Jess Park set for 100th City appearance | OneFootball

Jess Park is set to become the latest Manchester City player to make 100 appearances for the Club.

The midfielder has been included in Gareth Taylor’s side’s starting XI for our Barclays Women’s Super League trip to Everton this afternoon.

Having progressed through our Academy, the versatile Brough-born midfielder has risen to the fore in the last 18-months to become a regular starter, and an England international.

The 23-year-old made her City debut in December 2017 – coming on as a substitute in a 3-2 Women’s League Cup win over Doncaster Belles – and her maiden goal arrived just over a year later.

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Park netted in a 6-0 win over Sheffield United in the League Cup which she then followed with another strike in the same month when bagging against Aston Villa in a 4-0 triumph in the same competition.

Those goals proved crucial as we went onto win the major honour in 2018/19 before bursting into the spotlight the following term where her performances were rewarded with a first professional contract in the summer of 2020.

WATCH: Classic highlights: City 3-1 Everton 2020

A player who can step up in defining moments despite her youth, she produced a crucial assist for Georgia Stanway in extra-time of our 2020 FA Cup final win over Everton.

In June 2022, she committed her future to the Club when extending her contract to 2026 shortly after claiming the Rising Star award for her exploits across the campaign.

A valuable season-long loan at the Toffees followed, with Park returning to City a more mature and well-rounded player ready to kick on and realise her sparkling potential.

And she has certainly cemented her place in Taylor’s starting XI since the start of last term while also delivering in defining moments.

She provided the assist for Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s strike in our 1-0 win away at Chelsea before scoring twice against Manchester United in a 3-1 success at the Etihad Stadium.

WATCH: Short highlights: City 3-1 Manchester United

Park is set to become the 17th player to reach a City century and the fifth among the current squad alongside Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Laura Coombs and Chloe Kelly.

Elsewhere today at Walton Hall Park, Taylor has made three changes from the team who started our 2-0 Champions League win over St Polten in midweek.

Khiara Keating, Laia Aleixandri and Jill Roord come in for Ayaka Yamashita, Alex Greenwood and Lily Murphy.

With the Netherlands international being deployed in the engine room with Yui Hasegawa and Laura Blindkilde Brown – Park is likely to start on the wings in a frontline also including Aoba Fujino and Mary Fowler.

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And Keating will be protected by a back four of Aleixandri, Kerstin Casparij, Alanna Kennedy and Leila Ouahabi.

City XI: Keating, Casparij, Aleixandri (C), Kennedy, Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Roord, Blindkilde Brown, Park, Fujino, Fowler.

Substitutes: Yamashita, Coombs, Kelly, Prior, Thomas, Murphy, O'Carroll, Davies.

ETIHAD DERBY TICKETS

The next Manchester derby is just over one month away, with City and United facing off at the Etihad Stadium in the Barclays Women's Super League.

Gareth Taylor's side picked up a hat-trick of derby wins last season and will be looking to continue our push for the WSL title on Sunday 19 January, with kick-off set for 18:45 (UK).

Full ticket information can be found here (Buy Man City Women's Tickets). Students can also take advantage of a fantastic offer for the derby, which allows you to bring a friend for just £1 on top of your £10 ticket.

As usual, there will also be plenty of pre-match entertainment outside of the action, including a fanzone, Blue Carpet Experience, and an opportunity watch our Premier League match vs Ipswich Town before kick-off.

Show your support for City and help to keep Manchester blue by securing your ticket today!