Bristol City manager Tanya Oxtoby believes her side still have ‘a lot to play for’ despite their damaging defeat to Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

Although it is close at the bottom of the table, City are the only club this season not to have secured a win and were humiliated in a 4-0 loss to Villa last night as they failed to lift themselves off the bottom of the Women’s Super League table.

But while many fear for their chances of avoiding the drop, Oxtoby remains optimistic.

She told the club website: "Credit to Villa I thought they were excellent in terms of managing the game and that’s an area we need to improve on. We did have a load of the ball and got into the final third but we weren’t clinical enough when we got in there. 

"Villa had four or five shots on goal and they’ve scored four times. That’s the beauty of football, there’s another game. We can be disappointed over the next 24 hours and reflect but we need to go again on Sunday.  

"It’s a marathon, not a sprint and we have a lot to play for still. We go again on Sunday."

Villa’s 4-0 victory over Bristol City meant they moved from 11th to ninth, meaning City’s game against West Ham this weekend is another bottom of the table clash.

If City beat the Hammers they will move out of 12th place for the first time this season.