BLUES WOMEN SEASON REVIEW 24-25 -Part 1

It is never easy being a Blues Women’s fan and out of all the seasons we have been in the championship this season hurts the most losing out on promotion on the final day to the Lionesses. It was hard to take for us fans who have supported the girls for years and for the up and comers supporting the girls in royal blue. Don’t get me wrong there has also been some great moments to beating Sunderland 5-0 wining at the Lionesses in November and I think we got what it takes to challenge for the title again next season. But a lot of work will have to be done from now to the beginning of the season in September.

SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER

Blues started of the season with a home game against Melanie Reay Sunderland everybody thought including myself if be a hard-fought contest, but Blues thrashed the black cats 5-0 with goals from player of the match Lucy Quinn starting the riot with her first in the 10th minute then Lily Agg scored in the 32nd with a great header and just before the break Choe Yuri  made it 3-0 with a well-placed finish . Then the final two goals came in the second half when Lucy Quinn converted from the penalty into the top corner and Ivanna Fuso capped of a wonderful day in the sunshine in front of an attendance of 1,284.

Then our first away game of the season was a tough game against recent relegated and managerless Bristol City and we came from Ashton Gate with a good 0-0 draw in front of 1,954 with new signing Lee Geum-Min in attendance who we signed from Brighton on a two-year deal.

We followed up our draw against Bristol City with an emphatic 4-0 win over newly promoted Portsmouth with a debut to remember for Lee Geum-Min getting a brace. But the first goals came from Libby Smith when the ball was played into her inside the area, a good turn and finish. Amy made a half time change taking off Lily Agg and putting on for her debut Lee Geum-Min for her Blues debut and in the 53rd minute she got her first for the club when Lucy Quinn delivered a beautiful ball into the box onto the head of Lee who headed brilliantly into the back of the net. Lee made it a brace when Ava broke down the wing played it to Fuso and Lee placed it into the top corner a great goal and the fourth it was a Lucy Quinn cross headed in by Louise Quinn to make it a comfortable day for the girls in royal blue.

Our unbeaten run was coming to an end on the 29th of September when we suffered defeat to Adam Furness’s Durham side when a Lily Crosthwaite goal just after half time gave the wildcats the win over us.

Then it was like buses we suffered are first defeat of the season to Durham followed by another defeat in the Women’s League Cup to Brighton losing 0-3 to the seagulls.

Blues went back to winning ways when we beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 with both goals coming from two headers the first came for Louise Quinn getting her second of the season and the second one was from the Scottish Maestro Christie Harrison-Murray  when Ellie Mason did some brilliant work to cross it into the box onto the head of Christie to double the lead. It was a great day all round for the Blues legend when Christie was presented with her 100-appearance shirt from Hope Powell at the beginning of the game.

Blues went to Bramall Lane on a Friday night to get back-to-back wins in a hard fought battle over the blades with Neve Herron giving Blues an early lead from a corner form Christie Harrison-Murray and Neve just flicked it home then the goal of the game from Sheffield United’s Ellen Molloy who went on  a solo run into the box and placed her shot past Lucy Thomas a goal of real quality. It was looking like it was going to be a draw but in the 85th minute an incident in the penalty box which involved Louise Quinn, and the referee gave a penalty for Blues up stepped-up Simone Magill and placed into the bottom corner and gave Blues back-to-back victories.

Blues final game before the first international break was another away trip this time to the south coast when we faced former Bluenose Remi Allen’s Southampton side and Blues came away from St Mary’s with a 0-2 win with an own goal from Megan Collett in the tenth minute and a Lily Agg just after half time gave the girls in royal blue all three points.

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 

Blues returned to StAndrews@Knightheadpark on the third of November to face newly promoted Newcastle United and the magpies took all three points and deservedly so with goals from Shania Hayles in the 10th minute and Isabella Sibley rounded it all of in the 70th minute.

But what I like about this team with Amy & the girls there is always a reaction after are defeat to the toon we went down to Hayles Lane to face the Lionesses in what was a really physical encounter Blues got first blood when  a Gemma Lawley header gave Blues the lead in the 25th minute. Blues doubled the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half when a brilliant ball from Rebecca Holloway landed on the head of Neve Herron. The Lionesses pulled a goal back from former Blues player Georgia Brougham got a late goal back but the girls in royal blue hold on for the win.

We finished the month of November with winning our first points in the Women’s League Cup beating Bristol City 3-1 with Lily Agg’s strike the pick of the goals.

We started of in December with the most disappointing display under Amy’s tenure with a 0-1 defeat to Durham in the FA Cup third round.

Then it was another defeat in the Women’s League Cup which we where knocked out of when we lost to Leicester City 5-2 at Meadow Lane.

Are final game of 2024 was being a 0-0 draw over Karen Hills Charlton side.