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The Pride returned from Portsmouth with three points after a hard-earned win at Westleigh Park.
Thanks to Izzy Goodwin’s 32nd minute strike, London City Lionesses turned out 1-0 victors against Portsmouth in the sun at Westleigh Park.
After adding another three points to their Women’s Championship tally on Sunday afternoon, the Pride sit in 2nd with a game in hand on top-of-the-table Birmingham City.
It was a closely fought game which had little chances throughout. In the 3rd minute, Megan Campbell came close to scoring from a corner but nodded her effort just over the crossbar.
Pompey returned with a chance of their own, with Annie Hutchings coming inches away from breaking the deadlock, only for the ball to be slightly too much of a stretch away for her to get a good connection after a fierce low cross to the back post.
Just after the half an hour mark, Goodwin netted for the Pride, lashing the ball into the goalkeeper’s bottom-right corner from across goal.
After an hour was played, Campbell had another good opportunity from a corner, but her powerful header narrowly rose over the bar.
The south coast outfit threw caution to the wind in the latter stages, with substitute Megan Hornby at the heart of most attacks.
She had a header just miss the goal in the 88th minute, a penalty claim that was waved away in the 89th minute and couldn’t quite reach the end of a deep cross in the 90th.
London City fans endured a heart-in-mouth moment in added time, as Hornby was unleashed in-behind, but an alert Emily Orman was quick off her line to eliminate any danger.
The Pride walked away with a clean sheet after a tough game in which they had to leave it all out there.
That’s five wins on the bounce for Jocelyn Prechêur’s side now, after recording victories against Portsmouth in December, Southampton, Fulham in the FA Cup and Bristol a fortnight ago.
The travelling away fans got to see new January additions Saki Kumagai and Freya Godfrey in action for the first time in London City colours, with Kumagai getting 60 minutes in the tank, and Godfrey entering the field in the 84th minute.
We are next in action for our fourth away game in a row next Sunday, in a huge FA Cup clash against Arsenal at Meadow Park.
We are next at Hayes Lane against Sunderland on the 16th February, as we continue to breathe down the necks of Birmingham City who sit at the top of the pile.
We will need as much support as possible to get us over the line, we hope to see you there.
POTM Vote
33. Boye-Hlorkah
23. Goodwin
32. Orman
25. Imuran
Teamsheet: Orman, Brown, Wilde (Goldie 84’), Campbell, Imuran, Meyong (Mengyu 84’), Kumagai (Brougham 59’), Roddar (Fitzgerald 72’), Jakobsson (Godfrey 84’), Goodwin, Boye-Hlorkah.