Bristol City climbed out of the relegation zone in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League after claiming a huge 1-0 win over relegation rivals Birmingham City.
Ebony Salmon scored her fifth goal of the season as Tanya Oxtoby’s side snatched all three points with a 76-minute counter-attack.
The Robins entered the game with the league’s worst defensive record and nervously scrambled clear a set piece in the first five minutes.
Former Blue Sophie Baggaley was the busier goalkeeper in the first half as she denied Brianna Visalli and Abbi Grant.
Yet chances were at a premium as Birmingham enjoyed more possession but struggled to break down the visitors without England star Lucy Staniforth.
Charlie Wellings produced Bristol’s brightest moment when she met Katie Robinson’s cross and forced Hannah Hampton into a low save.
Yana Daniels went close in the 57 minute as she cut in from the left and struck the bar.
But it was the introduction of Salmon that made the difference as her searing pace allowed her to beat Georgia Brougham to a through ball and fire past Hampton.
Olivia Chance almost doubled the lead when her long-range effort hit the crossbar, but Salmon’s goal was enough to seal the victory.
For Bristol City it was just their second win of the campaign and they leapfrogged the Blues, who slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat, in the table.
Bristol City manager Tanya Oxtoby said: “We asked for a reaction from Monday night and that performance away from home was brilliant. I’m really pleased for the players and the staff.
“We had a game plan to bring her [Ebony Salmon] on for the last 20 to 25 minutes. We know she can cause problems.
“It’s just one of those days where it’s gone exactly as we’d liked. I know she’s frustrated not starting, comes on, does a job and that’s all we can ask.
“It’s been a tough six or seven months and the job’s not done yet. We know what we need to be working towards in terms of our points tally.
“Playing away from home suits us. We sit in behind the ball, we’re compact and got pace and power up top.
“We were always looking to bring Ebony on. We wanted to keep ourselves in the game and she came on at exactly at the right time and did exactly what we wanted.”
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