BRADFORD City Women still have a backlog of games left to play, and after a few weeks away from match action, they resumed in style on Thursday night.
They romped to a 5-1 win against Wakefield AFC at Frickley Athletic's Westfield Lane ground, which keeps them fifth in the North East Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division, though they are now three points clear of Sunderland West End.
City had a middling first half of the campaign, which means they are just going to miss out on the chance of promotion, but they have only lost once in 2024, which bodes well for Emily Senior’s side heading into next season.
Wakefield were in trouble from the off on Thursday night, with Hannah Markey finding the bottom left corner with a neat finish on only four minutes, after City had worked a throw-in up the field nicely.
Markey was the Bantams’ main threat early on, forcing two good saves out of the Wakefield keeper as she searched for her brace, while Summer Paley and Matilda Fernie, the latter deservedly crowned City Women’s Young Player of the Year at the club’s end of season awards last month, also looked bright.
It was Aaliyah Nolan who doubled City’s advantage, though Markey unsurprisingly had a big hand in the goal.
Kanisha Underdown’s cross was flicked on by Markey and the ball bounced perfectly through for Nolan to tap it into an empty net.
Mia Jacobs, City Women’s Player of the Year, almost grabbed a third for the visitors, only for her curling effort from the edge of the box to be well stopped.
The Bantams had a goal disallowed for a foul on the keeper late in the first half, and Wakefield instead halved the deficit on 40 minutes.
But crucially, City instantly restored their two-goal advantage, Jacobs making a great run down the right before finding Underdown in the centre, who buried the chance with glee.
Laura Wilson made a decent save from a long-range Wakefield strike early in the second half, before Nolan wasted a great chance to set Maria McKenna, who had come on for Jacobs after the interval, up for a tap-in fourth goal.
Captain Monika Stube flashed a shot just wide for City on the hour mark, while Wilson was called into action again midway through the half, as she kept out a mishit volley from close range.
Nolan and McKenna got it right second time around to make it 4-1 with 15 minutes to go, the former slipping a precise pass through from the edge of the box for the latter to dink the ball over the onrushing keeper and into the net.
And the Bantams rounded off the scoring a few moments later, Stube setting up Nolan to make it 5-1.
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