Bristol finished sixth in the FA Women's Super League (WSL) competition this season but it wasn't an easy season by any means. 

Speaking with UK television station Channel 4, Oxtoby opened up about her first season with Bristol.

"It's been a really tough 12 months, I think when I first came in we were probably at our lowest point in terms of being organised and ready for a season," she said.

"So for us to have a squad now that is still around, competing at the highest level, that we can add to, that's probably been our greatest achievement."

While finishing mid-table in the top league in the country is always a great feat, looking at the table it dawns upon you that there is a big gap.

Clubs such as Manchester City have the advantage of having a fulltime squad and paid a high-level salary for the competition. Top earners in the league can pocket AUD$64,437 a season.

There is a salary cap in place but it's not one W-League fans would be used too. Basically, all clubs can use only 40 per cent of their turnovers on the wage bill so if teams can attract more sponsors and bigger crowds, their cap will go up to reflect that.

Speaking about the gap between the clubs who had money and those who don't, Oxtoby said it was huge.

"I'd be lying if I sat here and said it wasn't but that means we need to be really creative with what we do have and try to offer a performance environment for the players that are in a position to not access things at higher clubs, I think that's really important," she said.