Bleazard and Sherwood depart Academy

In the build-up to the 2012 FAWSL season, Bristol Academy have suffered two further losses to their playing squad; midfielders Helen Bleazard and Katie Sherwood leaving the West Country to join rivals Chelsea.

The departures compound a frustrating close-season that has also seen Dutch international star Anouk Hoogendijk return home to former club FC Utrecht, following just a single season in England's top flight.

The trio's migration will leave a gaping hole across the Academy midfield - winger Bleazard was an ever-present in the 2011 Super League campaign while Hoogendijk missed just a single game. Coupled with the international experience all three possess, the Vixens have lost a major part of the successful midfield that helped the club into their debut FA Cup final and European adventure in 2011.

Girl Power!

The summer is supposed to be a time when football fans can have some downtime from the beautiful game, they can calm the frayed nerves of a tense title battle, put away the frustration of an inconsistent mid-table finish or relieve the depression that comes with relegation.

Last year was different, we had the world cup which England dramatically failed in, providing little joy to the national faithful, but if you thought you had some time to enjoy the more gentlemanly sports of cricket and tennis then you'd be wrong, this summer is all about football, women's football.

Come the middle of April the brand new FA Women's Super League kicked off with a bang, 2,510 people turned up at Imperial Fields in Surrey to watch Arsenal Ladies come away with a victory against their Chelsea counterparts. Later on Doncaster beat Liverpool and the next day current league leaders Birmingham thumped Bristol Academy 4-0 and Liverpool drew 3-3 with Everton in an exciting Merseyside derby.

Further on in the season Birmingham beat title favourites Arsenal 2-1, ex-Gunner Karen Carney netting the winner, and they have thus far never looked back, winning all five of their games and conceding just that goal against Arsenal.

Being from the west country there was only one team that I could support in this new league, Bristol Academy. The club was re-branded in 2005, they were formerly the Bristol Rovers Ladies team, a guise under which they have had much success, gaining promotions from the South-West Combination League up to the Women's Premiership and making three WFA Cup semi-finals. Since becoming Bristol Academy they have made two further semis, winning this years clash with Liverpool 3-0, putting them into their first FA Cup final which will be played later this month at Coventry City's Ricoh Arena against those Gunners from Arsenal.

After two away defeats in their first two Super League games Academy have played three consecutive matches at home, Grace McCatty getting a late leveller in the first against Liverpool. Loren Dykes then netted a similarly late goal to give her side their first win against Doncaster Rovers Belles before their most recent game against second placed Chelsea, a game for which I was in attendance.

From minute one under progressively cloudy skies the game was dominated by the home side, wingers Helen Bleazard and Loren Dykes providing constant threat from out wide, attacking midfielder Jess Fishlock popping up everywhere and striker Ann-Marie Heatherson running across the entire frontline to get on the ball. The technical ability of the players is top class, the central midfielders showing a great range of passing, the wide players taking on their full backs with great success while Fishlock and Heatherson showed good positional sense and looked to threaten the Londoner's back line with their movement at every opportunity.

Academy had a great penalty shout turned down in the first half, Chelsea getting away with a handball after the referee deemed the ball had run out of play at the byline. The second half did see a penalty awarded for handball however, Kylie Davies the culpable player, her blushes were spared, though, as Helen Bleazard drove the ball high over the crossbar to see the chance go begging. The same player went on to hit the frame of the goal with another shot later on but Chelsea did have one final chance to undeservedly win the game, Drew Spence thumping a shot off of Siobhan Chamberlain's crossbar at the other end.

It was certainly a game to be at, as well as the assorted members of the press and the usual high ranking club members former England international goalkeeper David James was in attendance. The atmosphere at the ground is family friendly, young children brought along could either choose to watch the game or have a kick about with their friends on the curved end of the athletics track behind one of the goalmouths while there was also face painting for those who wished to join the Academy 'Barmy Smurf Army' and sit in the stands just to one side of the dugouts. There was the usual assortment of food and sweets for fans to indulge in as well as a real ale tent for the adults, everything was catered for.

After the game many of the players mixed with the crowd as they made their way off the pitch, some going off for interviews with the media, not least birthday girl Anouk Hoogendijk, winner of player of the match, and all 371 fans at the game could go away pleased with having watched a good game of football and mixed with their heroines afterwards, as well as mascot Vicky the Vixen.

The league takes a two month break halfway through this month for the Women's World Cup to take place in Germany, aforementioned Bristol goalkeeper Chamberlain looking as though she will be a squad member with Euro 2009 runners-up England. All the games throughout the tournament will be shown live on ESPN, as will England's final warm-up match against Sweden from the Kassam Stadium in Oxford. ESPN have in fact taken the rights to the FAWSL, a weekly highlights show rounds up all the action with live games from the league also being shown sporadically during the remainder of the season.

With a new, professionally marketed league taking shape, a world cup where good progress can be made looming on the horizon and a broadcast partner willing to showcase the women's game to the nations next generation there is no reason why in eight or twelve years time we couldn't see the England Women's team lifting the world cup aloft, and who knows, if we're lucky it may just happen at Wembley.

One things for certain though, HJBSports will definitely be reporting from more Academy games this season!

Chelsea Progress With Illustrious Ease

Chelsea confirmed their safe passage through to the quarter finals of the Champions League with comfort despite the final 0-0 scoreline with FC Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge.

The best chance of the game fell to Didier Drogba at the start of the second half but he volleyed wide while Copenhagen scared as Dame N'Doye struck Petr Cech's upright from a first half free kick and Jon Obi Mikel nodded the ball onto the top of the Danes crossbar.

Despite having 28 attempts on goal Chelsea couldn't find the breakthrough as they were too often wasteful in front of goal, but with the lack of attacking threat coming from the visitors the result never looked in any doubt. Nicolas Anelka always looked threatening and Yuri Zhirkov produced a fine display in the first half before both were subbed off in the second half.

Copenhagen can look back on their campaign as a success, becoming the first Danish team to make the last sixteen and having also earned a 1-1 draw against Barcelona.

The notable exception from the Chelsea starting line up was Fernando Torres, dropped to the bench, explained by Carlo Ancelotti as rotation. There had been much speculation in media circles as to whether the Spaniard to start but the Chelsea boss kept to his pre-match word that he would rotate his side. Nicolas Anelka was the man to come in, partnering Dider Drogba up top.

Jon Obi Mikel started in central midfield despite the threat of a one match ban if he were to receive a yellow card and Branislav Ivanovic was chosen to pair up with John Terry at the heart of the Blues defence.

For Copenhagen Mikael Antonsson overcame injury fears to start at centre back while former Chelsea player Jesper Gronkjaer started up front, sat just off Dame N'Doye.

It was the home side who had the first attempt on goal of the evening, Ashley Cole being slipped in behind the Danish defence and squaring for Lampard who got ahead of the near post and got too much of his boot on the ball, sending it wide of the upright.

Copenhagen's opening opportunity came in the shape of a 19 yard free kick after Vingaard was brought down by Bosingwa, Claudemir was only able to drive the ball straight into the Chelsea wall however.

Didier Droga showed good feet to create space for a shot but his long range effort was easily stopped by Copenhagen keeper Wiland.

On 18 minutes Chelsea produced a fine move to create a chance. Zhirkov poked through for Drogba to head into the area, the Ivorian producing a delightful backheel for Ashley Cole who squared for Zhirkov, only to see the man who started the move push the ball wide of the left hand post.

Not long after it was Anelka who had the chance to put the Londoner's ahead as Ramires played an expansive ball out from the back to Zhirkov who burst towards the opposition area and play Anelka through, the Frenchman finding the angle too tight in the end, Wiland coming out to save.

The display from both Anelka and Drogba in the first twenty minutes vilified Ancelotti's choice to drop Torres to the bench as the frontmen were making dangerous side-to-side runs that had the Danish defence baffled.

Following a John Terry foul just outside the area Dame N'Doye had the chance to line up a free kick. Petr Cech stepped to his left, guessing that was the way the Senegalese striker was going to go. He was, however, left flat footed as the effort went to his other side, rattling the inside of the post and rebounding to safety.

Yuri Zhirkov continued to make incisive runs into the centre of the pitch and he had another chance when Anelka cut back from the byline and pushed the ball across to the Russian who shot wide as he found himself under pressure.

The last ten minutes of the first half went quietly, Chelsea producing a couple of opportunities, though often finding the final ball lacking, while the visitors began to look stretched and often off of the pace of the game.

Despite Chelsea's dominance in the first half the Danish fans in the Shed End were in good voice supporting their boys in pink. Much of the home sides threat came from a left hand side which saw Ashley Cole bombing forward from his wingback position and Yuri Zhirkov cutting inside and causing havoc as Drogba and Anelka ran the opposite direction, cutting across the Copenhagen defence.

The best chance of the game yet fell to Didier Drogba three minutes into the second half, a wonderful in swinging ball from Jose Bosingwa out on the right found the big striker in behind the opposition defence but he could only place his right foot volley wide of the mark.

Drogba was soon involved again, flicking a ball over the top of the Danes backline sending Anelka through but with the angle against him the Frenchman turned back inside and allowed the defenders to get back at him.

Moments later Chelsea had a corner from Lampard which bounced off heads and found its way to Mikel on the corner of the six yard box but he could only head onto the bar under pressure from Jesper Gronkjaer.

Mikael Antonsson, who faced a race to get fit for the game, proved his inclusion was not a mistake as he raced after Nicolas Anelka and with the Chelsea striker looking almost certain to score the defender produced a miraculous sliding challenge to get a block on Anelka's effort.

As the second half wore on Chelsea continued to create without the cutting edge to make a guilt edged chance but with Copenhagen rarely causing any trouble the game was simply rolling on by.

Fernando Torres was eventually called into the fray with 23 minutes left on the clock, he replaced Nicolas Anelka who had had a decent game, using his pace and movement to get behind the Copenhagen back four on numerous occasions. The world cup winners first touch was greeted with great cheers from the home faithful and the shot that came from it, albeit after some weaving, took a deflection that nearly wrong-footed Wiland.

Torres' first clean effort on goal came from a tight angle as he forced himself past Wendt at right back and shot into the hands of Wiland.

Copenhagen finally found a way into the Chelsea penalty area as Dame N'Doye burst at their defence, only to see himself blaze high and wide of the goal when he had two players in the box with him.

Dider Drogba possesses great power in his shooting so the chance he had from a free kick he won himself could, and perhaps should, have resulted in the Copenhagen keeper having to do more than thrust his arms in front of him and taking the ball from the air.

There were long range efforts from Bosingwa, Drogba and Essien within the final ten minutes and finally Frank Lampard tried to set up Fernando Torres for his first Chelsea goal when he would have been better off taking the shot himself.

Chelsea V FC Copenhagen Preview

Chelsea's first leg victory over FC Copenhagen could prove to be a game that turns a faltering season into one which will end with a modicum of success.

The reigning Premier League champions are well off the pace in their domestic title race and were dumped out of the FA Cup by Everton after their FA Cup 4th round replay went to penalties leaving the Champions League, the prize that has continually eluded the club since Roman Abramovich pumped his millions into the club.

Three days after that shoot-out loss the Londoner's travelled to Denmark with manager Carlo Ancelotti under sustained pressure to turn things around and a Nicolas Anelka double sent the Chelsea faithful away with a glimmer of hope, a glimmer that was to grow nearly two weeks later after the clubs next game, a massive clash with league leaders Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

It didn't start too well either, Wayne Rooney driving home from twenty yards to give the visitors a 29th minute lead. It was down to David Luiz to score his first goal for the club and level up the match before Smalling fouled Zhirkov in the area to give Frank Lampard a chance from the spot, the penalty ace obliging with the winner. Off-form Blackpool were next to feel the wraith of a Chelsea machine slowly clicking into gear, Lampard snatching two with John Terry scoring the other in a 3-1 win.

A weekend off due to the FA Cup defeat followed meaning the Blues will go into tonight's game with the Danish champions as fresh as a field of daisies and the comfortable victory in the first leg means that Chelsea shouldn't have to raise their game too high to dispose of the visitors.

But there should be no room for complacency, Copenhagen manager Stale Solbakken has stated his intent by telling the media his team will go out and take the game to their more illustrious opponents.

"It is stupid to go into it defensive when you're behind 2-0.

"If we score they will be nervous. I can guarantee that. The key to the game is who scores the first goal.

"If we do, it will be the inverted psychology no matter how Chelsea has prepared for the game."

His side have also played two league games since the first leg, initially losing to FC Midtjylland, their only league defeat thus far this season, before claiming victory over Aalborg thanks to a Christian Bolanos goal. It looks as though the club will retain their league title while they have shown that they are no mugs in European competition either, claiming two wins over Panathinaikos and one over Rubin Kazan in the group stage as well as earning a 1-1 draw against the might of Barcelona.

In team news Alex will not be ready to return to the Chelsea squad due to a knee injury while Yossi Benayoun is still out with a long term injury.

For Copenhagen Zdenek Pospech is suspended having been booked in the first leg. Fellow defender Mikael Antonsson is out with a muscle injury.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has come out and said that he will rotate the team for tonight's game, a huge game at home to Manchester City coming up on Sunday. The Italian said:

"I want to rotate in this game, I didn't choose the team for tomorrow but I want to use rotation because we have all the players fit and I want to use all the players to prepare for these two games with Copenhagen and Manchester City.

"My best team is not just 11 players. I am happy in this moment because all the players are fit, Alex came back to train today in good condition and is ready for the next game, Benayoun will come back to train maybe Thursday or Friday with the team, so every player is fit and in good condition.

"This is a fantastic moment for us to have all the players fit and we want to maintain motivation for everyone, to have all the players fit in the next games of the Premier League and Champions League."

Chelsea fans will hope for a smooth passage through to the quarter final to join both Manchester United and Tottenham as English representatives in the last eight, but Copenhagen will come out and look to force the pace and if they get an early goal, well, let's not go there just yet.

HJBSports Twitter feed will keep you up to date with the goals and key moments from tonight's tie and look out for our match report that will be up shortly afterwards.