In what was Gareth Taylor’s side’s first outing since May’s 3-2 Barclays Women’s Super League win over Everton, those who featured gained vital minutes on the field ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Vixens, who won promotion from the Championship last term, started brightly and broke the deadlock after they were awarded a penalty when Leila Ouahabi was adjudged to have inadvertently handled Ffion Morgan’s cross.
Abi Harrison stepped up and slammed a fierce effort down the middle and past Sandy MacIver.
However, their lead didn’t last long as Deyna Castellanos expertly won back possession in the visitors’ half and drove towards the area before unleashing a thunderous effort into the roof of the net.
Buoyed by drawing level, we immediately went on the offensive and scored our second of the afternoon when Ouahabi drove down the left and whipped a powerful cross past the face of goal which Brooke Aspin unfortunately diverted into her own goal.
Among City’s starting XI there was a swathe of stars who represented the Club with distinction at the 2023 Women’s World Cup - including summer signing Jill Roord who was making her first appearance for the Club.
Fresh from making history with Jamaica at the prestigious showpiece, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was back among the goals at club level when she ghosted into the box and headed Ouahabi’s pinpoint cross home from close range to extend our lead.
The second half continued in the same fashion as the first with the hosts enjoying the most of possession in the Manchester sunshine.
But MacIver needed to remain focused to expertly claim Shania Hayles’ venomous effort from 25-yards.
As we approached the closing stages of the behind-closed-doors encounter, the boss made a series of changes which saw a number of Academy players take to the field.
With 20-minutes remaining Bristol City reduced the deficit when an accurate corner was met by Rachel Furness whose glancing, unstoppable header crept into the far post.
That proved to be the game’s last definitive action as we recorded a valuable win at home.
HOW WE LINED UP
City: MacIver (Keating 55’), Casparij (Prior 46’), Mace, Aleixandri, Ouahabi, Hasegawa (Siddall 46’), Castellanos, Roord (Marley-Paraskevas 46’), Blakstad, Shaw (Hutchings, 66’).
Unused substitute(s): Murphy.
Bristol City: Bentley, Layzell, Aspin, Connolly, Harrison, Furness, Napier, Mustaki, Syme, Thestrup, Morgan.
Substitutes: Bull, Marckese, Woolley, Teisar, Rodgers, Hales, Ward, Thestrup, Powell.
