Bradford City Women progressed to the quarter-finals of the County Cup on Sunday, continuing their title defence with an 8-0 win against Wetherby Athletic.
It took them a while to get started, having seen the weather keep them out of action for four weeks, but once Sarah Danby broke the deadlock just before half time, the floodgates opened.
Debutant Amanda Ellsworth came off the bench to score a brace in the second, with Abi Lee and Hannah Campbell getting on the scoresheet in between her two goals.
The final flurry of goals were the most impressive though, Katie Nutter and Danielle Whitham lashing efforts home from 20 yards, whilst Chantelle O’Hara put the cherry on the cake with six minutes to play with a splendid volley.
Bradford will now face a Farsley Celtic side in the quarter-finals who they destroyed 9-0 in last season’s final.
Having not played since their defeat away at Newcastle United all the way back on the first of this month, Bradford were keen to get back into things on Sunday and a game against a lesser opponent in Wetherby was perhaps the best way to ease them back into action.
However, it was always going to be a difficult game given the Bantams’ lack of match sharpness, the bad weather causing postponement after postponement this month, and the rain and the wind was also present on their return, making for some tough conditions for both teams.
A lack of match fitness perhaps showed early on, Wetherby having the first chance of the game with only 10 minutes played as they sprung the offside trap and broke through on goal, but City were let off the hook when the striker fired wide.
This opportunity would act as a wake up call for the visiting Bantams, who stepped up their game as a result, with Whitham and Campbell combining to see the former strike at goal, only for it to be directed right at the goalkeeper.
Still, Wetherby kept in the game and could have taken the lead just before the half hour mark but for Faye Boshell, the defender coming to City’s rescue as she cleared off the line following a mix-up at the back.
Unable to breach a team they should have been beating comfortably, Bradford’s frustration grew when Shauna Legge hit the bar with a thunderous effort, whilst Lee saw an attempt cleared off the line moments later.
With three minutes remaining of the first half though, the visitors finally broke the deadlock as Danby raced in on goal and lobbed the onrushing goalkeeper, putting City a goal up and giving them the lead they needed to be able to play their game in a more relaxed fashion with a little bit of freedom about them.
The interval could have disrupted the momentum that the visitors gained from this goal, but they did not let it, with half time substitute Amanda Ellsworth coming on for her debut and marking it with a goal, pouncing on a defensive error by Wetherby and applying a clinical finish.
This really opened the floodgates and City continued to add to their tally as the second half progressed. With less than 10 minutes of the period played, Lee was able to make it three, Campbell bursting through and unselfishly laying it off for the midfielder to score with a simple finish.
The forward herself then got on the scoresheet before the hour, latching onto a superb through ball from Whitham and doing what she does best, finding the back of the net with composure.
With City cruising now, manager Steve Winterburn wrung the changes and the team were really enjoying their football, with everyone getting involved.
By everyone, that included the centre-backs, with Charlotte Stuart driving forward, beating three players and threading Ellsworth through on goal for her to add her second of the day after the hour mark.
The substitutes were also keen to get in on the act, with Nutter doing exactly that just 10 minutes after being introduced as she found the back of the net with a beautiful strike from 20 yards, making it 6-0 with less than 20 minutes to play.
From there, the goals seemed to just improve in quality, with Nutter setting the bar high. Whitham did her best to top that in the closing stages, lashing the ball into the roof of the net from a similar position to add a seventh, but it was O’Hara who scored the goal of the game, the ball falling to her on the edge of the box to fire into the top corner on the volley – a perfect way to conclude the scoring.
The Wetherby goalkeeper pulled off a great double save in the final moments to deny Whitham as City pursued double figures, with them having to settle for just the eight on the day after a dominant second half display.
After weeks of postponements, the Bantams will be thrilled to have returned to action in such emphatic style, even if it required a good half time team talk to inspire them into the dominant display.
The win sets up a last eight tie with Farsley, who beat Tingley Athletic to progress, but first up for Bradford are Stoke City in the League Cup this coming Sunday.