In swirling wind more reminiscent of deepest December than the first days of spring, Nick Cushing’s side battled hard and had the best of possession but struggled to break down a resolute Birmingham side, who were reduced to ten right on the stroke of half time.
Toni Duggan went closest for the Blues but in a game of few clear opportunities City will be pleased to have come away with a draw from the first of two tricky away trips in four days.
Full of confidence after last weekend’s comfortable victory over Doncaster Belles in the FA Women’s Cup, Cushing made just three changes from the XI that started that game at the Academy Stadium.
Duggan was passed fit enough to start, while Natasha Flint and Chelsea Nightingale also won starts for this crucial first fixture. Sarah Wiltshire, Krystle Johnston and Paula Radtke all took their places on a strong bench which also boasted summer signing Natasha Harding.
As well as the main prize of three points and a positive start to the new league campaign, there was also a chance for City to exact a modicum of revenge on their Birmingham counterparts, who dealt out a pair of defeats for Cushing’s side last year in the club’s maiden campaign.
No shortage of motivation then for either side as the two teams kicked off in front of a sizeable crowd on the last Sunday of March.
Up against the elements as well as their FAWSL opponents, City ‘s attractive passing style suffered in the face of the wind’s bluster, but they dominated possession in the early exchanges.
The game’s first opportunity fell to Nikita Parris, but her lofted effort found the goalkeeper’s gloves after the youngster was expertly picked out by Izzy Christiansen, who was a constant thorn for her former side.
Duggan was next to threaten, but Birmingham keeper Spencer was on the alert and raced out of her goal to nick the ball of the striker’s toes just as she was preparing to pull the trigger.
At the other end, Karen Bardsley was called upon twice to deny Jo Potter from opening the scoring, the second a sensational stop to tip the ball over the bar with the midfielder’s long range drive looking destined for the top corner.
The England keeper was in the way again just minutes later after Carter had robbed the ball in a dangerous area, but the resulting shot lacked power and it was a comfortable stop in the end.
The game’s biggest moment of drama came just seconds before the half time whistle, when Birmingham debutant Freda Ayisi saw red for what appeared to be a swinging arm in the City penalty area as the hosts prepared to take a corner.
Down to ten for the second half, Birmingham packed players behind the ball and looked to do damage on the counter attack. Disrupted themselves by an injury to Keira Walsh shortly after the restart, City were forced to weather a spell of pressure as Potter had two attempts from a free kick before Westwood curled a shot wide of Bardsley’s post.
Regaining rhythm, Cushing’s side began to ask questions of their own. Duggan drew a pair of good saves from Spencer in quick succession, while Parris was unlucky to see her return ball intercepted by an outstretched Brum boot.
Natasha Harding injected a shot of pace and flair for the last 20 minutes on her competitive debut and the finish was frenetic as both teams pushed for a late winner.
Nightingale made a fantastic tackle to break up a stoppage time attack for the hosts while Parris was unlucky to find the legs of a defender after good link-up play with Duggan.
In the end, the spoils were shared but this display provided a good platform to build from for the rest of the season, starting with Sunderland on Wednesday.
MCWFC Seasoncards for 2015 are now on sale.
Don’t miss out on securing your seat at the Academy Stadium for the new FA Women’s Super League campaign.
Full details can be found here.
Now it begins…
