Man Utd loan star shines on debut in Championship thriller

Manchester United youngster Grace Clinton had a debut to remember for Bristol City at the weekend as her side secured a breathtaking 3-2 win over Coventry United thanks to two stoppage time strikes.

The teenager joined the Robins on loan last week and made an instant impact by coming off the bench to notch a 93rd minute equaliser before Abi Harrison secured all three points for Bristol City with a 97th minute winner. Admitting her debut was a “rollercoaster”, Clinton was introduced to the field just after the hour mark with her side a goal to the good, however, two Coventry goals had them trailing as they headed into stoppage time.

She was shown a yellow card with 10 minutes left on the clock following a collision with the goalkeeper when sliding to meet a cross from 17-year-old Mari Ward.

However, she didn’t have to wait much longer to make a positive impact when she headed home Aimee Palmer’s free kick deep into added time to restore parity before Harrison’s dramatic winner. “When the momentum is not on your side and you have to turn it around you just have to pull things out of the bag and we did that today and showed our character” said Clinton.

“We were down and we were just throwing balls in and I just needed to get my head on it, I did and then Abi got the winner. I was over the moon.”

Clinton, 19, was brought in during the summer transfer window but has yet to make a domestic appearance for the Manchester United and was allowed to head out on loan to the Championship side late last week.

On the move Red Devils head coach Marc Skinner had said: “the loan deal is an excellent opportunity for Grace to play regular minutes in a very competitive league, as part of her long-term development here at Manchester United.”

And he is certain to be delighted with his player’s start in the Championship after sparking her side into life after her introduction to the field in the 63rd minute of the game.

The England youth international came to prominence in the Women’s Super League with Everton, making her senior debut against Aston Villa in October 2020, before signing her first professional contract in April 2021 with the Toffees. She featured eight times in the top tier last season for the Toffees before being snapped up by the club in the summer.