Bristol City's Baggaley and Humphrey on Chelsea: 'One minute they're there, then they're gone' | OneFootball

Any team that had conceded 14 goals in their past two games against their next opponents would be forgiven for being hesitant about facing that team again. With the Bristol City duo Carla Humphrey and Sophie Baggaley, however, there is a somewhat infectious confidence and belief.

Chelsea beat Bristol City 9-0 in September, then 5-0 in February, and now the two teams take on each other in the Continental League Cup final on Sunday. “We’re looking to go and win,” says Humphrey, a midfielder. ”Obviously we know we’re the underdog going into the game but we’re all excited and want to perform on that stage.”

The belief has been aided by fact that City have secured their first two wins of the season, and seven of their nine points, in their last four games. On Monday, they came from behind against Reading to twice take the lead and three points.

“We’re going into every game knowing that we can get points. The Conti Cup has kept us going and built that belief. Everyone’s just excited now. After the game, we all got in the changing room and just looked at the table and seeing ourselves off the bottom was just really nice.”

The resurgence has coincided with the arrival of Matt Beard as maternity cover for the manager, Tanya Oxtoby, but much of their Conti Cup run and foundation was built on the former’s watch. “Matt’s come in and said this is one of the most together groups that he’s worked with,” says Humphrey. “That foundation has always been there. We’ve built on that, added a bit of confidence, and we’ve just been working really hard. That’s what Matt said he expects, bare minimum. I think you can see that in training and in games.”

Baggaley, a goalkeeper, adds: “Tanya did a great job in the first half of the season, in difficult circumstances, and Matt has been a bit of a breath of fresh air and built on it. He’s given us the confidence to go and get the results. He’s believed in us and we believe in what he does, that’s showing on the pitch.”

So strong has the turnaround been that the Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, described Bristol as the team she is most enjoying watching at the moment. “It’s always obviously nice to hear things like that,” says Baggaley. “But we know we’ve got a big task ahead, in the cup final and in the league. We just need to keep this momentum going into Sunday’s game.”

If there is a positive to take from their two league defeats to Chelsea, it is that they almost halved the deficit for the second game, but in a cup final anything can happen. “You know going into the game you’re going to have to be at the top of your game to stand a chance,” Baggaley says. “But I think we can definitely learn from previous experiences, we can tweak things a little bit, do what we think we need to to give us a chance of winning the game.”

Facing a forward line that will include the Australian Sam Kerr, the European player of the year in Pernille Harder, the England forward Beth England and an in-form Fran Kirby is a formidable task. “As a goalkeeper, these are the games and players you look forward to you putting yourself up against, the best in the world,” says Baggaley. “To be honest, you’ve got nothing to lose. It’s just a great experience being able to test yourself against the best.”

Humphrey adds: “Sometimes it’s difficult, of course it is. We have a gameplan to sort of try to nullify them as best we can but their movements are fantastic. And I’m always trying to check my shoulders, but one minute they’re there, then they’re gone.”

As City have shown, though, they are quick on the counter and in the 20-year-old striker Ebony Salmon they have a fast and technically brilliant outlet. “[Playing on the counter] works to our strengths when we’ve got Ebony up top,” says Baggaley. “She really got her head down in pre-season, I think it was very noticeable. She knew she had to fight for a place within the team, she’s done that, and then when she’s played, she’s performed, she’s scored.”

Humphrey says: “She’s added other elements to her game, the way she worked back and won a tackle on Monday night, off the top of my head, she’s working really hard. When she got called up for England everyone was cheering and celebrating when we found out and it was really nice to see and obviously get behind. We all think she thoroughly deserved that.”

Baggaley adds: “When she made her debut we were all in the gym watching as well, it was a good moment.”

Salmon and City are starting to be noticed and have a real chance to prove they are not the WSL’s cannon fodder. “We’ve worked on how to be better in possession but we do know our strength is playing on the counter,” Humphrey says. “We have been working on it in training and perfecting it and I think you could see that in the goals we scored the other night. It is coming together and it is something that teams can be scared of.”

Header image: [Photograph: Getty/Rex]