Bristol City have signed Laura Rafferty on a season-long loan from Brighton.

The Northern Ireland international joined Brighton in 2017 and has played 30 times for them.

“I’ve been working really hard throughout pre-season to get myself ready for the start of the season and the opportunity came about for me to get some more football and come to Bristol City, and it was a no brainer," she said.

“Having spoken to Tanya [Oxtoby], the club seems like a great fit for me with the philosophy of the club and how they want to play on the pitch, but also the environment that they have built off it."

Manager Oxtoby added: “She brings with her a wealth of experience and football knowledge having earned 27 caps for Northern Ireland, as well as plying her trade at Barclays FAWSL level for a number of years.

“We have needed to strengthen at the back given the long-term injuries we sustained last year, and I feel Laura will add real quality and depth to our defensive options and will be another great leader on and off the pitch for our young squad.”

City’s WSL campaign gets underway today with a home fixture against Everton.