Brown relishing Ashton Gate opportunity

Wednesday, September 4th 2019

With pre-season complete, the wait for City Women’s Barclays WSL season opener at Ashton Gate is nearly over.

Brighton & Hove Albion head to BS3 this Saturday (3pm KO) where Tanya Oxtoby’s side will host for the first time since 2017.

And Scottish international defender Frankie Brown is excited to kick-off her sixth season in City colours at the Gate.

“I can’t wait,” she told the club website. “It’s going to be very exciting. It’s been a good pre-season, it’s been a long one but we’ve done good prep, we’ve covered what we’ve needed to cover and now it’s a waiting game until the 7th.

“It’s exciting for us, it’s the first time we’ve played here since the new stands went up and finished to its high spec. I think the girls are relishing that opportunity. It’s a world-class stadium, the pitch is fab. We’re all incredibly excited by it.”

City Women hope for a big crowd to support them in BS3 against Brighton, which can only encourage a strong start to their 2019/20 campaign. But it’s also an opportunity to build their fanbase and spread people’s awareness of the women’s game.

Brown said: “These things are brilliant, but it can’t be a one-off spectacle! We want the interest which we have generated from a big game week in, week out at our home pitch so that is hopefully we can build a bigger fanbase on the back of the Ashton Gate game.”

“These things are brilliant, but it can’t be a one-off spectacle! We want the interest which we have generated from a big game week in, week out at our home pitch so that is hopefully we can build a bigger fanbase on the back of the Ashton Gate game.”

Frankie Brown

Brown heads into a new season alongside manager Oxtoby, who herself is set for her second campaign in charge.

Brown said: “I think Tanya is brilliant, I really enjoy working with Tanya and she gets the people-management side of things.”

The defender added: “She’s been huge to the development, she was hugely influential last season in our sixth-place finish. Hopefully we can use that as a springboard into next season and improve on that. It can’t be a one-off and Tanya won’t want that to happen either.

“She’s been able to have a whole pre-season, bring in the players she wants and it will be exciting.”

Bristol City Women will take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Ashton Gate Stadium on Saturday, September 7th (3pm) and tickets are available here.

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