GUNNERS ON TARGET AGAIN TO REGAIN LEAGUE TITLE
Arsenal bounced back from their most disappointing season since the 1991 start of the Women’s Premier League to reclaim the title in commanding style.
The Gunners had drawn a blank in 1995-96, the first in which they had not lifted at least one major trophy – and which had followed a League and FA Cup double in 1994-95.
They did not make the most auspicious of starts to the 1996-97 campaign, losing 1-0 to eventual runners-up Doncaster Belles in their opening day fixture and then, after wins against Liverpool and Ilkeston, being held to a 1-1 draw by Wembley.
But after dropping those four points from their first four matches, they won 14 in succession to finish eight points clear of the Belles and become champions for the third time in five seasons.
Celebrations were rightly in order as the League trophy was collected, but the Gunners were set for tougher times in the League during the final few years of the 20th century.
With improving teams such as Everton and Croydon adding to the continuing threat of perennial title-chasers Donny Belles, it would be 2001 before Arsenal were again able to call themselves Women’s Premier League champions.
Meanwhile getting relegated from the National Division at the end of the 1996-97 season were Southampton Saints and bottom club Ilkeston Town.
Ilkeston had been in the top flight since the League’s inaugural season, playing first as Nottingham Rangers, then Stanton Town Rangers and then Ilkeston Town Rangers before dropping ‘Rangers’ from their title ahead of their ill-fated 1996-97 campaign.
For Saints it was an immediate demotion following the previous year’s promotion – but just 12 months later, in yo-yo fashion, they were back after once more topping the Southern Division.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | GD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 18 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 65 | 9 | 49 | +56 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Doncaster Belles | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 44 | 15 | 41 | +29 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Croydon | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 26 | 31 | +13 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Liverpool | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 16 | 30 | +14 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Millwall Lionesses | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 19 | 27 | +1 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Everton | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 36 | 36 | 27 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Wembley | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 26 | 27 | 22 | -1 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Tranmere Rovers | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 48 | 12 | -25 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Southampton Saints | 18 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 16 | 61 | 9 | -45 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Ilkeston Town | 18 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 56 | 7 | -42 | ||||||||||
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION RESULTS 1996-97
1/9/1996
Croydon 1-0 Liverpool
Doncaster Belles 1-0 Arsenal
Southampton Saints 0-2 Millwall Lionesses
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Ilkeston Town
Wembley 2-1 Everton
14/9/1996
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
15/9/1996
Croydon 3-3 Tranmere Rovers
Everton 4-1 Southampton Saints
Ilkeston Town 0-4 Doncaster Belles
Millwall Lionesses 1-1 Wembley
22/9/1996
Arsenal 4-0 Ilkeston Town
Croydon 2-2 Everton
Doncaster Belles 0-1 Millwall Lionesses
Southampton Saints 1-6 Liverpool
Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Wembley
6/10/1996
Everton 0-4 Doncaster Belles
Ilkeston Town 0-3 Croydon
Liverpool 0-0 Millwall Lionesses
Tranmere Rovers 4-1 Southampton Saints
Wembley 1-1 Arsenal
13/10/1996
Arsenal 4-2 Tranmere Rovers
Croydon 5-2 Doncaster Belles
Liverpool 0-0 Ilkeston Town
Millwall Lionesses 3-0 Everton
Southampton Saints 0-3 Wembley
20/10/1996
Everton 1-5 Arsenal
Ilkeston Town 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Doncaster Belles
Southampton Saints 0-2 Croydon
Wembley 1-1 Liverpool
27/10/1996
Doncaster Belles 1-0 Wembley
3/11/1996
Arsenal 7-0 Southampton Saints
Croydon 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
Doncaster Belles 1-0 Liverpool
Everton 4-0 Tranmere Rovers
Ilkeston Town 1-7 Wembley
10/11/1996
Everton 3-1 Liverpool
Southampton Saints 2-3 Ilkeston Town
1/12/1996
Doncaster Belles 4-1 Ilkeston Town
Tranmere Rovers 2-4 Croydon
Southampton Saints 2-5 Everton
8/12/1996
Arsenal 3-2 Doncaster Belles
Everton 1-1 Croydon
Liverpool 1-0 Southampton Saints
Wembley 1-3 Tranmere Rovers
15/12/1996
Croydon 2-0 Southampton Saints
Liverpool 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
19/1/1997
Ilkeston Town 1-4 Southampton Saints
26/1/1997
Liverpool 4-1 Croydon
Southampton Saints 0-9 Arsenal
Wembley 0-0 Ilkeston Town
9/2/1997
Arsenal 3-0 Wembley
Croydon 6-0 Ilkeston Town
Doncaster Belles 0-0 Everton
Millwall Lionesses 0-2 Liverpool
23/2/1997
Doncaster Belles 6-0 Southampton Saints
Millwall Lionesses 0-4 Arsenal
2/3/1997
Tranmere Rovers 0-5 Liverpool
16/3/1997
Doncaster Belles 4-1 Croydon
Millwall Lionesses 0-0 Ilkeston Town
19/3/1997
Arsenal 2-1 Croydon
23/3/1997
Ilkeston Town 0-3 Arsenal
Southampton Saints 1-4 Doncaster Belles
Wembley 0-3 Croydon
30/3/1997
Ilkeston Town 2-3 Everton
Southampton Saints 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
6/4/1997
Croydon 0-2 Arsenal
Everton 1-3 Wembley
Ilkeston Town 1-3 Tranmere Rovers
Liverpool 1-2 Doncaster Belles
Millwall Lionesses 2-1 Southampton Saints
8/4/1997
Millwall Lionesses 0-0 Croydon
13/4/1997
Wembley 0-1 Doncaster Belles
17/4/1997
Doncaster Belles 5-1 Tranmere Rovers
Wembley 0-2 Millwall Lionesses
20/4/1997
Arsenal 4-1 Everton
Liverpool 3-1 Wembley
24/4/1997
Wembley 0-2 Southampton Saints
25/4/1997
Ilkeston Town 0-3 Liverpool
26/4/1997
Millwall Lionesses 0-0 Doncaster Belles
27/4/1997
Arsenal 3-0 Liverpool
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Millwall Lionesses
Croydon 2-3 Wembley
28/4/1997
Liverpool 2-0 Everton
29/4/1997
Arsenal 6-0 Millwall Lionesses
11/4/1997
Everton 1-0 Millwall Lionesses
2/5/1997
Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Everton
5/5/1997
Tranmere Rovers 0-3 Arsenal
Date not known
Everton 7-3 Ilkeston Town
