Bath City Women (0) 2 Bristol Brunel (2) 3 – Sunday 26 July 2026 – Pre-Season Friendly – Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
ath City Women suffered their first pre-season defeat at the hands of Bristol Brunel.
The newly promoted visitors, with ex-City prolific marksman Martin Paul in the dugout, benefitted from a strong start at Twerton.
Polly Williams and Evie Grant had the youthful side 2-0 up within 20 minutes.
Jess Evans pulled one back before Liv Hurley put Brunel further ahead, with Beth Edwards’ late strike proving consolation.
All bar two of Brunel’s squad were aged 18 or under and their energy was evident in a surging start.
Williams had already hit the bar before firing Brunel ahead on six minutes, reacting quickest in the penalty area after City failed to clear.
The lead was doubled when Grant was first to a cross coming back off the crossbar, leaving an easy close range finish.
For City, Adella Clarke skewed wide after a neat lay-off from Tia Mahadevan but the away side looked the more threatening to add to their tally.
Leilani Ryder was denied by an excellent double save from Lucy Clay and the same player inexplicably poked wide having burst away from the defence.
The away side had a strong penalty appeal turned down for possible handball by Evans as they went into the break the happier.
The interval benefitted City as they pulled one back within four minutes of the restart.
Sophie Storey’s searching ball to the back post was well controlled by Evans who moved inside and fired home.
The deficit returned to two within three minutes.
Ryder was initially well denied by Clay but Liv Hurley was perfectly placed to dispatch the rebound.
City pulled another back on 63 minutes when Mahadevan’s strength aided her teeing up Beth Edwards, whose fine strike from 25 yards was out of the visiting keeper’s reach.
Matt Abreu’s team had more of the ball in the closing stages but didn’t create a clear enough chance to force a draw, with Mahadevan hitting the side-netting from a near impossible angle the only real scare on the Brunel goal.
The Romans now have a two-week gap before an away pre-season friendly at Frampton Rangers.
City’s Line-Up: Clay; Gray, Davies, Trivett; Steventon-Smith, Bloomfield, Storey, Evans; Edwards; Clarke, Mahadevan. Subs used: Bellotti, Davis, Kozlowska, Key.
Scorers: City – Evans (49), Edwards (63); Brunel – Williams (6), Grant (20), Hurley (53)