By George Kelsey, Sam Cox and Holly Percival | OneFootball

On 24 January 2014, Manchester City officially relaunched as a professional outfit.

And 12 years ago on this day, we played our first competitive match.

Originally published in 2024 and featuring reflections from players, managers and fans alike, the below oral history tracks the highs and lows that our first decade had to offer.

On Friday 24 January 2014, Manchester City entered a new era.

At a special event at the Etihad Stadium, members of our original Ladies team were joined by Nick Cushing’s new-look side, with then-Men's first team manager Manuel Pellegrini and Elite Development Squad coach Patrick Vieira both in attendance.

Having initially been formed in November 1988, a formalisation between our original Ladies team and the Club was finalised in 2012 and, two years later, we were ready for our first season in the WSL as a professional outfit.

The future was bright, and the plush surroundings of the Etihad indicated the exciting journey this squad were about to embark on.

More than 300 competitive fixtures, over 200 wins, almost 800 goals and eight major honours later, that rollercoaster journey continues apace.

Including detailed reflections from players and managers past and present, below is a potted history of all the twists and turns the past decade has had to offer…

City had more than held our own in our final season before the professional relaunch, finishing fourth in the second tier in 2013.

However, under the guidance of former Academy coach Nick Cushing and City Ladies’ Head Coach Leigh Wood, the Club looked to add some star quality to the current squad's strong nucleus.

England international Jill Scott was first through the door in November 2013, followed soon after by her fellow Lionesses in Karen Bardsley, Toni Duggan, Izzy Christiansen and Steph Houghton.

But as Houghton - our record appearance holder and only ever-present since the professional relaunch - admits, there was an element of risk to match the obvious opportunity.

“It was a tough decision to be honest,” she reflects.

“I was Arsenal captain at the time and we’d won two trophies which is why I went there.

“But when my agent spoke to me about City and the pull of full-time football, and starting with a project, that’s what sold it to me. I’ve never looked back since.

“Me and KB [Karen Bardsley] had the same agent, so I knew KB was thinking about it. My first message was to Jill [Scott] because there were a few rumours about her signing.

“It’s weird because we started at Sunderland then went our different ways but to be back in the same team was a big factor.

“Having those kinds of people, Toni Duggan, Jill, KB, Izzy Christiansen, if you’re looking at the spine of the team it’s a good start to be honest. That was a big factor in coming.”

But a good start is exactly what City didn’t have, with four defeats in our first five competitive fixtures.

Duggan, the scorer of our first professional goal, continues: “I know things take time and as a player you want things to be instant but there were definitely times in the training ground where I was thinking, ‘what have we done’.

“But we stuck together, trusted the process and with more experience you can now look back and say things won’t just happen overnight.”

Five of City’s squad were training full-time, with the rest of the team then joining them for a pitch session after work commitments. Two worlds had collided, and it would take time for them to gel into the well-oiled machine we know and love today.

But the experience was still something that every player relished, as Chelsea Nightingale, a member of both our original Ladies team and first professional side adds.

“It was hard at first, with changes happening left, right and centre, but to be a part of it all was something I’d worked for and dreamed of since being a little kid.

“Getting a ball at my feet, I was so happy and willing to do whatever it took to take the opportunity with both hands.”

City would recover to finish our first WSL campaign in fifth place, but the real opportunity to make our mark came in the Continental Cup.

After winning our group and edging past Chelsea at Ewen Fields in the last four, a spot in the Conti Cup final against an Arsenal side who had won the last three editions of the tournament beckoned.

Rather poignantly, it was a member of our original Ladies team, Krystle Johnston, who provided the cross for the game’s only goal, converted by one of the faces of the new era, Christiansen.

City had made a statement and claimed silverware in our first-ever professional season.

Houghton reflects: “The move where Krystle crossed it to Izzy is a move we’d practiced so much at Platt Lane.

“People were throwing their bodies on the line and that was a year’s worth of hard work and frustration for a lot of people but it was worth every single moment.

“There’s nothing sweeter than lifting that first trophy for the Club.”

But the final word on 2014, rather prophetically, goes to Duggan: “The Conti Cup, I remember that and I always will, it was a relief.

“It was a marker to everyone else as well of what we could achieve so early on in the journey.”

The first trophy was in the cabinet, but now it was time for City to build.

Notable new faces came in the form of Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Nikita Parris, Jen Beattie, Daphne Corboz and Georgia Stanway, and after a slow start, we would end up being in with a chance of the WSL title on the final day of the season.

We held up our side of the bargain, beating Notts County 2-1, but a Chelsea victory meant we had to settle for second place.

But the impact of 2015, as Stokes explains, was also felt off the pitch, with City moving to our current home, the Joie Stadium, and the City Football Academy training complex.

“I remember having a conversation with Nick [Cushing] and [former Academy Director] Mark Allen. They brought me to the CFA, but it was literally a building site, I had a hard hat on and it was just mud!

“At the time where the game was and what you know City were looking to do, it was something that I wanted to contribute to and be about.

“I think to come straight out of college, I was just really excited to get going really.”

But that’s not to say that a lack of silverware meant there weren’t significant milestones met on the pitch in 2015 as well.

“We got into the Champions League that year though,” Duggan is quick to add when reflecting on the near-miss in the WSL title race.

“We didn’t get the silverware that we wanted but to get into Europe was a massive step for us. We were so excited for it and some of us had experienced it, but we’d never been there before as a group.”

Stokes agrees: “I think it was huge because again it was another stepping stone, another thing ticked off the list that actually we wanted to go towards.

“To do it was credit to the team. It was a learning curve for us all at the time, but we had a good mix in the team.”"

If 2015 had provided the foundations for a title-winning team, then the following year was when the masterpiece was fully assembled.

City won the WSL for the first and, so far, only time in our history at a canter, going the entire league season unbeaten.

“We felt like we could’ve played anyone and won,” Duggan, who scored in the title-clinching 2-0 victory over Chelsea in September 2016 explains.

"The confidence was through the roof, teams feared us. I felt like the team was invincible.”

But while there were some remarkable goalscoring exploits on show, it was City’s magnificent defensive record which provided the platform for our attackers to flourish.

Cushing’s side conceded just four league goals all season, and just once from open play.

Houghton adds: “Me, Jill [Scott] and Demi [Stokes] still talk about this, the amount of times as a back four and midfield we practiced defending in and around the box, having balls whacked at you and working on shape.

“Nobody could get through us, especially at home, nobody wanted to come to the Joie Stadium and play against us.

“We wanted to be ruthless in both boxes and we certainly were.”

An extra-time goal from Bronze ensured City added a second Conti Cup to the trophy cabinet in October 2016, seven days after that famous win against Chelsea.

But Cushing’s side were far from done for the season, as we prepared for our first venture into European competition soon after.

The first City goalscorer in the Champions League? None other than our first signing after becoming a professional outfit!

“I do actually,” Scott remarks when asked if she can recall her opening strike against Russian side Zvezda Perm in our 2-0 Champions League Round of 32 first leg win at the Joie Stadium.

“I remember someone saying before the game, ‘I wonder who will get our first ever Champions League goal?’. I thought ‘I’d love to do that’, but was never thinking it would actually happen.

“It topped off a very special night for us though. Champions League football just feels different.

“I loved every minute of it. Playing against top players in their club environments, it was just a different feel. It felt like we deserved to be on that stage.”

With a restructuring of the league calendar brought into effect to follow the autumn-spring model, City and the other eight WSL clubs were involved in a shortened ‘Spring Series’ in 2017.

The big talking point for Cushing’s side, though, was the loan signing of two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd.

The United States legend made a significant mark during her short stint at the Club and, reflecting on her spell in the UK, it’s clear to see that feeling was reciprocated.

“My time there was one of the best of my career,” the two-time World Cup winner smiles.

“I wish I could’ve done it again, or had a longer stint there, but I met some incredible people and experienced some incredible things.

“There’s a part of me where I still root for Manchester City, men and women. There’s a part of my journey where it felt like a home away from home, so that’s really special.”

Lloyd’s time at the Club was brief, but her impact was instant according to Houghton.

“Carli Lloyd was a really interesting character if I’m being honest, such a lovely girl but you knew why she was one of the best players in the world and why she’d won things.

“Her mentality was just scary. After training she’d have food then go out on the pitch by herself, even if it was just 20 or 30 shots at an empty net.

“When you have someone like that on your team, you know you’ve got a better chance of winning because, no matter what, she’s doing everything she can to help the team win.

“I always remember her first session here, we did jump testing in the gym.

“Whereas the English mentality is always to be good at testing, I think a few people beat Carli on it.

“She was like ‘you know what, if there’s a ball up there and I’m jumping for it I know who’s winning – never mind this jump testing’. That’s my type of girl.”

It was Lloyd who grabbed the only goal of the game in a memorable 1-0 win over reigning European Champions Olympique Lyonnais in a Champions League semi-final second leg, but a costly 3-1 defeat at the Joie Stadium meant our first foray into the Champions League would end at the semi-final stage.

It was also a case of fine margins in the league, with Cushing’s side missing out on the title on goal difference.

But we were still able to break new ground in 2017, completing the domestic set in the process.

Wins over Reading, Bristol City and Liverpool saw City reach the FA Cup final for the first time in our history and, in a showpiece occasion at Wembley Stadium, we cruised to a 4-1 victory.

Lloyd was, again, among the goals on the day, but once again demonstrated her elite mindset ahead of kick-off.

“We were all looking outside the hotel room thinking ‘who the hell is that jogging around the pitch?’ and it was Carli,” Houghton remembers.

“She was jogging around the stadium and said ‘I always do a 20 minute jog on the day of a game’. We were like ‘oh my god’, we’re trying to rest our legs as much as possible and trying to make sure we’re fresh as anything going into the game.

“She was like ‘no, it’s the same as any other game and I won’t change for a final’.

“[Winning the FA Cup was like] nothing I’d ever experienced before and when you walk up the steps you walk past all your family, that’s when you think ‘this is unbelievable’.

“We played so well against Birmingham. It could’ve been even more than four and we let a sloppy goal in.

“Ultimately it was all about winning and to walk up those steps, lift the trophy and celebrate with everybody after was amazing.”

Lloyd looks back on that showpiece occasion just as fondly: “It was great. Now watching the FA Cup, packing Wembley, filling stadiums, it's so amazing to see. I feel like I was there in the beginning stages of what was to come.

“I think I’m two for two at Wembley, the 2012 Olympic final there and the FA Cup I was able to get a goal there as well.

“It’s just one of the most iconic stadiums to play in and it was really special to be able to win another championship. It was definitely up there with many of the other championships.”

A new era beckoned for the professional women’s game in 2017/18 following a restructuring of the Barclays Women’s Super League.

But while the structure might’ve changed, City relentless push for silverware on multiple fronts continued apace.

Sitting top of the league at the half-way point in the season, in the Continental Cup final, FA Cup semi-final and Champions League last-four – the campaign looked promising to end in further silverware for Cushing’s side.

However, further twists and turns were in store and, unfortunately, City came up short.

We narrowly lost the League Cup final 1-0 to Arsenal, and an uncharacteristic winless run of three WSL matches, and defeats to Liverpool and the Gunners later in the campaign, flipped our season on its head.

Cushing recalls: “I think we were the victim of our success at times.

“We lost some key players in Lucy Bronze, Izzy Christiansen and then, later down the line, Nikita Parris to Lyon, which was good recognition because they were looking at us and the work we were doing but it was frustrating.

“But we always recruited really well and had the next succession of player, whether it was a Caroline Weir, or a Georgia Stanway, or a Janine Beckie. We knew who the next players were.

“That year was difficult in 2018, but in 2019 it really spurred us on.”

As a dramatic season unfolded, we finished second in the WSL and suffered respective semi-final defeats to Chelsea in the FA Cup and Lyon in the Champions League.

Although disappointment was the overall feeling within the camp, Cushing says he and his squad used the learnings from that harsh lesson to City’s advantage.

He recalls: “2018 was a big year for us, because we were top of the league in February, we were in a Champions League semi-final, in the Conti Cup final against Arsenal and in the FA Cup semi-final.

“We lost the Conti Cup final, were knocked out by Lyon in the Champions League, Chelsea beat us in the last minute in the FA Cup and then we lost the league title at Liverpool.

“I learned so much from that year. When you lose a final it’s not failure, it’s disappointing but there’s two more next year.

“This team will always be there, fighting until the end when it was with me and with Gareth now. That season [2017/18] was really important.”

Our semi-final defeat to Lyon in European football’s premier competition was an all too familiar scenario.

Cushing believes our meetings with the French outfit, the undisputed heavyweights of the women's game at the time, would have been worthy finals.

“We definitely would’ve faced them in the final because they were a top team,” he explains.

“That team was stacked with quality and in that period they were incredible.

“We were maybe achieving ahead of our schedule, but the team was such a good team in that moment that we wanted to take Lyon on and weren’t scared of them.”

If 2017/18 had been a campaign of near misses, it paved the way for one of the most memorable seasons in our history to date.

The first of two trophies arrived in the form of the Continental Cup, as City locked horns with Arsenal at Bramall Lane.

Neither side could gain a foothold across 120 minutes, so it was down to the lottery of a penalty shootout to decide the winners. It’s at this point where Karen Bardsley takes centre stage.

“That was big for me personally. There was so much going on, I picked up a load of injuries,” the former City goalkeeper reflects.

“So, to get the opportunity to show myself in the big moments was massive for me.”

The goalkeeper stepped up to deny both Leah Williamson and Danielle van de Donk from 12 yards in the shootout, allowing Janine Beckie to slot home the decisive kick.

The sight of Bardsley, slowly stepping backwards onto her line, smacking her gloves together without breaking eye contact with the penalty taker, convinced Cushing that the trophy would be coming back to Manchester.

“I just knew I could rely on Karen Bardsley in the big moments,” our former manager revealed.

“In those big moments, KB made all the saves. I watched the penalties back this year and you can see her banging the gloves. She looked so big in the goal, you could see it on the Arsenal players’ faces.”

Jill Scott started the showpiece with the Gunners and recalled: “We executed a plan to perfection, but it needed everyone.

“I just knew we were going to win that day. The fans were amazing, and I remember getting a feeling before kick-off that we could enjoy this one, because it felt like it was our trophy.

Although we were on course to record another unbeaten season, spearheaded by a remarkable 19 goals in as many WSL appearances by Nikita Parris, a series of five draws as we approached the final five matches gave Arsenal the advantage in the title race.

The Gunners didn’t relinquish that foothold, including a final day defeat to Joe Montemurro’s side as we were forced to settle for another second-placed finish. But further success would arrive soon after in the FA Cup, as City cruised past West Ham United at Wembley.

Complemented by an experienced spine of serial winners, Cushing had assembled an exciting young squad which was starting to deliver on the biggest stage.

“It was always a huge desire of mine to make sure we recruited or at least knew who the best young talent was,” he explains.

“Keira Walsh was the first at 16 years old, and was an incredible player for us. Georgia Stanway was ready, Georgia Brougham, Natasha Flint, Abbie McManus was young as well.

“Then you go for an Esme Morgan, a Jess Park, you have to have this consistent cycle of youth talent because that’s going to keep you at the top – who are the best players around and how do we make sure they play for our team.”

With tremendous success arriving for both City’s men’s and women’s teams, including a combined six trophies between us, a joint bus parade was arranged to thank our fans for their unconditional support.

Cushing recalls: “It was amazing, because that year we won the double and they won a domestic quadruple. We actually both won the League Cup seven days apart and in the same way, on penalties.

“Going to the town hall, doing the bus tour, having all the trophies. For the team it was a special moment but for the football club it was also a very special moment.”

While the 2019/20 season would be cut short due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it started with a flourish for City.

A first-ever WSL Manchester derby, played in front of over 31,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium, had a winning goal which befitted the grand occasion.

Caroline Weir’s moment of quality shortly after half-time, finding the top corner of the United net from distance, handed the hosts all three points and local bragging rights.

Official Supporters’ Club branch secretary Jayne Comer was there to witness her beloved City come out on top in the derby: “It was absolutely unbelievable.

“To see that many people inside the stadium supporting the team and to see that many fans willing the team on to win [was incredible].

“As an OSC, we were guests of the Club so we got to receive a special plaque on the blue carpet and go into the Tunnel Club. It was a really nice experience for us.

“When Caroline Weir’s goal went in the place erupted. It was amazing to watch, thinking this many people were supporting the team.”

Cushing added: “We knew they’d be a good team, they recruited really well, but ultimately it was a Manchester derby at the Etihad.

“The one thing I remember clearly, I hammered it home that we couldn’t lose this game. I had a team where, even if we didn’t play well, we’d grind it out.

“I was so confident with that team in that game, and we had the quality of a player like Caroline that could change a game.”

It wouldn’t be too hyperbolic to declare that the derby signalled a new era in WSL football, sparking a rivalry which has continually developed ever since.

However, the campaign would also signify the end of an era, with it announced that Cushing would leave his role to become assistant coach with CFG sister club New York City FC in Major League Soccer.

His final game was to be a home match against Arsenal in February 2020 which, fittingly, we won 2-1 at the Joie Stadium.

“It was an incredibly difficult [decision] based on the fact I didn’t want to leave this team,” Cushing explains.

“It was part of me and my family and my growth. I had incredibly robust relationships with staff and players, but I think the team needed something new.

“The one desire I had was to win the game, I wanted to make sure myself, the team, the fans, really enjoyed the final moment together, and the only way that was going to be possible was with a win.

“When you look in the players’ eyes, it was disappointing that I was leaving but they fully embraced it and supported me. But what I also saw was players who were going to make sure our final game together was a win.”

Under the guidance of interim manager Alan Mahon over the following weeks, the Blues were again embroiled in a fierce race for the WSL crown and looked on course to win the title.

But the COVID-19 pandemic stopped global football in its tracks, with the season prematurely curtailed and the final table decided on points per game.

As a result, City once again had to settle for second place, with a PPG of 2.50 and behind Chelsea, who averaged 2.60 having played one game fewer.

Our final match before the season was cut short? A thrilling 3-3 draw with none other than Emma Hayes’ side.

The appointment of City Under-18s coach Gareth Taylor to succeed Nick Cushing was the start of a new era for the Club, but the appetite for silverware was as intense as ever.

Taylor wasted no time in getting transfer business done, acquiring the services of Chloe Kelly from Everton and American duo Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle.

The return of Lucy Bronze after a three-season spell at Lyon would follow, with Alex Greenwood, also from the reigning European champions, completing City’s summer business.

With the season to be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the squad had to acclimatise swiftly to the ‘new normal’ but, for Greenwood, that adaptation was swift.

“I felt like I settled in quickly,” the defender begins.

“I knew a lot of players here, and off the pitch it felt right. It did help me that Lucy [Bronze] arrived at the same time and I didn’t feel it took a long time. That’s to do with the staff and the players really.”

Equally, it didn’t take long for City to secure silverware under the new boss, leading us to victory in the delayed 2020 FA Cup final.

Mewis handed City the lead shortly before half-time at Wembley when she headed home fellow new signing Greenwood’s pinpoint cross, but it took two extra-time goals from Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie, to see us over the line against Everton.

“I loved that day,” continues Greenwood. “I’m still gutted the fans couldn’t be there, because it was such a good day.

“It’s an addiction, that feeling of winning. In football you don’t really have loads of highs so when you get them you, have to enjoy them.

“At that moment I hadn’t won the FA Cup, so I ticked that one off and moved onto the next one.”

The boss also remembers that day fondly, paying homage to the hard work done by the squad and his predecessor, Cushing, to get City to the quarter-final stage, before the onset of the pandemic.

“It was a weird sensation because it was behind closed doors, but it was an amazing experience,” said Taylor, who agreed with Greenwood on how the fans were missed in the moment.

“Winning that first trophy is so important, it settles everything down and makes you ready for the next one.”

The momentum kept on building for Taylor’s side, with a thrilling brand of football seeing us embark on an 18-game unbeaten run in the WSL, which included 8-1 and 7-0 wins over Bristol City and Aston Villa respectively.

A memorable 3-0 win over Manchester United, complete with the trademark Caroline Weir wondergoal, also formed part of that purple patch.

The WSL season would go down to the wire. Unfortunately, Chelsea were just as clinical in the latter end of the campaign, with Ann-Katrin Berger pulling off a string of remarkable saves to prevent City from what would’ve been a title-clinching three points in our penultimate home match of the campaign.

On a European front, Taylor’s side came unstuck at the quarter-final stage against an all-conquering Barcelona side, including future City stars Vicky Losada and Leila Ouahabi, but a memorable 2-1 win against the soon-to-be winners proved this side were capable of mixing it with the best.

Alanna Kennedy, playing for Tottenham Hotspur at the time, gives an insight into what facing the Blues felt like that season.

“They did feel like games where I was chasing shadows at times, and that’s because of the style of play,” explained the Australia international.

“The girls are so good at what we do, so it’s really hard to break down and really frustrating to be on an opposing team against that.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but I think it was definitely another reason when I did sign here, I remember playing City and wanting to be a part of that style of play. It’s really hard to play against but beautiful to watch.

“For me it was a no-brainer when the opportunity arose to sign here.”

That was the assessment of Alex Greenwood when the England international reflected on the 2021/22 campaign in December 2022.

City certainly didn’t have it all our own way at the beginning of the following campaign and felt the pinch of an unprecedented injury crisis before the new year.

Kelly, City’s Player of the Season a year prior, faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ACL injury in May 2021, while other absentees included Houghton, Bronze, Morgan, Walsh, Stokes, Losada, Kennedy, Ruby Mace and Ellie Roebuck to name a few.

Taylor’s side were knocked out of Europe by Real Madrid and, after three consecutive league defeats, were ninth at the beginning of November.

“I try and review the first half in the best way possible,” Greenwood continues.

“We weren’t in a great place and had a lot of big injuries which massively impacted us.

“But in the back of your mind, when you know you’ve got those players coming back you have to stay positive. We always say we believe in what we do and how we play. If we get it right, we can beat anyone on the day and that was the mindset in the second half of the season.

“From where we started to where we finished, we were quite proud of what we did.”

With Greenwood, who would go on to be included in the PFA Team of the Year, the only ever-present, City recovered in the new year to record a remarkable nine-straight WSL victories en route to a third-place finish.

Another unforgettable derby win, and Weir stunner, certainly played a part in helping us pip United to the final European spot on that run.

Regardless of the results on the pitch, the reintroduction of fans to games after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions made 2021/22 a particularly special campaign for Comer to witness.

“It was so good to be back,” she recalls.

“I remember those first few games back felt a bit weird to start with to be honest. The start might not have been the best, but it’s about supporting the team win, lose or draw.

“You don’t turn your back on a team even if they’re not winning games or just because the results aren’t quite going for you, it’s about being there supporting them together.

“Just being able to be back with friends, nothing beats being in the stadium and feeling like you can make a difference to the team on the pitch.”

City were forced to overcome plenty of adversity in the WSL that season but were still able to reach two Cup finals.

The first, a Continental Cup showpiece against Chelsea, remains one of the team’s finest performances under Taylor’s guidance.

A brace from Weir, either side of an Ellen White strike, saw City come from behind to beat Chelsea 3-1 at Plough Lane.

“The Conti Cup against Chelsea, we really had to fight for that one,” Taylor remembers with a smile.

“Caroline Weir played a really big part in that game. Those are the big moments, and that season we lost the FA Cup final as well. That was another one where sometimes the scars are the things that drive you on.”

It was also a game that many City fans will remember for years to come. “It was absolutely unbelievable!” Comer exclaimed.

“We were basically playing it in Chelsea’s back garden, so we thought from the beginning, make as much noise as possible, make the day as atmospheric as possible for the team. And it was incredible when we scored and when we lifted the trophy.

“It was so special, and the City fans were amazing.”

As Taylor alluded to, City’s luck ran out at Wembley in the final game of the season, with Chelsea pipping us in extra time, despite a Lauren Hemp stunner and late Hayley Raso equaliser.

But our journey to Wembley did see Stanway make history for the Club, becoming our record goalscorer in a fourth round win over Nottingham Forest.

It’s a record which still stands to this day, though Hemp and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw are hot on the England international’s heels…

With three key players, including two of our original professional side announcing their retirement from the game in White, Scott and Bardsley, as well as the departures of longstanding stars such as Walsh, Stanway, Weir and Bronze, it was all change at City.

But with that came an opportunity to assemble another exciting young side, capable of challenging for top honours under Taylor’s guidance.

Five members of England’s victorious Euro 2022 squad helped to form a strong core, which was further bolstered by some savvy acquisitions in the transfer market, both domestically and overseas.

It took time for the team to gel though, with back-to-back defeats in the WSL as well as an early Champions League exit a tough pill to swallow for a side still getting used to a new style of play.

However, that belief that City weren’t far away from the finished article never wavered.

“We very much felt that it wasn’t a case of we weren’t good enough or we were struggling,” said Esme Morgan when reflecting on City’s opening games on Rise: The Story of our Season.

“It was just a case of being clinical and sticking to what we know we do well.”

A comfortable 4-0 triumph over Leicester City in our first home fixture, capped off by a debut strike from Yui Hasegawa, provided an indication of that upward trajectory.

According to Hemp, who grabbed our third on that day, it felt like a significant moment for the team.

“From then on, I think we started to kick on and sort of slowly build those connections. We showed the City team that we wanted to be.”

Indeed, Taylor’s side embarked on a nine-match winning run in all competitions until mid-December. Then came the biggest game on the calendar; City v United at the Etihad Stadium.

“We walked over there the day before and had a walk around to take it all in,” explained Laura Coombs.

“Normally, we take it in as a fan to watch the guys. It’s a bit different when you’re playing there and even when you’re walking down through the tunnel, going through the changing rooms, it was really cool.”

Little did the midfielder know she would go on to score City’s equalising goal in front of a record 44,259 fans, as Taylor’s side earned a share of the spoils.

It was City’s home form which provided the foundations for a title push which had seemed unlikely after a difficult start to the season, and notable wins would follow over Arsenal and Chelsea in the new year.

In the latter of those encounters, two incredible goals from Filippa Angeldahl and Hemp stunned the reigning champions, seeing City cruise to victory against a side who had lost just once in all competitions since September.

“Filippa’s [Angeldahl] goal, what a strike.” Hemp reflects with a smile. “As soon as I passed it to her, I told her to shoot.

“I feel like it just all came together in that Chelsea game. We were dominant and we know that when we play our best football, no one can beat us.”

The form of Shaw, who would finish the season with a remarkable 31 goals in 30 appearances across 2022/23, was a key factor in City’s march up the table. The Jamaican had surpassed Nikita Parris’ record for goals in a single campaign by mid-March, with City embroiled in a thrilling four-way race for the title.

But Taylor’s young side ultimately fell short in the final furlongs, after frustrating defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United.

It meant we had to settle for a fourth-placed finish, but with the likes of Houghton, Stokes, Kennedy and Shaw signing new deals to commit their future to the Club, there was a feeling that 2023/24 could be a year where those flashes of promise transformed into a sustained push for silverware.

It’s evident that mindset, that acknowledgment of being disappointed at a trophy-less campaign last year, is spurring on Taylor’s team as we embark on our tenth-full season since our professional relaunch.

City started the season in fine form with wins over West Ham, Bristol City and Leicester City putting us top of the tree.

A 1-1 home draw with Chelsea, despite going down to nine players, also showed that City can push the title holders to their limits this campaign, and dig deep to grind out results when needed.

In a bizarre afternoon at the Joie Stadium, both Greenwood and Hemp were shown second yellow cards before Chelsea’s stoppage time equaliser. It was a harsh conclusion after a gutsy City display, but an indication that there’s a real steel to complement our obvious silk.

“It’s disappointing because it changed the game a lot, but we had an extra player in the fans, everyone grafted together and put the work in,” Kelly said of the Chelsea draw.

“I think we didn’t allow them chances which was important.

“We gave everything that day to get a result. That’s got to give us momentum, we were still on top with players down.”

But after back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Brighton, City needed to pull off a vital win at Old Trafford in the first Manchester derby of the season if we were to stay within touching distance of top spot by mid-November.

Despite going a goal down, strikes from Jill Roord – an inspired summer acquisition from 2023 Champions League finalists Wolfsburg - Hemp and Shaw saw City pick up a deserved victory in our neighbours’ back garden.

That triumph gave City a new lease of life, and sparked another magnificent run of scoring form for Shaw, with hat-tricks against Spurs, Everton and Liverpool over the course of the following two months.

The Jamaican is now City’s highest-ever WSL goal scorer – and eyeing Stanway’s all-time record with each passing game.

But the striker’s focus is on the collective, and she’s eager to see what the rest of the campaign has to offer if we maintain our current form.

“I’m definitely excited, especially where we are in the league,” said Shaw. “I think we have to just keep getting the job done to stay in a good position.

“2024 looks positive. Normally we perform well at the back end, so I’m looking forward to it and very confident.”

There’s similar excitement away from the pitch, too, with City becoming the first WSL club to secure a commercial agreement for its stadium naming rights in September.

The announcement of a purpose-built training facility by 2025 is just another indication of the rapid upward trajectory the Club continues to pursue off the pitch, as well as on it.

It’s been a decade to savour for City since that official rebrand in January 2014, but the future remains as bright as ever.

It feels rather fitting, however, that the last word should go to our first-ever signing as a professional outfit.

“I follow City all time and back them all the time,” Jill Scott concludes.

“When you’ve played for such a big club, you never leave really. It’s always inside of you. You feel the highs and the lows and want them to achieve everything so badly.

“I believe they can win the league this season and I can even see them doing the treble.

“This would be an amazing achievement for the girls as I know how hard they work. I would just love them to experience this again.”

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