Burnley Women hosted Bristol City Women in the fourth round of the Women's Championship on Saturday, the 26th of September. The match ended 0:0, a result that leaves both sides in the lower half of the table with plenty to sort out. To be fair, neither side had much to show for their efforts in attack.
And here's the thing — the first half didn't offer much in the way of clear chances. Both teams felt the pressure of needing points early in the campaign, but neither could find a way through. Burnley had drawn their opening game against Watford before this one, while Bristol City had started with a win against Watford too, so there was some momentum on both sides that never quite materialised.
The substitutions started coming in the second half, with Burnley bringing on C. Docherty for the 61st minute. S. Ingle followed at 71, and B. McPartlan came on for the 76th. Bristol City responded with J. Finn at 88 and M. Meena at the 90th, though neither side could make the changes count on the scoreboard.
By then, the match had settled into a pattern of cautious defending. The only card of the game came at 90+2, when M. Farrugia received a yellow. It wasn't a flashpoint, just another moment in a game where both sides were happy enough to take a point.
Burnley remain 10th in the table with just two points from four games — no wins, two draws, two defeats. They've lost three of their last five matches, including heavy defeats to Manchester United and Wolves, and that run needs to stop sooner rather than later.
Bristol City sit eighth, also four points from four outings, but with one win under their belt. They've shown they can score when it matters — five goals against Watford most recently — but they've also conceded in three of their last four games. This draw extends their unbeaten run to two matches.
The result keeps both sides in touch with the pack, but neither has built any real momentum yet. Three more rounds to go before anyone starts worrying about relegation, but for both Burnley and Bristol City, the work begins now.
