City of Manchester Women’s 1st faced a daunting away fixture against Bangor City Women — the league’s most prolific goal scorers, though not quite top of the table. With Bangor boasting scorelines of up to nine goals in previous matches, and City of Manchester starting with a bare eleven, the challenge was clear from the outset.

Once again, midfielders were called upon to fill defensive roles, and despite the reshuffled lineup, the visitors held their own in the first half. Bangor managed just two goals before the break, thanks to some heroic defending, including goal-line saves and well-timed clearances down both wings. The standout threat came from Bangor’s No. 23 — or was it No. 22? (Let’s not quibble over team sheets) — who caused chaos from deep midfield all the way into the attacking D.

The second half began with a sense of calm, but Bangor’s midfield maestro soon found the net again and generously shared the scoring duties with teammates, adding five more goals to the tally. Despite the pressure, City of Manchester’s goalkeeper delivered a highlight moment by saving a penalty flick — a small but well-earned victory in a tough match.

The final scoreline of 7–0 may not flatter, but given the circumstances — no substitutes, players out of position, and facing the league’s most dangerous attack — it was a respectable result. And if nothing else, City of Manchester claimed the moral high ground with an administrative win: at least their team sheet was correct

From The Writing Team