'Perfect' - Steve Kirby delighted after Bristol City Women's Mother’s Day win over Sheff United

Bristol City Women returned to winning ways in the Championship with a 3-0 win over Sheffield United at Ashton Gate

Bristol City Women’s head coach Steve Kirby was full of praise for his side’s performance after their win over Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon, labelling the Robins' display "perfect".

City ended a five-match winless run in all competitions with a 3-0 win over the Championship strugglers on Mother's Day, with goals from Ffion Morgan, Tianna Teisar and an own-goal from Leanne Cowan the difference between the two sides.

The Reds struck twice late in the first half as both Morgan and Teisar found the net just minutes before the half-time whistle. The latter then appeared to add another just moments after the restart, however, the Robins' third went down as an own goal having deflected off Cowan and past Sian Rogers. Although Teisar was denied a brace, Kirby was delighted with his team's showing.

“This [game] was perfect in terms of what I asked for, what we wanted and what I felt like we deserved,” the City boss declared. “In previous games, we’ve not scored as many as I’d like us to, but the ones that we’ve conceded were sort of out-of-the-blue. It wasn’t like we’d been outdone tactically or anything like that, so it’s nice to get the clean sheet.”

The Robins took control of the contest early on, and it was from set pieces where they looked particularly threatening, with Harley Bennett and Jess Simpson both having opportunities in the opening nine minutes following corners, though neither could direct their efforts on target.

Morgan’s cross following a short corner saw Bennett have another scoring chance after Sheffield United goalkeeper Rogers had overcommitted, but again she couldn’t connect cleanly with her header and it drifted over the bar.

Minutes later, Emily Syme found Teisar just outside the penalty area, who turned her defender before unleashing a shot that forced Rogers into a crucial save to her right. The subsequent corner from Syme again caused problems. Sille Struck was this time the City player on the end of it, though her header clipped the crossbar before going over.

Soon after, Morgan found herself one-versus-one with the goalkeeper, but from a difficult angle, the Wales international was only able to put her shot wide of the far post. The visitors had their first effort on goal in the 37th minute, however, Jacqui Hand’s shot was easily caught by Fran Bentley in the City net.

With just minutes remaining of the first half, City opened the scoring after Mari Ward’s perfect cross across the box was finished off by Morgan, the forward’s second goal in as many games. The Robins added another soon after, Morgan turning provider, squaring the ball to Teisar who made no mistake from close range, giving City a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the break.

But they weren’t done there. Almost immediately after the restart, the Welsh duo combined again to add a third, Morgan capitalising on a loose ball inside the visitors’ penalty area and finding Teisar, whose shot deflected off Cowan and into the back of the net.

Sheffield United began to grow into the game later in the second half, with Maria Farrugia coming closest to scoring. Her shot hit the underside of the crossbar before eventually being cleared by Bennett. Despite the Blades' improvements, City held on to secure their first victory since their 3-1 win over Birmingham City on January 26, along with a well-deserved clean sheet.

Nine points separate the Robins and London City Lionesses at the top of the table and with three games remaining of the Women’s Championship season, Sunday’s win means that City still aren’t out of the promotion picture entirely – though it would take a number of major slip-ups from the teams at the top to see them in with a chance.

Regardless of others’ results in the final games of the season, Kirby remains insistent that his team will continue to push for maximum points in every fixture.

“We've still got so much to play for individually and collectively," the Reds boss explained. “We've got players who are new to the club who are trying to force their way in and we've got players who are going to be here next year, so want to continue that momentum. We've got players who are away with their countries over the summer, so they will want to keep playing well and keep in the groove and everything. Also, we've got committed fans and supporters across the club who want to keep seeing us do well.

“On top of that, we're ultimately professional so we want to win every game and that mindset is critical for us moving forward for the rest of this season and into next season. We will always be about trying to, and expecting to, win the next game.”