AFTER last Thursday’s league draw at Leeds United Women, Bradford City Women were looking to go one better against their West Yorkshire rivals on Sunday and reach the West Riding County Cup final.

Sadly, their dreams of reaching the showpiece were left in tatters, as the Whites crushed them 3-1 at Thorp Arch in a one-sided victory.

Leeds started their onslaught early, with Katie Ramsden firing them in front from a free-kick just two minutes into the game.

The Bantams continued to battle though, and a team press allowed Harriet Jakeman to win the ball and lob it into the net to equalise.

Unfortunately for City, it was Leeds who were the more dominant side, as they continued to press and make life difficult.

A little under 30 minutes in, the referee gave out the first card of the day to the away side’s Hope Knight for dissent.

The referee soon dished out another two yellow cards before the first half ended, but the Bantams clung on to go into the break with both sides still all square.

Things quickly went wrong for City in the second half however, with Leeds’ Laura Bartup brought down by a hefty challenge inside the area.

The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Kathryn Smith fired the penalty home to put the hosts back in front.

The Bantams ladies managed to keep it together, with skipper Katy Woodcock and her defence keeping the Whites at bay.

At the other end, Knight was eager for a goal. She got close with a free-kick, but the ball was scrambled away by the Leeds defence.

It really fell apart for City when a late challenge from Jakeman led to her earlier yellow card being upgraded to a red, leaving the Bantams down to 10 players.

Leeds used this as momentum, and in the 88th minute, Abbie Brown sealed their victory.

The Bantams’ head coach, Chris Hames, was frustrated with the result, especially after the 3-3 draw just a few days previously.

He said: “I felt we were punished for the sort of challenges both teams were making. Going down to 10 is tough, but we must also manage our own decision-making in these moments.

“It’s the first win they’ve got over us in over two years now. The first time I played them we were soundly beaten, since then we have gone on a journey.

“How disappointed we are with this result probably says more than anything about where we are now at.”

City’s next game will be at their new home ground of Bradford (Park Avenue)’s Horsfall, where they will face Alnwick in the FA Women's National League Division One North this Sunday.

There will also be another opportunity up for grabs to win a signed shirt or a signed football.