Ridgeway Ladies (0) Bath City Women 1st (4) 8 – Sunday 14 January 2024 – South West Regional WFL Eastern Division – Redlands Community Sports Hub
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Seven different goalscorers contributed to Bath City Women’s biggest competitive win to date.
Having spurned chances aplenty a week previous at Shaftesbury, Matt Abreu’s team were ruthless, showing no mercy against a side who had conceded 59 in 11 before the contest.
Sadie Farley was rarely troubled as she kept a second successive clean sheet.
Abbie Gray got the ball rolling when she beat home keeper Renee Marquis to Amy Key’s corner and bundled the ball home with the hosts pleading for a foul.
Having coped with a good spell from the hosts, Key gave City breathing space with a calmly finished second on 16 minutes.
The wing-back made it three with a well-placed lob over Marquis before Mils Bellotti rounded off the half by curling in a fine free-kick, her third in two games against former Weymouth stopper Marquis.
Emilia Newton fired off target twice for the hosts after the break but they fell five behind on the hour.
Danielle Stone caught Hari Sabic in the penalty area and the former Bosnia international confidently converted the spot-kick.
Two quick-fire goals heaped further misery on the home side, who also lost Kelly Bustos-Gardner to injury in the closing stages.
Wright turned inside of Stone and saw her tame effort somehow squirm through Marquis’ grasp to make it 6-0.
The keeper was helpless two minutes later when Chelsea Giles, Key and Emily Dellow linked up to tee up Goater who poked home from 15 yards.
Dellow saved the best until last, delightfully chipping Wright’s pull-back over Marquis from just inside the area to cap off a fine afternoon in Dorset.
City’s Line-Up: Farley, Trivett, Key, Bellotti, Gray, Curtis, Taylor (c), Goater, Dellow, Pearce, Sabic. Subs used: Giles, Wright, Harris, Harvey.
Scorers: City – Gray (7), Key (16, 39), Bellotti (45+1), Sabic (60), Wright (78), Goater (80), Dellow (89); Ridgeway – none
Referee: Kelvin Day