LCFC Women’s 2020/21 Review: February
Promotion from the FA Women’s Championship was always the main target of the campaign, but after beating Crystal Palace in the last eight of the Continental Tyres League Cup, the Foxes had a semi-final to prepare for.
It was uncharted territory for Leicester, who, having never reached this stage of the competition before, had already made history before a ball was kicked against Bristol City.
And in their first semi-final appearance, it was always going to be a tall order for the last remaining second tier team to overcome a Barclays FA Women’s Super League outfit away from home.
Bristol City Women 1 LCFC Women 0
LCFC Women were defeated 1-0 by Bristol City in the Continental Tyres League Cup Semi-Finals at Twerton Park.
Although underdogs, the visiting Foxes gave as good as they got at Twerton Park. They would fall agonisingly short, however, as Kiera Skeels managed to get in front of her marker and head Ebony Salmon’s cross past Kirstie Levell, despite the best efforts of Sophie Barker to clear it off the line.
Late chances came and went for Leicester, including when Millie Farrow was inches away from connecting with Esmee De Graaf’s centre, but the League Cup run finally came to an end for the Foxes.
Returning to league action, February would end on a positive note as Hannah Cain scored on her full debut to hand her side a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Farley Way Stadium.
LCFC Women 1 Crystal Palace Women 0
Extended highlights from the Foxes' 1-0 victory over Palace at Farley Way.
Forward Shannon O’Brien was also making her Foxes bow following her January arrival from Coventry United and had a hand in the only goal of the game.
Lachante Paul chased onto O’Brien’s pass down the right, getting to the byline and finding former Everton forward Cain, who swept the ball home on the half-volley 35 minutes into her first appearance at Farley Way Stadium.
You could see what it meant to Cain and her team-mates to have found the net, and it proved to be a hugely significant strike, ensuring the Foxes put another three points on the board with an eighth consecutive league victory.
City remained at the Championship’s summit with six games to play, level on points with second-placed Durham, despite playing a game less than the Wildcats, ahead of facing their closest challengers in March.