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Town ladies made a late fight back to salvage a point from this local derby but, had they taken their chances, the game could have been won in the first 30 minutes.

The game started brightly with Annabelle Cass getting a decent shot away in the 2nd minute. Two minutes later and a Hannah Campbell header came back off the Bradford post.

Bradford were retaining the ball better but Town looked the more dangerous in attack.

With almost half an hour gone the ball fell to Emily Heckler three yards out but, she could only hit the crossbar and, a few minutes later Campbell poked a close range effort just wide of the Bradford post.

Town's wastefulness came back to haunt them in the 43rd minute when Bradford's player/manager Charlotte Stuart went on a storming run and struck a strong shot from the right hand side which eventually went in off Town's far post after Charlie Kenyon had got a strong hand to it.

Half time 0-1

Heckler had the best early chance of the second half when she shot over the City bar in the 54th minute but, on the hour mark, Ellie White broke down the left and cut in to double Bradford's lead, again from a tight angle.

Town were not done and in the 67th minute Sarah Danby scored her first goal for Town in a competitive game with a sublime left foot effort which gave the City keeper no chance.

Heckler was replaced by Brittany Sanderson in the 80th minute.

With a minute remaining of normal time, Katie Nutter was fouled just outside the City area. From the resultant free kick Kate Mallin played in a low near post ball to Sanderson who slotted it home for the equaliser and to score her first goal in competitive play for Town.

In added time, Sanderson almost won the game for Town but she could only shoot just wide of the goal from a Town corner as they finished the stronger of the two teams.

A feisty and entertaining local derby and probably just about a fair result given Bradford's more clinical finishing.

 

Next Sunday the first team travel to West Bromwich Albion, 2pm kick off.

 

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