Crystal Palace got off to a flying start in their opening fixture of the new FA Women’s Championship season, beating Bristol City 4-3 at Hayes Lane.
Dean Davenport’s side are well-known for their exciting attacking play and there was plenty of that on show in Bromley this afternoon.
The Eagles stormed up the pitch inside the opening minute through Siobhan Wilson who received the ball on the left. She skinned Lia Cataldo as she drove into the area only for the Bristol City number three to bring her down and concede the penalty. Coral-Jade Haines stepped up and fired the spot kick into the back of the net, leaving on loan Manchester United goalkeeper Fran Bentley helpless.
Palace maintained their high intensity and they had their second goal soon after. Wilson was involved yet again as she whipped in a teasing corner to the back post. The cross caused all kinds of chaos in the Bristol City area and the ball was eventually hammered home by Charley Clifford from close range.
Bristol City were slowly growing in confidence as the first half wore on and they eventually halved the deficit thanks to Melissa Johnson. The former Aston Villa and Sheffield United forward fired across goal with an early effort which caught out Chloe Morgan as it nestled in the far corner. There was some confusion as the referee appeared to signal for a foul on Wilson in the build-up but the goal was awarded and Bristol City were back in the game.
Yet, just when The Robins thought that they had found a way back into the match, Palace restored their two-goal lead. A corner was floated into the home side’s but it was cleared out to Molly Sharpe on the left wing. The Eagles number eight drove forward towards the 18-yard box before cutting inside onto her right foot. She played a wonderful cross to Kirsty Barton and the former Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder controlled it expertly first time and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, beyond the on-rushing Bentley.
Any fears that the second half would be a conservative and boring affair were soon quashed as Palace continued their deadly finishing in-front of goal. A quick break away saw the ball sprayed out to the right and the cross found Haines unmarked in the area. The forward met the ball on the full and her side-foot volley cannoned in off the post for her second goal and Palace’s fourth of the game.
However, their three goal lead didn’t last long when a calamitous error from Morgan gave Bristol City a lifeline. As the hosts struggled to break The Robins’ press, the Palace stopper played a ball straight to visiting substitute Simran Jhamat. The Bristol City forward fired first time into an empty net to reduce Palace’s lead to two goals once again.
Then, as the fourth official signalled for added time, Aggie Beever-Jones brought Bristol City to within a goal of the opposition. A corner from Aimee Palmer found the Chelsea loanee at the back post and she nodded the ball in on her competitive debut for The Robins to set up a very nervy last few minutes.
Still, Palace were able to hold on until the final whistle to leave Hayes Lane with all three points. It was a hard fought victory for The Eagles which was made harder than it really should have been as they were in complete control of the game for large periods. If they are able to snuff out defensive errors and maintain this level of intensity throughout the season, they could be considered a dark horse for promotion.
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