THE sun was shining over Horsfall Stadium as Chris Hames' Bradford City Women side kicked off for an important game against Norton & Stockton Ancients, which ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Fans packed into the stadium and even City mascot Billy Bantam was there for pictures with fans.

With two games left, and the Bantams near the bottom of the table, they could not afford to lose.

But they got off to a bad start as Norton scored in the first two minutes.

The goal came from a corner as their attacker Lily Patrick got her foot to it and the ball sailed into the net with the wind.

The ladies battled through and held possession throughout the game well.

Eighteen minutes in, they raced towards the box as Charlotte Stuart tried to shoot. She couldn’t find an angle, so passed to Amy Beck, but her shot went just wide of goal.

Just 10 minutes later they tried again for a breakthrough when Monika Stube made a great pass to Beck.

She tried to squeeze her way past Norton’s goalkeeper, but the ball was kicked away before she could try to shoot.

After 27 minutes, Norton extended their lead after they finally gained some possession.

Their number 10 Bianca Owens chested down nicely before lobbing the ball past City’s keeper Skye Kirkham.

Not long after, City finally made it onto the scoresheet from a free kick.

Sophie Hawkins managed to strike the ball before Norton’s defence could deal with it, finding the net 10 minutes before half-time.

The two teams continued to test each other but the first half finished 2-1 in Norton's favour

With their relegation fears increasing, the Bantams managed to get their equaliser from a corner 58 minutes in.

It was taken by Maisie Norde for Stuart to tuck away, causing the crowd to go wild.

Unfortunately, the celebrations were short lived when Kirkham gave away a penalty for a foul on Norton’s Patrick.

The penalty was emphatically converted by Owens, who sent the ball into the bottom right corner.

City managed to equalise for the second time late on, as Stuart netted her brace, receiving the ball in the box for a tap in.

Ten minutes later, the game was over, with both sides earning a point apiece in the six-goal thriller.

Despite the disappointing draw, there were still celebrations in order, as Bradford City Girls' Under 16’s celebrated their West Riding Girls Junior Cup win against Ossett Albion in front of the crowd.

Manager Hames was pleased with how the first team did, despite the slightly disappointing result.

He said: “It’s sometimes cliché to say ‘we outplayed the opposition’ but in this case it wasn’t even close.

“We played some excellent football, but just didn’t make the most of it. It’s always nice to have a great crowd down, their support is always fantastic.”

The first team now have a short break before their last game away at Alnwick Town on May 8.

This match will be crucial, as a win should secure City's spot in the FA Women's National League Division One North for next season.

There’s just four points separating the teams in 10th, the final relegation spot, and seventh place. The Bantams are clinging on in ninth with 23 points, two points above FC United of Manchester, but the Lancastrians do have a game in hand.

In the meantime, you can catch the Under-23s in action against Barnsley Reserves this evening at Woodhouse Grove School, as they continue their Reserve Northern Division battle.