HIGH-FLYING TOWN PIP SEAGULLS TO TITLE
A run of six straight wins in the run-in to the end of the Southern Division campaign saw Berkhamsted Town pip Brighton & Hove Albion to the title and with it, promotion.
Hertfordshire club Berkhamsted had gone close to topping the division in the previous season, finishing runners-up to Maidstone Tigresses.
They then showed their intent for 1996-97 by winning their first three matches, the third of them importantly against a Brighton team that would prove to be their nearest challengers.
The Seagulls had to make up ground after successive defeats, getting trounced 7-0 at Wimbledon and a week later going down 3-2 at home to Whitehawk – who had previously ended Berkhamsted’s winning start and would go on to finish third in the table.
Two-thirds of the way through the season, however, Brighton beat Berkhamsted 3-2 to put themselves just one point behind the leaders with six fixtures each to play.
A tightly fought run-in was on the cards, but when the Seagulls were held to a 2-2 draw by Ipswich Town two games later it left Town as firm favourites to take the title.
Albion went on to win their last four matches, but there was no stopping Berkhamsted as they continued their run of victories to reach the National Division for what would turn out to be their one and only season of top flight football.
Meanwhile Oxford United, who in 1995-96 had finished second bottom, this time ended as wooden spooners and so were relegated from the Premier League – and it was over two decades before they would make their return to the Southern Division for the 2018-19 campaign.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkhamsted Town | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 57 | 16 | 44 | +41 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 59 | 33 | 41 | +26 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Whitehawk | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 39 | 17 | 37 | +22 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Wimbledon | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 65 | 28 | 32 | +37 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Three Bridges | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 36 | 27 | 26 | +9 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Langford | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 28 | 33 | 26 | -5 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Ipswich Town | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 26 | 19 | -2 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Leyton Orient | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 50 | 13 | -23 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Town & County Diamonds | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 65 | 9 | -47 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Oxford United | 18 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 17 | 75 | 8 | -58 | ||||||||||
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 1996-97
1/9/1996
Berkhamsted Town 6-1 Town & County Diamonds
Langford 1-6 Brighton & Hove Albion
Oxford United 1-2 Leyton Orient
Three Bridges 1-2 Ipswich Town
Wimbledon 1-0 Whitehawk
8/9/1996
Brighton & Hove Albion 9-2 Oxford United
Ipswich Town 0-1 Berkhamsted Town
Leyton Orient 0-6 Wimbledon
Town & County Diamonds 2-2 Three Bridges
Whitehawk 0-1 Langford
15/9/1996
Berkhamsted Town 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Langford 1-6 Leyton Orient
Oxford United 0-5 Ipswich Town
Three Bridges 2-0 Whitehawk
Wimbledon 3-1 Town & County Diamonds
22/9/1996
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-3 Leyton Orient
Ipswich Town 1-2 Wimbledon
Oxford United 1-4 Three Bridges
Town & County Diamonds 1-4 Langford
Whitehawk 1-0 Berkhamsted Town
29/9/1996
Berkhamsted Town 5-0 Oxford United
Langford 0-4 Three Bridges
Leyton Orient 5-1 Town & County Diamonds
Whitehawk 2-1 Ipswich Town
Wimbledon 7-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
6/10/96
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-3 Whitehawk
Ipswich Town 0-0 Langford
Leyton Orient 1-1 Berkhamsted Town
Three Bridges 4-2 Wimbledon
Town & County Diamonds 5-2 Oxford United
13/10/1996
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 Ipswich Town
Langford 7-0 Oxford United
Leyton Orient 1-1 Three Bridges
Whitehawk 4-0 Town & County Diamonds
Wimbledon 3-4 Berkhamsted Town
20/10/1996
Berkhamsted Town 3-0 Langford
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Three Bridges
Leyton Orient 1-3 Whitehawk
Town & County Diamonds 0-4 Oxford United
Wimbledon 6-2 Oxford United
10/11/1996
Ipswich Town 3-1 Leyton Orient
Langford 0-3 Wimbledon
Oxford United 0-5 Whitehawk
17/11/1996
Oxford United 0-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Three Bridges 2-0 Town & County Diamonds
24/11/1996
Town & County Diamonds 0-5 Berkhamsted Town
1/12/1996
Town & County Diamonds 0-7 Wimbledon
8/12/1996
Langford 1-1 Town & County Diamonds
Leyton Orient 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Wimbledon 1-1 Ipswich Town
15/12/1996
Ipswich Town 1-2 Town & County Diamonds
Langford 2-2 Berkhamsted Town
Whitehawk 4-0 Leyton Orient
19/1/1997
Whitehawk 4-0 Oxford United
Wimbledon 2-3 Langford
26/1/1997
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Wimbledon
Ipswich Town 0-1 Whitehawk
Oxford United 0-7 Berkhamsted Town
Town & County Diamonds 1-1 Leyton Orient
2/2/1997
Langford 2-0 Ipswich Town
Oxford United 3-1 Town & County Diamonds
Whitehawk 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Wimbledon 3-3 Three Bridges
9/2/1997
Leyton Orient 3-3 Oxford United
16/2/1997
Brighton & Hove Albion 5-3 Berkhamsted Town
Ipswich Town 0-0 Oxford United
Whitehawk 2-0 Three Bridges
23/2/1997
Berkhamsted Town 4-0 Whitehawk
Ipswich Town 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Wimbledon 8-0 Leyton Orient
2/3/1997
Brighton & Hove Albion 6-2 Town & County Diamonds
Leyton Orient 0-1 Ipswich Town
Oxford United 0-1 Langford
Whitehawk 2-1 Wimbledon
9/3/1997
Ipswich Town 0-4 Three Bridges
Langford 1-1 Whitehawk
Town & County Diamonds 0-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
16/3/1997
Berkhamsted Town 4-2 Wimbledon
Leyton Orient 0-3 Langford
23/3/1997
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 Langford
Oxford United 1-7 Wimbledon
Three Bridges 0-2 Berkhamsted Town
30/3/1997
Berkhamsted Town 2-0 Ipswich Town
Three Bridges 4-1 Leyton Orient
Town & County Diamonds 0-5 Whitehawk
6/4/1997
Berkhamsted Town 3-1 Leyton Orient
Three Bridges 1-1 Langford
13/4/1997
Three Bridges 0-2 Oxford United
16/4/1997
Three Bridges 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
27/4/1997
Berkhamsted Town 4-0 Three Bridges