Despite the tantalising prospect of a final-day throwdown for Women’s Super League promotion, Bristol City Women did the deed with a game to spare as they regained their top-flight status courtesy of a 4-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Sunday.
Goals from Grace Clinton, Abi Harrison, Brooke Aspin and Ffion Morgan sealed the promotion charge for Lauren Smith’s side just two years after suffering relegation from the top-flight. Smith, who took over the head coach mantle following the club’s relegation to the women's Championship, expressed her pride in City’s last two performances to seize promotion in such an emphatic manner, which saw City record nine goals in total without reply.
The result arrives as a huge blow to Birmingham City, who in the last few weeks have almost piled on the pressure to long-time promotion favourites London City Lionesses and Bristol City with their 10-match unbeaten run to cut the gap to the Robins to just one point after their victory over Durham in the earlier kick-off.
But Smith’s side weathered the pressure well, albeit a cagey first-half suggested the occasion of a club record crowd of more than 7,000 at Ashton Gate coupled with the prospect of promotion loomed on the back of the City player’s minds, even after Clinton grabbed the first goal after a defensive gaffe from Charlton.
But a blistering start to the second-half saw Harrison score directly from a corner a minute after the restart and any lingering nerves were duly settled. Late goals from Aspin and Morgan – a screamer in the match’s final minutes – imparted on the performance a sense of finality as the club’s two-year journey back to the WSL reached its climax.
The occasion was notably in contrast to last year’s record crowd at Ashton Gate, when Liverpool gleefully secured their WSL status with a 4-2 victory, this time City ensured they stood on the right side of the margins.
With only one promotion spot up for grabs, City’s victory on Sunday renders the thrilling promotion race officially over with just one match left to play in the women’s Championship season.
Meanwhile, Coventry United were officially demoted to the third-tier of women's football earlier at the start of the month. The relegation arrived as the final blow in a long tale of struggle for the women's side, who survived on the final day of the 2021-22 season with a dramatic 97th-minuter winner, just four months after they had been hit with a 10-point deduction following a brush with liquidation.
But a summer overhaul that saw the loss of key players and manager Jay Bradford proved too difficult a task for experienced boss Lee Burch, who recorded just two wins across the league season.
After successive 4-0 defeats to Sheffield United and Crystal Palace respectively, the gruelling end to Coventry’s Championship tenure is unlikely to relish any reprieve, with a clash against London City, who sit third in the table, scheduled for the final day of the season.
Birmingham City will welcome champions Bristol City on the final day of the season on Sunday and will be intent on extending their 10-match unbeaten run into next season.
The women’s Championship returns for a final round of fixtures this weekend.
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