Gareth Taylor’s side took the Barclays Women’s Super League title race to the final day, equalling our best-ever points tally in the process.
We were ultimately pipped to the post on goal difference, but City secured some statement wins and set several new records during a memorable nine months.
Now the dust has settled on the season, our regular series reflects on each players’ influence on that campaign.
First up, it’s goalkeeping duo, Khiara Keating and Sandy MacIver.
Khiara Keating
Before this season Keating had made just eight senior appearances for the Club, but the goalkeeper has more than taken the opportunity afforded her by Gareth Taylor.
Having featured between the sticks in our final two matches of the 2022/23 campaign, the 19-year-old started every WSL game of last season.
She also kept ten clean sheets in the process, the most of any goalkeeper in the English top flight, meaning she became the first City stopper to win the WSL’s coveted Golden Glove prize since Ellie Roebuck in 2019/20.
Having kept West Ham United at bay on the opening day of the season, Keating put in one of her finest performances in our first home match of the campaign against Chelsea.
Emma Hayes’ side would snatch a point at the death, but the goalkeeper’s heroics had helped keep City in the game, having been reduced to nine players on a bizarre afternoon.
Further impressive displays would see her called up to the senior England squad a few weeks later for the first time as the teenager’s stock continued to rise.
The early months of the season weren’t without their setbacks, with a cruel misjudgement of a lofted ball against Arsenal dealing us our first defeat of the campaign in November, despite the youngster saving a penalty earlier on at Meadow Park.
But it’s often said that you learn more about someone’s character after a setback, and Keating’s response to that disappointment showed what she’s capable of.
Indeed, the goalkeeper would keep seven clean sheets in eleven matches in all competitions between the end of November and March as City’s defensive record spearheaded our pursuit of the title.
Within that run was another phenomenal display at Arsenal, where she made two spectacular late saves to help us progress in the FA Cup, before another assured performance in a 1-0 win over Chelsea the following week.
City boasted the best defensive record in the WSL across 2023/24 and conceded just 24 times in all competitions.
Keating was an important part of that and is sure to go from strength to strength as her rapid development continues.
Sandy MacIver
MacIver’s second full season at City was frustratingly cut short due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury which she picked up on international duty with Scotland.
However, she was still able to play her part both on and off the pitch across 2023/24, featuring twice in our Continental Cup campaign.
In her first appearance of the season the goalkeeper was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet as City came away from Everton with a 2-1 win on Merseyside in October.
With Jess Park and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw having handed the visitors a two-goal advantage at Walton Hall Park, MacIver pulled off an excellent reaction save to deny Lucy Hope late on.
An Everton cross from the right evaded everyone to find Hope at the far post but, with the Scotland international seemingly destined to halve the deficit, our goalkeeper stretched out a leg to deflect the ball behind for a corner.
Toni Duggan’s glancing header in stoppage time would ultimately see City concede, but MacIver’s piece of brilliance was pivotal in preserving the three points.
The goalkeeper’s final appearance of the campaign was against Everton’s Merseyside rivals, Liverpool, as we once again came away with a Conti Cup group stage win.
City would eventually run out 4-3 winners in a pulsating clash at Prenton Park, with MacIver making another smart save to tip Natasha Flint’s vicious effort over the bar from distance en route to victory.
