team face the same opposition recently and produce such a strong 7–1 winning performance.
For me, that result gives today’s milestone even more context.
What started with one team playing its first competitive match has now grown into a women’s section with a First Team, Development Team and U18s, all competing, developing players and representing Bath City.
That progress doesn’t happen without a huge amount of work from players, coaches, volunteers, supporters and everyone behind the scenes, and reaching 100 competitive First Team games is something everyone involved should be proud of.
The Development Team’s performance against Pen Mill also showed the progress being made within that group. Beyond the result, there were some really positive signs in their organisation, confidence in possession, pressing and understanding of their roles.
Our U18s are showing the same positive development. Their recent success against Durrington was another example of young players learning to control games, make better decisions and understand the demands of playing within our way of working.
That pathway is hugely important to us.
We don’t want the First Team, Development Team and U18s to feel like three separate sides. We want players throughout the section to see a clear route forward and understand that if they continue developing, there are opportunities to progress.
For the First Team, we come into today after two positive results away from home.
Following the disappointment of the Whitchurch game, I was really pleased with the response from the group. We went to Wells and came away with a hard-fought 2–1 victory before producing another strong away performance at Portishead.
Our start at Portishead was particularly pleasing. Three early goals showed the intensity and attacking intent we want to play with, while the way we managed the game afterwards showed another side to our development.
We know there are still areas where we need to improve. Winning games doesn’t mean everything was perfect, just as one difficult result doesn’t change everything we believe in. Our challenge is to keep raising our standards and become more consistent in the way we perform.
Today gives us another opportunity to do that.
Stockwood will provide a difficult test and we know we will have to earn anything we get. Our focus remains on playing with bravery in possession, being organised and aggressive without the ball and working for each other throughout the game.
There is genuine excitement about the direction Bath City is moving in and we want the whole women’s section to continue playing its part in that.
From that first competitive game against Pen Mill to reaching game number 100 today, a huge amount has changed.
The most exciting thing for me is that this still feels like the beginning of what Bath City Women can become.
Thank you, as always, for your support.
We hope we can make number 100 one to remember.
Enjoy the game.
Matt Abreu
Bath City Women Manager
