Sunderland 2 Bristol Academy 1

Midfielder Rachel Furness says Sunderland are overjoyed by their start to the FA WSL 1 season after claiming their second win in three games.

Last season’s FA WSL 2 champions fell behind when Furness gave away possession and Angharad James powered in from 20 yards.

But Brooke Chaplen levelled straight after the restart before Furness atoned for her earlier error with the winner.

“If you asked us at the start of the season after playing Liverpool, Manchester City and Bristol how many points we would have had I don’t think we would have said six,” said Furness.

“We aim to get as many points as we can and we’ve had a great start and hopefully we can take that into the next game.

“I don’t think we were brilliant but we did dominate the game. We made a good start, we were on the front foot and we were unlucky to be 1-0 down.

“That error from myself, a lack of concentration, was disappointing but I’m just thankful that we pulled it back and come away with three points.

“Bristol are a physical side who are fighting as much as we are. We’re the underdogs in this league so we’re a fighting team and we’re determined to get the three points and we’ve come away with that so we’re happy.”

By contrast to Sunderland, Bristol have found the going tough so far and are winless after three league games.

But James did hit the club’s first league goal of the season and said: “We’re still positive. We know that good things will happen. It will take time, we’ve got a completely different team this year, a completely different squad and we are playing a completely different way.

“If we get that win I think it will set us off so we’ve got to keep working on the training ground and go again next week.

“In the first half we competed, but in the second half we went missing. I don’t know what happened. We just dropped the intensity and it wasn’t a good half from myself and the team.

"I think we weren’t moving the ball quick enough. We were too slow on the ball, taking too many touches and that all takes its toll in the end. It was the team performance and we mentally switched off after that first goal they scored after a minute. After that we dropped our heads which you should never do.”

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