Charlton goal scorer and player of the match Kit Graham said she was “lost for words” as her side came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers at Bramall Lane.
The Addicks fell behind to an early Lynda Shepherd penalty in what was a fast and fraught opening ten minutes but once the game settled down Graham’s side started to get a foothold in the game.
With Charlton trailing 1-0 five minutes before half-time, Graham planted a header past Danielle Hill to level the score.
It was less than five minutes after Graham had equalised that Georgia Griffin headed Charlton into a surprise half-time lead and the striker says it was all about keeping calm and remaining level-headed during the break.
“In the past we might have crumbled but this season we’ve not failed to score in any game,” she said.
“The message from the gaffer was to calm ourselves down and play our football. We have a set way of playing and we executed that for both of our goals.”
Graham said it was a “credit to the team” that they came out after the break and limited Gemma Donnelly’s side to only half chances, but Rovers did hit the bar with just a few minutes remaining and relied on some good defending at times to maintain their lead.
Charlton made life difficult for themselves when Charlotte Gurr missed a 90th minute penalty and a chance to drain away any nerves but they clung on to secure victory.
And Graham admits it’s an “emotional” time as the club prepare for the 2018/19 campaign as champions.
“This means everything because it’s what we work hard for all season. Credit to the girls for their efforts and credit to the management for helping us,” Graham added.
“I’m a bit emotional really, I can’t put it into words.”