Bristol City Head Coach Lauren Smith has been awarded Barclays Women’s Championship Manager of the Month trophy for February by the LMA Panel.

Bristol City earned seven points through February, including a draw against Blackburn and two wins against Lewes and London City Lionesses. The result in the top of the table clash, against the latter, enabled Smith's team to close the gap on their rivals in their push for promotion.

On receiving the Manager of the Month trophy Smith said: “Our performances on the pitch have spoken for themselves recently, but it’s always nice to receive recognition.

“This award is for the whole team of staff who have been working tirelessly to get us into the position we’re in and I’m pleased to be able to collect it for them all.”

Chair of the League Managers Association panel Faye White MBE added: “February was an extremely important month for Lauren and her team. Defensively, Bristol City has performed the best in the league this season and the two clean sheets against Blackburn and Lewes allowed them to get two important results.

“But it was the top of the table victory against London City which has put them in the driving seat for promotion, ahead of the return fixture in March which will be really exciting to watch.”

The LMA panel for the monthly awards involves six highly experienced individuals with specialist knowledge of the women’s game and football management, including Faye White MBE (Former England International Captain and LMA Technical Advisor), Alan Curbishley (LMA Board Member and LMA Manager of the Year 1999/2000), Brent Hills (LMA Member and Technical Mentor), Mollie Kmita (Presenter and Host of Barclays Women's Championship Show), Mo Marley MBE (LMA Member), and Jen O’Neill (Editor of She Kicks - women's football magazine).