Club: Bristol City
Position: Forward
Price: £8.0m
Last Season Points: 98
Hardy’s £8 Million Price Looks Like Good Business
Rio Hardy showed her quality in the 2025/26 Barclays Women’s Super League 2 campaign, and the Bristol City striker has potential to bring in big Fantasy points again this season.
Hardy had her best-ever BWSL2 campaign last term, scoring 10 goals and making one assist in just 18 starts. The English striker has also been a consistent goal threat across her last two campaigns and appears to be a good value pick at £8 million in any 2026/27 Fantasy team.
Hardy Flourishing for Front Foot Bristol City
Bristol City had a strong first season under Charlotte Healy, as she led the Robins to a respectable fourth-place finish in the BWSL2.
City also impressed with their style of play and strong attacking and creative output. They were the highest-scoring BWSL2 side, with 47 goals from 22 matches, averaging over two goals per game. Healy’s team also generated the second most Big Chances (50) and Big Chances Missed (24) in the league.
Hardy and her former attacking partner Lexi Lloyd-Smith benefitted from Bristol City’s attacking approach and scored a combined 21 goals.
However, Lloyd-Smith’s departure to newly promoted BWSL side Crystal Palace this summer has created a big opportunity for Hardy to lead the City line in 2026/27.
The Robins have retained their key creators for the upcoming season, too. Emily Syme made nine assists from midfield last season, while Sophie Ingle set up four goals and created 27 chances across the season.
With a settled first team and a front-foot approach, expect Hardy to get goalscoring opportunities, and points, in the BWSL2 Fantasy this season.
A consistent goalscoring threat
Hardy has shown her attacking quality in the past two seasons and is a consistent threat in front of goal.
Before joining Bristol City in 2025, Hardy scored 23 goals and made 10 assists for Rangers in the 2024/25 Scottish Women’s Premier League.
The English striker carried confidence and momentum into the BWSL2 last season. Hardy hit the ground running early in the previous campaign, netting five goals in her first nine league outings, including braces in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle and a 7-0 triumph against Ipswich.
The 30-year-old also ended last season positively and scored in her final two appearances against Newcastle and Sheffield United. Ultimately, as Bristol City’s leading striker, Hardy will target momentum and another fast start in 2026/27.
2025/26 Performance - Big Impact in BWSL2
- Goals -10
- Assists - 1
- Penalty Goals - 2
- Appearances - 21
- Starts - 18
- Shots - 43
- Shots Per 90 - 2.5
Opening 5 Fixtures
Bristol City have three away fixtures in their opening five games of the BWSL2 campaign. This will be welcome news to Hardy, who scored most of her goals on the road in 2025/26, with six goals in 11 matches.
The Robins will also target maximum points against BWSL2 newcomers Watford and Burnley, while Healy’s attacking side will seek goals against a Sunderland side that conceded 35 goals last season.
- Sunderland vs Bristol City (A) - Sunday, September 6
- Bristol City vs Newcastle (H) - Saturday, September 12
- Watford vs Bristol City (A) - Sunday, September 20
- Burnley vs Bristol City (A) - Saturday, September 26
- Bristol City vs Southampton (H) - Sunday, October 4
