Bradford City Women continued their winning ways on Sunday with a terrific 3-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Sarah Danby rifled in her seventh goal in eight games against the Magpies to break the deadlock in the second half, with strikes following from Rosie McDonnell and substitute Amanda Ellsworth.
The Bantams dominated from start to finish and never looked like losing their lead once they gained it, but they will be frustrated that it wasn’t more than just the three goals.
Hannah Campbell in particular will be at a loss as to how she didn’t get a couple of goals, with her the recipient of several opportunities but denied by Newcastle’s stopper throughout the afternoon.
Within the opening five minutes the former Leeds forward had found space to shoot in the box twice, but had missed the target with one effort and had seen the other blocked by the goalkeeper.
Newcastle’s response to this suggested that we had a tight game on our hands, with them forcing a smart save out of Chloe Precious in the home goal, but that was not to be the case.
This was one of very few touches City’s number one had during the game, with the majority of it played in Newcastle’s half and, more specifically, their defensive third.
Before the 20 minute mark, Rachel Lee’s free-kick rattled the bar as the Bantams got closer and closer. Again, it was Newcastle’s number one to the rescue, tipping the midfielder’s effort onto the woodwork.
Lee then headed the resulting corner goalwards, but saw her effort blocked on the line as the frustration at the lack of a lead grew.
Danby, sporting the captain’s armband in the absence of the suspended Charlotte Stuart, was then inches away from ending the wait for a goal, but McDonnell’s superb cross evaded her at the back post.
Campbell would be denied twice more before the break, whilst Lee also forced another save out of the ‘keeper, with the Bantams having done everything but score in a well fought opening period.
However, it took just five second half minutes for Danby to break the deadlock – and she did so in some style. After firing in a stunner at Nuneaton Town two weeks ago, the forward picked out the top corner again on Sunday as she emphatically opened the scoring from 25 yards.
This really sparked the hosts into life, with it giving them the energy to press high and constantly win the ball back deep in Newcastle’s half.
This helped chances fall to Campbell and Lee in the next few minutes, but it was McDonnell who nabbed the second goal after great work by the former. City’s number 12 drilled in a superb near post cross, which McDonnell anticipated well to meet ahead of her marker before applying a tidy finish with her weaker right foot.
Ten minutes later it was three, with Ellsworth coming off the bench to replace the injured Campbell and three minutes later finding the back of the net.
A great cross from Danby was met by the American first time, and her volley provoked a fantastic stop out of the visiting ‘keeper, but the sub was on hand to poke in the rebound to take the scoreline to 3-0.
Ellsworth could have had a hat-trick such was her fantastic positioning off of the bench. Five minutes later, she was denied by the post after Shauna Legge fed her through, whilst another effort was hit right at the ‘keeper.
Newcastle had a couple of late chances from well positioned free-kicks, but both were fired off target as Bradford continued to push for more goals.
A fourth looked certainly to come in the final minute of the 90 when pinball ensued in the box, but Fuller’s initial header was saved before Ellsworth and Aqsa Mushtaq both had efforts blocked on the line.
It didn’t matter in the end, with the three goals and a clean sheet lifting the Bantams into the top six of a deceptive league table – with every team having played a different amount of games as we enter the final stretch of the season.
With a County Cup semi-final to come and another nine games remaining, it’s all to play for for City, who head into the closing stages of the campaign with plenty of momentum behind them.
