Bath City Women 1st (0) 0 Gloucester City Women – Sunday 1 December 2024 – Regen Arable SW Regional WFL Div 1N – Twerton Park
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Taite Scheafer and Lucabella Davis were on target for Gloucester as Bath City’s three-match winning run ended against the runaway league leaders.
Matt Abreu’s depleted side fought well against a side who have won every league match this season.
Sadie Farley’s heroics kept the visitors at bay, starting inside three minutes when Scheafer played Sach Kaneko-Grun through, but the league’s top scorer was denied by an outstretched leg of the City keeper.
A similar block on Kaneko-Grun followed, but she was finally beaten on 37 minutes.
Kaneko-Grun teed up Sceafer, whose initial shot was well saved by Farley but fell back to the number seven who easily dispatched the rebound.
Farley kept out Kaneko-Grun twice after the restart, advancing off her line well to smother and frustrate the striker, who had scored seven in her past two matches.
Substitute Sophia Gomez’ near post header from Maggie Neil’s corner clipped off the top of the bar before City started to post more of a threat, with Adella Clarke shooting too close to Sam Linteo after Tara Taylor’s effort deflected into her path.
They were hit with a sucker punch on 79 minutes. Kaneko-Grun turned Mils Bellotti and superbly threaded through to Davis, who scampered clear and coolly side-footed past Farley.
Clarke skewed wide and Kelly Cutler fired well off target after an unfortunate bobble spoilt her chances of a first City goal.
Abby Gray’s header from Erin Duffy’s corner was well batted away by Linteo and Summer Hemmings’ shot on the turn comfortably gathered by the American stopper.
It meant a repeat of last year’s FA Cup defeat to the same opponents, but Abreu can have few complaints about his side’s determination against a strong outfit.
City’s Line-Up: Farley; Hemmings, Bellotti, Gray, Duffy; Spratt, Harris; Taylor, Goater, Key; Cutler. Subs used: Trivett, Clarke.
Scorers: City – none; Gloucester – Scheafer (37), David (79)
City Bookings: Trivett (90+4)
Referee: Iain Ballinger