Having played Chelsea twice in the space of five days Bristol Academy’s Jemma Rose admits the challenge of facing Manchester City – both on Sunday and as FA WSL title rivals – is a breath of fresh air.
Bristol fell to a 2-1 defeat in The FA Women’s Cup against Chelsea on Sunday and followed that up with a 2-0 defeat in their WSL opener against the same opponents on Thursday.
But if they are to better last season’s second-place finish then Rose admits games against the likes of newcomers Manchester City, who have invested heavily over the winter, are crucial.
Man City v Bristol Academy
FA WSL 1
2pm, Sunday 20 April
Manchester Sportcity
by Jamie Holt
She said: "They’re a new team this season but they’ve signed some high profile England internationals.
"It’s a new challenge for everyone and everyone is looking forward to it.
"City are a very different team to Chelsea, but we are keen to get three points under our belts.
"City are always going to be a tough game for anyone with players like Steph Houghton, the England captain, and Toni Duggan scoring goals.
"For me they are a side that can definitely win the league, but they are a club that is looking to grow for future years as well."
City first-team manager Nick Cushing, whose side lost 1-0 against reigning champions Liverpool on Thursday, also concedes he is looking towards the longer-term.
He said: "We're a new team and we're still in our infancy.
"We're building the team together and each game presents a short-term challenge.
"Playing against FA WSL opposition is a true test because they play in our league. No disrespect to the teams we've played previously but we haven't played against teams of this quality before so every game we play will test us.
"At the moment, league position is not our main focus. Instead, we're looking at becoming a competitive team in the short-term but improving every week. We want to be here next year but even stronger."
