Report: Bristol City 1-1 Charlton Athletic.

Bristol City were held to a 1-1 draw by Charlton Athletic at Ashton Gate.

The Robins had gone ahead through an own-goal in the first half, but Katie Bradley’s strike just after half-time levelled the scores and neither side were able to find a winner.

Steve Kirby made one change to the eleven that started the last league game at Newcastle, with Mari Ward making way for Ella Powell at wing-back.

After an uneventful opening ten minutes, the game sparked into life when Lexi Lloyd-Smith’s cross was swept goalwards by Emily Syme, who forced a superb point-blank save from Sophie Whitehouse.

Syme was then involved again, whipping a dangerous cross towards the back post, where Powell rose highest, but her header looped onto the roof of the net.

The game began to open up and Syme did exceptionally well to beat her defender for pace on the right-hand side, before teeing up Lloyd-Smith, whose audacious backheel was held by Whitehouse.

City took the lead when Amy Rodgers’ header from a corner was headed against the post by a Charlton defender, before the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line by the officials.

A scramble in the box almost led to The Robins doubling their lead just over a minute into the second half but Sille Struck was unable to steer home from close range.

Fran Bentley was called into action not long after, saving comfortably from Melisa Felis’ effort.

Charlton equalised on 51 minutes when Bradley’s long-range strike nestled into the bottom corner.

Mari Ward and Tianna Teisar were introduced just after the hour mark as City looked to find a winner.

Appeals for a City penalty were waived away after Rodgers was upended in the box, before Lloyd-Smith’s goal-bound effort was blocked from point-blank range.

The Robins were let off the hook when Hutton whipped a superb ball across the face of the six-yard box, but no-one in a Charlton shirt was there to finish.

Struck inadvertently headed Bradley’s free-kick towards her own goal but was saved by the foot of the post.

Ward floated a cross deep into the box and Whitehouse lost control of the ball, dropping it into the path of Teisar, who couldn’t quite profit.

STARTING XI: Bentley (GK), Bennett, Struck (O’Leary 90’), Mustaki (Simpson 78’), Powell (Ward 67’), Meena, Rodgers (Thestrup 78’), Napier (c), Syme, Lloyd-Smith, Morgan (Teisar 67’). Substitutes: Burns (GK), Woolley.