Bristol City have full belief that they can beat the best says Ingle | OneFootball

Bristol City midfielder Sophie Ingle says that the club have full belief that they can beat their promotion rivals in Barclays WSL2 this season.

The Robins will be amongst the favourites to win the Barclays WSL2 title in 2026/2027, however, the title race looks to be wide open with any team capable of beating another on their day.

Bristol City could find themselves up against several title challengers this season with many clubs offering significant backing for their women’s teams. When speaking to WSL Full-Time, Bristol City midfielder Ingle said that she is pleased to see the ever-increasing level of competition in Barclays WSL2 but that The Robins back themselves to get the wins when it matters.

“I think it’s just exciting,” Ingle said. “It’s going to be better football, better games to play in and at the end of the day, we like to focus on ourselves as well. 

“Obviously, they’re great teams [in Barclays WSL2], but so are we. We have full belief in this squad that we can get those wins against those top teams.”

Bristol City will be looking to start the season well, however, Ingle is keen to stress the fact that it’s very much a marathon and not a sprint.

She said “If you don’t win the first game, it’s not the be all and end all. I was at Chelsea many years where we always lost the first game of the season, but ended up winning the league, so to me, it doesn’t matter as much.

“Of course, it puts you in good stead if you do win the first game in terms of confidence and belief.”

Bristol City were seven points short of winning automatic promotion last season. Reflecting on the campaign, Ingle said that it was a progressive season on and off the pitch.

She said “I think it was probably always a tough ask to push for promotion in the first year under a new manager with 13 new signings and under new investment. Those things take time, but looking back and reflecting on the season, I think it was a really good season for us as a whole. 

“Now, it’s about developing the younger girls coming through and helping them as well to embed into our team.”

Ingle has signed up to the Bristol City project for two more years and the Welsh international admits that it was a no-brainer to extend her deal at Ashton Gate.

She said “It was an easy decision to stay here at Bristol City. You can see the ambitions of this club and where they want to go to and I’d love to help in any way I can to be on the journey with them.”

Bristol City kick-off the new Barclays WSL2 season with a fixture at Sunderland on 6 September 2026.