Barcelona Champions League Anniversary Special #1 - Tash Harding

10 years ago this November, Bristol Academy WFC beat Barcelona in
the UEFA Women's Champions League. Bristol Academy - the Vixens -
were established in 2005 and became founder members of the WSL in
2011. In the club's short history, we punched well above our
weight: twice FA Cup finalists (2011 and 2013) and WSL runners-up
in 2013. The Vixens also qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions
League twice. In 2011 we got knocked out in the first round. In
2014 Bristol Academy reached the quarter-finals, losing to
eventual winners Frankfurt, but beating Barcelona along the way.
That's right, Bristol Academy beat Barcelona! This special
commemorative edition of the Bristol City Vixencast celebrates
the 2014 Champions League cup run. Across two episodes, released
on the anniversaries of the 1st and 2nd legs, we reflect on the
significance of Academy's achievements - always the underdog,
always fighting together, against the odds, to win a match no one
thought we could. We talked with Tash Harding, Bristol Academy's
rapid winger and foremost forward threat. In our second episode
we spoke with Nikki Watts, who held it together to score that
penalty which won us the tie. These conversations are much more
than a trip down memory lane, they are a refusal to forget the
foundations of top-level women's football in Bristol. They are a
refusal to forget when Bristol Academy beat Barcelona in the
Champions League. ** Many thanks to Tash Harding and Nikki Watts
for sharing their memories with us. Thanks also to Ed Hadwin and
BBC Radio Bristol for allowing us to use the commentary from the
match, which captures the electric atmosphere, euphoria and
noise. Props also to Annie Heatherson, for some amazing co-comms.
Vixens 'til we die


Watch match highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGiJwTbrsa4 Interview with Dave
Edmundson and Nikki Watts:
https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/021b-0e15b6e1cf52-28ebfc46e267-1000--watts-on-how-bristol-eliminated-barcelona/