Bath City Women (0) 0 Woodspring Women (0) 0 – Sunday 2 April 2023 – Somerset County WFL Division 1 – Twerton Park

Bath City Women (0) 0 Woodspring Women (0) 0 – Sunday 2 April 2023 – Somerset County WFL Division 1 – Twerton Park

Match Report by Fin Harlow.

Woodspring Women’s impressive defensive display combined with City’s wasteful finishing restricted the Romans to a goalless draw in their final home game of the campaign.

The away side’s centre back pairing of Sally-Anne Shortman and Liz Stamp along with excellent goalkeeping from Alex Sims were able to thwart the Stripes at regular intervals.

Bath looked dangerous all match with most of the game being played in the Woodspring half, but they were restricted to shots mainly from outside the box thanks to a well-organised visiting side.

Wingers Amy Key and Tamzin Dunne were able to torment the Woodspring defence and create chances regularly, but a lack of composure in front of goal let the home side down.

Despite a three-week layoff, City started brightly.

After Tara Taylor’s 20-yarder was neatly tipped over by stand-in keeper Sims, striker Tanea Wright found space on the right of the box and played a cross across the face of goal which found Dunne at the back post unmarked, but she contrived to shoot wide from a promising position.

Late in the first half, Key made one of her trademark marauding runs down the right-hand side and put another ball across finding Dunne again at the back post, but this time her shot was sliced and sailed behind her away from goal.

Key was persistent down the right and in the 37th minute having dispossessed Danielle Beazer, her cross found substitute Paige Owen on the penalty spot unmarked, but she was unable to get a shot off and the attack broke down with Shortman and Stamp once again well placed to deal with a scare.

The same pattern of play continued into the second half with Bath dominating the ball around Woodspring’s penalty area while the Nailsea-based outfit defended in numbers to good effect.

Just past the hour, Sims batted Owen’s effort behind for the corner and the resulting delivery saw debutant Mils Bellotti fire just wide from near the penalty spot.

Nine minutes later a goalmouth scramble from another corner fell to the centre-back only a few yards out from goal, but a lack of composure left the strike flying high and wide.

The best chance of the second half fell to Wright in the 88th minute. Taylor’s perfect through came to the striker inside the box, but her powerful low driven shot was superbly saved by the legs of Sims.

Woodspring showed more energy in the closing stages but struggled to test Sophie Campbell, with Bellotti and Harleigh Curtis replicating Shortman and Stamp’s solidity in defence, keeping Lauren Malone quiet.

The frustrating draw means Bath goes into their final game of the season needing a win to secure second in the table and possible promotion.

Att: 169

City’s Line-Up: Campbell, Hucker, Evans, Bellotti, Curtis, Taylor (c), Giles, Key, Hervey, Dunne, Wright. Subs used: Diegutis, Davis, Owen, Farley, Whale.

Scorers: City – none; Woodspring – none

City Bookings: none

Referee: Mark Vipond