Jess Park was named the WSL’s Player of the Month for the first time in her career, while Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s remarkable strike against Liverpool scooped the Goal of the Month prize.
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And with City winning all four of our league fixtures across March, it comes as no surprise that Gareth Taylor was also named Manager of the Month.
Relive a fantastic few weeks for the Club in greater detail below…
Player of the Month: Jess Park
Park has come into her element in the new year and has more than repaid the faith Gareth Taylor has placed in her over the past few months.
Moving from out wide into a more central role, the midfielder was a standout performer for City across March.
She kicked off the month with a typically assured performance in a 2-1 win over Everton at the Joie Stadium, before setting up Lauren Hemp for the opener in our comfortable victory at Brighton with an incisive pass.
But having been the provider at Broadfield Stadium, Park took centre stage six days later, grabbing her first WSL goals for City with a brace against Manchester United.
Volleying home the opener from Leila Ouahabi’s left-wing cross, the midfielder then reacted quickest to Alanna Kennedy’s knockdown from a short corner routine to double the advantage on the stroke of half-time.
The England international would also have a hand in City’s third, muscling Katie Zelem off the ball before setting up Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw for her record-breaking 68th goal for the Club.
Park was deservedly named the player of the match at the Etihad Stadium, and she followed that up with another excellent performance on Merseyside, grabbing our second goal en route to a 4-1 win at Liverpool.
Manager of the Month: Gareth Taylor
Back-to-back awards for the boss provide a perfect demonstration of the form and confidence that his City side are currently playing with.
You have to go all the way back to November 2023 for the last time Taylor’s side dropped points in the WSL, with our 12-match winning run equalling the record for the longest sequence of victories across a single season, also set by City in 2020/21.
Four wins from four, 13 goals scored and just four conceded is impressive enough, but it’s the manner of those victories in March which really stood out.
Against a stubborn Everton side, City dominated at the Joie Stadium with 71% possession and 22 shots on goal, while our 4-1 victory at Brighton saw the hosts register just a single shot on target in stoppage time.
In the Manchester derby, despite a nervy opening few minutes, City were once again full value for the victory and maintained our unbeaten home run against United in style.
But perhaps the pick of our performances came at Prenton Park, when City found ourselves three goals to the good inside 25 minutes.
Against a side who were enjoying their best run of WSL form since 2017 and whose 2-0 victory in May 2023 had derailed our title push last year, Taylor’s side ran riot.
Goal of the Month: Bunny Shaw
In a performance of superlatives, it was Bunny Shaw’s spectacular first half strike which really stood out and saw her claim the WSL Goal of the Month prize in the process.
Picking up play from Laura Coombs around 25 yards from goal, the forward cleverly flicked the ball around the onrushing Gemma Bonner to create space in front of the Liverpool box.
After steadying herself to shoot, the Jamaican unleashed an unstoppable drive which nestled into the top corner of the Reds’ net for her 18th goal of the WSL season.
Shaw followed that up with a second half header as she took another step towards this season’s Golden Boot.
With five WSL goals in four games the forward was only just pipped to the Player of the Month award by her team-mate Park, but the Jamaican would still reach another impressive milestone in her career to date during March.
Indeed, her strike against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium saw her surpass Georgia Stanway as the Club’s record goalscorer, with her tally now standing at 70 goals in just 83 appearances.
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City v West Ham
You can watch Jess Park, Bunny Shaw and the rest of the City squad in action when the WSL gets back under way next weekend.
We welcome West Ham United to the Joie Stadium on Sunday 21 April, with kick-off set for 14:15 (UK) as our push for the WSL title continues.
With 12 successive wins in the league and just four games remaining, we currently find ourselves neck and neck with Chelsea at the summit.
Come and cheer the team on as we look to maintain that incredible form!
Tickets for both the West Ham match and for our other remaining WSL fixtures this season are available to purchase here.
