South Shields Women Secure Draw Against Bradford City AFC Women

South Shields Women‘s football team managed to secure a hard-fought draw against Bradford City AFC Women in a thrilling match that ended 3-3 on Sunday. The fixture took place at Horsfall Stadium, where the visiting team displayed resilience after initially lagging by two goals.

The opening scoreline saw Aaliyah Nolan of Bradford City put the home team ahead, with Maria McKenna extending their lead. However, South Shields’ Sophie Greener and Becki McMahon each responded with remarkable goals to even the score by halftime.

During the second half, McMahon, who had already contributed significantly, hit the crossbar. Though she missed an opportunity to add another goal, Ashley Townsend compensated by heading in a cross from Josie Foster, with a strategic short corner assist from Eve Gatens.

Foster also played a pivotal role defensively, preventing a certain goal attempt by Hannah Markey. Yet, Markey eventually succeeded in scoring to level the match once more in the 70th minute. Despite pressure from both sides, the game concluded with a score of 3-3.

This draw is expected to boost South Shields’ morale as they prepare for their upcoming Women’s FA Cup match against FC United of Manchester Women. Head coach Alex Miller praised the team’s resilience and ability to recover from early setbacks, a trait not always apparent in past seasons.

The line-ups for Bradford City AFC Women included Whelan, Blythe, Sales, Fernie, Prothero, Ramsden, Stube, Hunt, McKenna, Jacobs, and Nolan, with substitutes Wilson, Gill, Laughton, Long, and Markey. The goal lineup for Bradford City was Nolan (22′), McKenna (29′), and Markey (68′).

South Shields Women featured Gowans, Mole, May, Greener, Gatens, Wootten, McMahon, Norton, Elliott-Wood, Townsend, and Foster, supported by substitutes White, England, Naylor, Longstaff, and Jota. Their goals were credited to Greener (35′), McMahon (37′), and Townsend (58′).