Bitton Ladies (1) 3 Bath City Women (0) 2 – Wednesday 25 February 2026
Shield Services Group SW Regional WFL Div 1N – WDS Associates Legal Services Stadium
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Bath City Women’s six-match winning streak came to an end with a midweek loss at Bitton Ladies.
Goals from Beth Edwards and Adella Clarke weren’t enough under the lights as the hosts prevailed, surviving a fright in added time when City hit the bar twice.
Bitton were forced to change their shirts in the opening 10 minutes with players and officials finding it difficult to distinguish between the near identical attires.
City were largely in control without testing Morgan Honeywell in the home goal, who was happy to watch Emma Vilday’s free-kick sail over.
The hosts were more lethal with their first set-piece.
Isabella Tweddle, daughter of former Bath City men’s striker Steve, whipped in a free-kick from 35 yards which looked comfortable for Lucy Clay, but it somehow squirmed through her grip to gift Bitton the lead.
This lifted the home team who hadn’t created much beforehand, but looked reinvigorated.
Bex Fry cleared off the line following a mass scramble with Clay the busier keeper for the rest of the half.
The momentum continued after half-time for Bitton, despite shooting up the slope.
They made it 2-0 on 49 minutes when Abbie Woodley-Marshall’s corner was near impossible to defend, allowing Layla Soppelsa to head home from almost on the goal line.
Maddy Brown’s low drive was deflected wide five minutes later and from the resulting corner, the deficit was halved.
Brown’s low delivery saw Rosie Burridge swing for the ball, though Edwards claimed the final touch at the near post to take it away from Honeywell.
It breathed life into City’s performance but Bitton continued to look a threat going forward, with Skye Coole flashing wide across goal with Clay beaten.
Another corner proved City’s undoing on 75 minutes. Having survived a handball appeal on the previous one, the follow-up delivery from Edie Hopton saw Ellie Jones’ looping header drift over Clay.
Remarkably, the same player had scored from a corner on the opening day at Twerton in the same minute.
On that September afternoon it finished all-square. This time, City changed to a back four, attacking in numbers to try and at least repeat the feat.
Erin Duffy sent two efforts high and wide but she was involved in the Romans’ second.
Her corner saw Burridge head towards goal, with Matilda Sheedy unwittingly deflecting it to Clarke who reacted sharply to slide home from close range.
It meant five of the six goals in this season’s fixtures were scored from corners, but both looked a threat from open play in a pulsating conclusion.
Hopton side-footed wide under pressure from Abby Gray before the hosts somehow managed two scares in the last seconds.
Burridge’s lofted effort from 25 yards was touched onto the bar by Honeywell with Clarke smashing the follow-up against the woodwork in a remarkable escape.
The final whistle blew almost immediately after leaving Matt Abreu’s hard working side deflated.
City’s Line-Up: Clay; Gray, Fry, Burridge; Taylor, Vilday, Spratt, Evans; Edwards; Rennie, Brown. Subs used: Clarke, Bloomfield, Storey, Trivett, Duffy.
Scorers: City – Edwards (54), Clarke (85); Bitton – Tweddle (26), Soppelsa (49), Jones (75)
Referee: Nick Beedell
