shahanshahan

https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/academy-quintet-join-first-team-squad/ Congrats to Academy players Brooke Aspin (Centre-back), Jasmine Bull (Midfield), Erin Foley (Goalkeeper) and Maddi Wilde (Full-back) who will join the first team squad! Naomi Layzell (Centre-back) also returns to the squad, having made appearances last season. Hoping there'll be another (experienced) goalkeeper to form part of the squad!

It seems City Women were on ITV News West Country last night. I mainly missed it as I was listening to Sound of the City, also I don't watch it. They did an interview with new signing Simran Jhamat, during pre-season training at Stoke Gifford. I'm trying to work out who many of the players are ?

CONTI CUP GROUPS REVEALED! It's a repeat of last season's group for Bristol City, with the only change being Reading replacing London Bees. The group stages will run from 13-14 October through to 15-16 December, with the quarter-finals scheduled for 19-20 January, the semi-finals 2-3 February, and the Final on the weekend of 5-6 March. The Conti Cup run was the most positive thing for the team, to counter the awful league form. Will be a miracle if the team head to the final again, but Reading do have somewhat of an advantage of being the only WSL team in said group

I mentioned more about her on a Man Utd fan show I appeared on this (as she played for them before joining City), but various sources confirm she was likely to leave for the NWSL regardless of City avoiding relegation or not. Her contract was up and there was interest

Indeed! Was a big fan of his when he played for City. Didn't think he'd been at Swindon for that long. Good luck to him. P.S. Loving the shithousery on the club website regarding how City are mentioned "From there, Pitman completed a move to the Gas' cross-city rivals, but his stint there was short-lived, as he returned to Bournemouth in League One just two years later."

Looks like I'll finally get to see a "S. Murray" play live! (Although Satara Murray is American, and last played in England for Liverpool several years ago)

Another new signing today! Ella Powell joins from Charlton, having previously played at Lewes, so already plenty of Championship experience. Hoping this is another promising arrival.

Interesting article regarding Georgia Wilson, who turns out the main reason she didn't play so many games last season was due to having long COVID.

All the teams in the Championship (and WSL, whose fixtures were also announced today) have had their fixtures announced like this. I assume it is to do with the new TV deal for the WSL, with Sky & BBC knowing which games they will show & when. Don't think the Championship is involved as much in the TV deal, but fixtures announced in the same way

2021/2022 fixtures out! Team are away to Crystal Palace for first game in August, then home to Lewes & away to Liverpool for first two games in September. Last league game is away to Sunderland. Who's looking forward to it!? Comments on club website also confirm plans are being worked on for matchday bus services from city to the Robins High Performance Centre

Another Welsh contingent joins City! https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/morgan-joins-city-ranks/ Ffion Morgan joins having previously played at the club's academy, and most recently played for Crystal Palace. P.S. Still find it weird that the club haven't acknowledged that Charlie Wellings joined Celtic last week... https://celticfcwomen.celticfc.com/news/first-team/english-striker-charlie-wellings-joins-the-hoops

Another new signing! Simran Jhamat joins, having previously played at various Championship teams including Liverpool, Leicester, Coventry Utd & most recently Lewes. And if I understand correctly, she's the first South Asian footballer to play for City (men or women), which as a South Asian myself, I am very pleased about ? (If that isn't the case and I've forgotten someone, please do correct me) ? https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/jhamat-is-a-robin/

https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/allen-re-signs-with-city/ Great to see Flo Allen commit to the club with a new contract. Played a lot last season & it's positive to see she wants to stay. Hopefully the good news will continue, with Jess Woolley also signing a new deal (after almost two years out with injury), as well as Maisy Collis & Izzy Cook step up from the academy to sign their first professional contracts.

They officially became the Robins ahead of the 2019/2020 season. Older/longer fans of the team & in women's football still use the nickname in an affectionate way - especially with the (mostly positive) history of Bristol Academy In an early episode of the Vixencast last season, D-M, Nat & I did clarify this, and wasn't meant to criticise the rebrand. People call them Robins, other people call them Vixens.

Anyway, today's news has proven this unwanted fact:

Meaghan Sargeant was announced by Villa on Saturday, but City have acknowledged it today Baggaley was out of contract, and is ideally too good to play below the WSL. She's been at the club for four years, so longer than I thought https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/sophie-bags-city-contract-extension/ (from 2019) Wynne was only a one year deal https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/wynne-pens-permanent-deal-with-robins/ (from last summer) Bryson is the interesting one. She signed a two year contract last summer, but I don't know if a clause was triggered, or if she was sold to Reading (where she has been announced today) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53256769 Baggaley I believe had one of the highest amount of saves last season. Most of the goals she conceded wasn't her fault; just combination of bad defence/strong attack. Wynne was injured in pre-season & didn't even get to play a single game! Don't think I recalled Bryson ever having a bad game. Was very vital in a few games. One problem with women's football is how short the contracts can be, or how easy they can not be fulfilled by clauses, etc. Would be common across all sports for players to leave a relegated team to join a new one in the league they just played in. Interesting regarding the players that joined Liverpool from City - they may have enjoyed working with Matt Beard & vice versa. However what was surprising was yesterday when Laura Rafferty, on loan at City last season & who was released by Brighton, has decided to step down to the Women's National League to rejoin her former club Southampton (where she is from originally, despite being a Northern Ireland international)

On better news today, City announced a second signing - 20-year old Ava Kuyken. Previously at Arsenal, then went to Florida for a college scholarship (which is common in women's football). Looks promising! https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/kuyken-is-a-robin/

I'm hoping the brunt of the departures have already been announced. Good move for Gemma, as she deserves to be playing at the highest level. I did make a joke on the Vixencast Twitter account saying that she's now part of the unwritten rule of a Welsh player that's been at Bristol (City) that somehow ends up at Reading.

City's first signing of the summer announced. Chloe O'Connor joins from Cardiff Met WFC in the Welsh league, and scored 15 goals last season. Promising signing!

https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2021/july/Meaghan-Sargeant-joins-Villa-Women-/ Meaghan Sargeant announced as joining Aston Villa. The interesting thing about this one is that Bristol City (as of writing) hasn't even announced that she left...

Just joined Liverpool! Liverpool are becoming more Bristol City than Bristol City

First photos & video of new head coach Lauren Smith back in City colours. Hoping she can recruit the right new players (and stop any more leaving, if possible)

At best, the fact the team has moved back to Bristol is a huge plus for me (no offence to Bath). I'm still curious as to what players will come in, but the club will need to be impressive in the window. The likes of Liverpool & Coventry United are already making waves with their signings!

It now says on the article "The 24-year-old signed a one-year deal prior to the 2020/21 season with an option for a second, which was not activated by the player" Then why say it was a two year deal in the first place!?

https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/humphrey-departs-city-women/ Carla Humphrey announced as leaving the club after four years, "following the expiration of her current contract" While I'm not surprised at another player leaving, it is strange considering last summer, she signed a two year contract. Must be a clause or the contract got terminated... https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/humphrey-pens-new-robins-deal/