Matt Beard's savage half-time team talk helped guide Bristol City to vital WSL point

Matt Beard says a half-time rollocking had the desired effect as Bristol City Women battled back to a crucial 2-2 draw with Aston Villa.

The Vixens are fighting for their lives in the Women’s Super League and looked set to sink to its bottom as they fell 2-0 behind in Walsall.

Beard read the riot act after a poor first half and his second-half substitutions did the trick too, with subs Faye Bryson and Ella Mastrantonio scoring to rescue a point.

“For the first time since I’ve been here, I raised my voice at half time,” said Beard.

“We didn’t exploit the spaces that we knew we could exploit but, in the second half, when we were going forward, back and then switching it out, that’s when they became stretched and that’s where the goal came from.

“We went into our shell after that early goal because we’d started brightly. We could have maybe gone in front ourselves early on but the players deserve an enormous amount of credit for getting themselves back in the game and getting a point.”

Bristol City made the worst possible start when defender Meghan Sargeant saw a loose ball from Sophie Baggaley’s save deflect off her and in after three minutes.

Nat Haigh then rose highest and Beard’s side were staring down the barrel of a third successive defeat.

"The first half was probably the most disappointed I’ve been since I’ve been here because we didn’t do the bare basics of our game, the bare fundamentals, which is frustrating,” he said.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Faye Bryson of Bristol City celebrates with team mate Carla Humphrey of Bristol City after scoring their side'es first goal during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Aston Villa Women and Bristol City Women at on April 24, 2021 in Birmingham, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“We did it in the second half. We caused them problems. It just looked like, to me, in the first half they wanted it more and you can’t allow that to happen when you’re in a relegation battle.

“But the second half performance was good and it was a great way to end the game for us.”

Bristol City will hope to carry that momentum into the penultimate game of the season next weekend against Manchester United.

United beat them 6-1 in the reverse fixture, so they are likely to need a positive result on the final day of the season against Brighton to secure survival.

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