An away game against the reigning WSL champions and current league-leaders Manchester City was going be tough at the best of times, and for 20 minutes it was the worst of times. Cold, lifeless and uninspiring – the weather yes – the defending definitely. This side never say die though and with the fans behind them they fought back to give themselves a chance of at least a point.

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• For a full recap of the match action courtesy of Bruce Talbot on the Official BHAFC Website click: HERE
• Match highlights are available via the Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel: HERE
• The SheGulls Podcast will be reviewing the game on Monday night from 9pm over on the SheGulls YouTube channel: HERE – where you can watch via the Live tab or on catch-up any time after broadcast!

Brighton & Hove Albion

• To say the Albion started slow would be an understatement. Never mind not ‘getting off the bus’, it looked as though they hadn’t even got out of bed before City went 3-0 up inside 18 minutes.
• Lauren Hemp had far too much time to pick out Bunny Shaw with a low cross on 5 minutes and she tapped home from close range. Hemp then crossed for Shaw again just 10 minutes later, with the Jamaican striker easily clearing two defenders in close proximity, and nodding into the net. Just when it couldn’t seem to get any worse, an uncharacteristic lack of intensity led to City’s third, struck home from just inside the box by Niamh Charles.
• As badly as it began though, the crowd stayed behind them and urged the players forward. The team fought hard to get back into the game and on 31 minutes they did just that. A ball across the six-yard box by Fran Kirby found Olivia Garcia and despite a despairing lunge from Kerstin Casparij she was able to readjust and prod the ball over the line.
• Within 6 minutes the deficit was halved as a Kirby corner kick found an unmarked Caitlin Hayes whose bullet header thundered into the net past the City goalkeeper. Brighton continued to put the pressure on until half-time where doubtless both managers had plenty to say to their respective teams.
• The second half became more of what the game promised in the first place, City dominating possession and looking dangerous whilst Brighton worked hard to create opportunities at one end and stem the flow at the other. As the clock ticked down the Albion started to look a little leggy, almost certainly down to the sheer effort of coming from three down away from home at one of the best teams in Europe. When the final whistle blew there hadn’t been any more goals, but the fact the Seagulls were in the game until the bitter end is a testament to their spirit and resilience.
• Overall it is hard to view the result as a disappointment, indeed it ended up a valiant effort, but the team will know that the opening period was just not good enough. Starting games and game management in general has been an issue for years now and it feels like new avenues need to be explored in order to address that specific issue. Brighton cannot afford to start behind the eight ball as often as they do if they have ambitions above a lower-mid table finish.

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Manchester City

• The Cityzens were absolutely as advertised until they went three goals to the good, when their intention to settle the game down only succeeded in putting the result back in jeopardy. As frustrating as it was for the Albion early on, Andree Jeglertz presumably found it equally as vexing that his side surrendered two back to their opponents before the break. Good teams will see games out though and ultimately their quality shone through in the second half, despite the fact they didn’t add to their tally.
• Lauren Hemp was a constant thorn in the side and she certainly had her best outing against the Seagulls in recent memory. She’s so fun to watch, until you remember she’s playing against your team.
• Bunny Shaw is just inevitable – right place, right time – almost guaranteed at least a goal a game. Having a talent like that is like is like striking gold underneath the multi-million pound mansion you bought with your lottery winnings.
• The Man City fans are always courteous and welcoming. We couldn’t hear a lot of them between our own chanting and the fact their singing section appeared to be on the opposite side of the ground – but the open air stadium design (whilst attractive) is perhaps not the best for trapping sound in.

Other Business

• Didn’t recognise the referee but the officials had a good game. The rules seemed to be applied fairly to each team so can’t have any qualms there which makes a change.
• Had a great time on the coach again and as always would highly recommend an away day to anyone who hasn’t been before. If you’re concerned about the distance and/or time then perhaps jump on a London-bound trip first before building up to these Northern journies.
• We’re at the Amex next against West Ham on Saturday night so please do grab a ticket if you haven’t already and come down to support the team.

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The SheGulls Podcast, where we will discuss the Man City game and look ahead to West Ham at the Amex – will be live on Monday @ 9pm via YouTube – and available subsequently on demand by clicking the ‘Live’ tab on the channel menu.

Audio of the episode will be released later via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

See you all soon!