LEASOWE PROMOTED WITH A DOUBLE-WHAMMY
The story of the Northern Division’s 1992-93 season was its extraordinary and unique, goal-filled climax.
In a one-day double-header, Leasowe Pacific (re-named Everton in 1995) claimed the title and promotion by twice smashing bottom club Milton Keynes 11-0 in matches that both lasted only 60 minutes.
The extremely unusual end to the campaign was forced on the two clubs as Sunday, 30 May was the cut-off date to complete all fixtures – and the rest of the division’s teams had each finished theirs.
And so it was that Leasowe, in their first season of WFA National League football after stepping up from the North West Women’s League, travelled to MK with the title already in their grasp.
They were top of the table, level on points with second-placed Nottingham Argyle but with a vastly superior goal difference.
And in any case, against a Milton Keynes side which had shipped 128 goals in their previous 17 matches, there was no real chance of Leasowe slipping up – particularly with the dynamic duo of Gayle ‘Fez’ Formston and Louise Thomas on the hunt for goals.
Between them the strike partners hit 11 of the 22 shots that flew into the MK net during the two 60-minute matches.
Recalling what was a most unconventional occasion in women’s league history, Formston said: “We’d had quite a few postponements over the course of the season and just ran out of time to finish all our games, but to finish off the way we had to was bizarre!
“It was weird playing back-to-back matches in those sort of circumstances. But we just went down there, did what we had to do and finished off with another load of goals.”
Leasowe’s final-day load of goals took their haul to 100 in the 18-match League season, the first game of which having signalled what was to come with a 6-2 drubbing of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Formston and Thomas both hit hat-tricks in that game, their team’s Northern Division bow, and by the end of the campaign Formston had hit 30 League goals (42 in all competitions) and Thomas 36 (51 in all competitions).
“It was a fantastic season for us,” said Formston, who was just 17 when she signed for the club ahead of that 1992-93 campaign.
“At the start I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she added. Leasowe had turned down the chance to play in the National League the year before, they’d lost one or two key players in the meantime and it was my first season as a Leasowe player.
“But we hit the ground running and it was like a dream to play with Louise. We worked together up front really well, but it wasn’t just about our goals – we had a very good midfield and defence behind us and we thoroughly deserved to win the League that season.”
While Leasowe were enjoying their promotion to the top flight, Milton Keynes were on their way out of the National League – they decided not to contest a relegation/promotion play-off with Kidderminster Harriers and were dropped from the League in favour of Harriers.
Meanwhile Sunderland, who had finished second bottom of the table, resigned from the League and were set to be replaced by Luton Town.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leasowe Pacific | 18 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 21 | 33 | +79 |
| 2 | Nottingham Argyle | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 73 | 23 | 29 | +60 |
| 3 | Abbeydale | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 62 | 20 | 25 | +42 |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 18 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 68 | 29 | 20 | +39 |
| 5 | St Helens | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 67 | 49 | 19 | +18 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 52 | 37 | 17 | +15 |
| 7 | Villa Aztecs | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 47 | 45 | 17 | +2 |
| 8 | Cowgate Kestrels | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 32 | 52 | 15 | -19 |
| 9 | Sunderland | 18 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 19 | 103 | 4 | -88 |
| 10 | Milton Keynes | 18 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 | 150 | 1 | -142 |
WFA NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE NORTH RESULTS 1992-93
13/9/1992
Abbeydale Alvechurch 3-2 Villa Aztecs
Milton Keynes 0-4 St Helens
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Nottingham Argyle
20/9/1992
Leasowe Pacific 6-2 Wolverhampton
St Helens 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Villa Aztecs 5-2 Milton Keynes
27/9/1992
Abbeydale Alvechurch 2-0 Leasowe Pacific
Milton Keynes 2-6 Sunderland
Villa Aztecs 5-3 St Helens
Wolverhampton 1-4 Nottingham Argyle
11/10/1992
Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 Wolverhampton
St Helens 4-1 Cowgate Kestrels
Sunderland 0-3 Villa Aztecs
25/10/1992
Abbeydale Alvechurch 3-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Milton Keynes 1-2 Nottingham Argyle
Sunderland 2-11 St Helens
Villa Aztecs 1-6 Leasowe Pacific
Wolverhampton 6-1 Cowgate Kestrels
8/11/1992
Cowgate Kestrels 1-6 Abbeydale Alvechurch
Nottingham Argyle 6-1 Villa Aztecs
St Helens 3-2 Wolverhampton
15/11/1992
Leasowe Pacific 7-1 St Helens
Milton Keynes 2-2 Cowgate Kestrels
Sunderland 1-4 Nottingham Argyle
Villa Aztecs 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday
22/11/1992
Sheffield Wednesday 11-1 Sunderland
29/11/1992
Nottingham Argyle 1-4 Leasowe Pacific
St Helens 2-1 Abbeydale Alvechurch
Wolverhampton 9-0 Milton Keynes
6/12/1992
Milton Keynes 1-12 Nottingham Argyle
10/1/1993
Leasowe Pacific 5-0 Cowgate Kestrels
Nottingham Argyle 4-2 Sheffield Wednesday
St Helens 10-0 Milton Keynes
17/1/1993
Milton Keynes 0-6 Villa Aztecs
Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 St Helens
Sunderland 0-1 Abbeydale Alvechurch
Wolverhampton 2-2 Leasowe Pacific
24/1/1993
Milton Keynes 1-4 Abbeydale Alvechurch
Nottingham Argyle 4-3 St Helens
31/1/1993
Leasowe Pacific 3-1 Abbeydale Alvechurch
Nottingham Argyle 1-0 Wolverhampton
St Helens 5-2 Villa Aztecs
7/2/1993
Abbeydale Alvechurch 1-1 Nottingham Argyle
Villa Aztecs 9-0 Sunderland
Wolverhampton 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday
14/2/1993
Cowgate Kestrels 0-4 Wolverhampton
Leasowe Pacific 5-0 Villa Aztecs
Nottingham Argyle 16-0 Milton Keynes
Sheffield Wednesday 9-2 Abbeydale Alvechurch
St Helens 10-1 Sunderland
21/2/1993
Abbeydale Alvchurch 3-0 Cowgate Kestrels
Milton Keynes 0-9 Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland 1-10 Leasowe Pacific
Villa Aztecs 1-2 Nottingham Argyle
Wolverhampton 2-4 St Helens
28/2/1993
Nottingham Argyle 7-1 Sunderland
St Helens 1-5 Leasowe Pacific
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Villa Aztecs
7/3/1993
Abbeydale Alvechurch 5-1 St Helens
Villa Aztecs 1-1 Cowgate Kestrels
Milton Keynes 1-9 Wolverhampton
14/3/1993
Abbeydale Alvechurch 12-0 Milton Keynes
Cowgate Kestrels 4-1 Sunderland
Sheffield Wednesday 2-3 Leasowe Pacific
St Helens 0-2 Nottingham Argyle
Villa Aztecs 0-2 Wolverhampton
21/3/1993
Cowgate Kestrels 3-3 St Helens
Leasowe Pacific 3-0 Nottingham Argyle
Sheffield Wednesday 17-0 Milton Keynes
Sunderland 0-2 Wolverhampton
Villa Aztecs 3-1 Abbeydale Alvechurch
28/3/1993
Cowgate Kestrels 1-6 Nottingham Argyle
Sheffield Wednesday 11-1 Sunderland
1/4/1993
Wolverhampton 2-2 Abbeydale Alvechurch
4/4/1993
Cowgate Kestrels 4-6 Leasowe Pacific
Nottingham Argyle 2-1 Abbeydale Alvchurch
15/4/1993
Wolverhampton 2-4 Villa Aztecs
18/4/1993
Nottingham Argyle 0-2 Cowgate Kestrels
Wolverhampton 6-0 Sunderland
23/4/1993
Abbeydale Alvechurch 6-0 Wolverhampton
25/4/1993
Cowgate Kestrels 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Leasowe Pacific 9-1 Sunderland
2/5/1993
Leasowe Pacific 5-2 Sheffield Wednesday
8/5/1993
Cowgate Kestrels 5-1 Villa Aztecs
16/5/1993
Abbeydale Alvechurch 5-0 Sunderland
23/5/1993
Abbeydale Alvechurch 6-0 Wolverhampton
30/5/1993
Milton Keynes 11-0 Leasowe Pacific
