City travelled to local rivals Loughborough for a preview of the County Cup Final in April needing 3 points to stay ahead of league title challengers Coventry and West Brom. City started slow and within the first 10 minutes the pace of Nic Tweddle on the left wing for students managed to get down the line and hit a hard waist height cross into the box which keeper Laura Niblett came to claim but couldn't hold and Students finished it from close range.

City were struggling to deal with the long balls regularly played forward by the Students defenders which was causing a problem. Students were attacking in wide areas with pace and forced some saves from Niblett on a few occasions. City had a few chances from some quality corners by Leah Rawle and Remi Allen which narrowly went wide from Lauren Impey on two occasions. City did a little bit better before the break with some crosses going into the box but couldn't get enough numbers in the box to make them count.

After the break City were a totally different team, looking more like their usual selves pressing high with the wind helping them the Students found it hard to get out of their own half. City were rampant with shots coming off from all areas, Allen putting just over and Zira Handley putting one just wide. Hannah Barratt had come on at the break and was breaking up any chance of Students playing through the middle and the back 4 of Impey, Jade Radburn, Nicole Nymoen and Louise Ward were cutting out the long ball students outlet which pinned them in. Some great pressure down both wings from Handley and Rawle started to catch out the students and the goal for City came from a Handley cross and Allen finished with a precise header. Barratt picked up the second goal shortly after with a cross from the left that was half cleared by Students but Barratt pounced on it to get it in the back of the net to put City ahead. During this time Students were running out of ideas and City were taking advantage.

Courtney Sweetman-Kirk had a couple of half chances with the Students GK saving one and putting the other over the bar. In the last 20 minutes City's Natasha Meade sprang to life and started picked up a great through ball from Allen, the keeper came out to force Meade a bit wide but she turned on it and smashed the ball back across the goal and it thundered against the far post and in. Students then got a surge on energy and pushed on into the City half using their wide players again to try get in behind the City defence and managed to get a throw in. As the ball was delivered City didn't pick up the bouncing ball and it fell between the City Centre Halves for the Students to pounce on again in the box and hit the back of the net to make it 3-2 with 10 minutes to go.

The game hotted up and there were several exchanges end to end which forced a couple of fantastic saves out of Niblett to maintain City's lead. City again took control with some good passing movements putting Students under pressure. The Students Keeper then threw a ball out to a defender in front of goal and City's Meade was rapidly onto her first touch winning the ball off her and running at the Gk before rounding her to hit the ball in the back of the net for her second and City's 4th. A poor first half by City was rectified with a fantastic second half performance against an organised Students team.

Squad - Laura Niblett, Jade Radburn, Lauren Impey, Harriet Crofts, Louise Ward, Nicole Nymoen, Remi Allen (C), Leah Rawle, Zira Handley, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk, Natasha Meade, Hannah Barratt, Simone Hamilton.

Report By Rehanne Skinner