ROBINS RETURN AS ILKESTON REGAIN NATIONAL DIVISION STATUS
Having finished the National Division’s 1996-97 season as the basement club, with only one win to their name and after taking just a single point from their last six matches, Ilkeston Town’s time in the top flight had come to an almost inevitable end.
The considerable experience gained during their six years at the highest level was to prove a valuable resource, however, as was the capture of a number of summer recruits, including Wales goalkeeper Gillian Davies.
Making the best use of those learnings and a significantly strengthened playing squad, the Robins flipped their poor 1996-97 form on its head. They lost only once and bounced straight back up as worthy Northern Division champions, with a 12-point gap between themselves and runners-up Garswood Saints.
When they beat Garswood 2-1 on Merseyside on the first day of the season, few recognised how important that result was to be in determining the outcome of the overall campaign.
Three games in Town moved clear at the top after a 3-0 win over Wolves, though they were then nudged from below throughout the autumn by Saints, Sheffield Wednesday and Blyth Spartans Kestrels.
But just before the end of the year, a merciless 11-0 hammering of bottom team Bloxwich Town cemented Ilkeston’s position as frontrunners. That win included hat-tricks for Sharon Cox and Ali Kirk, who along with Lesley Higham were frequent scorers in many of their team’s 17 victories.
A largely impenetrable defence was also key to their success. Indeed, through the whole campaign they conceded only six goals, three scored by Garswood. Two of them came in Town’s only defeat – a reverse of the opening day scoreline – though Saints’ revenge proved but a pride-puncturing dent in the Robins’ flight to the title. That success had been secured two weeks earlier, with Ilkeston’s 2-0 win at Arnold Town, on 15th March.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ilkeston Town | 18 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 6 | 51 | +62 |
| 2 | Garswood Saints | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 43 | 23 | 39 | +20 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 23 | 32 | +15 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 20 | 29 | +13 |
| 5 | Blyth Spartans Kestrels | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 23 | 28 | +17 |
| 6 | Sheffield Wednesday | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 39 | 40 | 27 | -1 |
| 7 | Huddersfield Town | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 32 | 31 | 24 | +1 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 62 | 12 | -40 |
| 9 | Arnold Town | 18 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 36 | 10 | -25 |
| 10 | Bloxwich Town | 18 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 12 | 74 | 2 | -62 |
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 1997-98
7/9/1997
Aston Villa 5-0 Bloxwich Town
Coventry City 0-3 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Garswood Saints 1-2 Ilkeston Town
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
14/9/1997
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 1-1 Arnold Town
Bloxwich Town 0-2 Huddersfield Town
Garswood Saints 1-3 Aston Villa
Ilkeston Town 6-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 Coventry City
21/9/1997
Aston Villa 1-3 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Coventry City 2-2 Huddersfield Town
Ilkeston Town 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield Wednesday 4-3 Bloxwich Town
28/9/1997
Bloxwich Town 1-7 Garswood Saints
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Coventry City 1-3 Aston Villa
Huddersfield Town 0-2 Ilkeston Town
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Arnold Town
5/10/1997
Arnold Town 1-1 Coventry City
Garswood Saints 3-1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Huddersfield Town 0-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ilkeston Town 4-0 Bloxwich Town
Sheffield Wednesday 5-4 Aston Villa
12/10/1997
Aston Villa 2-3 Huddersfield Town
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Coventry City 0-0 Bloxwich Town
Ilkeston Town 4-0 Arnold Town
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Garswood Saints
26/10/1997
Arnold Town 0-5 Sheffield Wednesday
Bloxwich Town 2-7 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
6/11/1997
Arnold Town 0-2 Huddersfield Town
9/11/1997
Aston Villa 0-2 Ilkeston Town
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 1-1 Huddersfield Town
Bloxwich Town 0-2 Arnold Town
Garswood Saints 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield Wednesday 6-1 Coventry City
16/11/1997
Coventry City 1-4 Garswood Saints
Huddersfield Town 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Ilkeston Town 1-0 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
23/11/1997
Bloxwich Town 0-6 Aston Villa
7/12/1997
Bloxwich Town 2-5 Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Arnold Town
14/12/1997
Arnold Town 0-3 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Aston Villa 3-4 Garswood Saints
Huddersfield Town 8-2 Bloxwich Town
21/12/1997
Bloxwich Town 0-11 Ilkeston Town
Coventry City 3-1 Arnold Town
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Huddersfield Town
4/1/1998
Huddersfield Town 0-1 Aston Villa
18/1/1998
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 0-3 Ilkeston Town
25/1/1998
Arnold Town 1-1 Bloxwich Town
Ilkeston Town 3-0 Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Garswood Saints
1/2/1998
Arnold Town 0-5 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Aston Villa 4-0 Coventry City
8/2/1998
Arnold Town 0-1 Garswood Saints
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Sheffield Wednesday
15/2/1998
Arnold Town 0-1 Aston Villa
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 7-0 Coventry City
Garswood Saints 1-2 Huddersfield Town
Sheffield Wednesday 2-7 Ilkeston Town
22/2/1998
Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 3-0 Bloxwich Town
Garswood Saints 3-0 Arnold Town
Huddersfield Town 6-3 Coventry City
1/3/1998
Aston Villa 0-0 Arnold Town
Ilkeston Town 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
8/3/1998
Aston Villa 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Garswood Saints 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
15/3/1998
Arnold Town 0-2 Ilkeston Town
Huddersfield Town 0-2 Garswood Saints
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
22/3/1998
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 2-3 Garswood Saints
Ilkeston Town 7-1 Coventry City
29/3/1998
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 0-1 Aston Villa (abandoned after 63 minutes due to fog)
Coventry City 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ilkeston Town 1-2 Garswood Saints
Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Arnold Town
1/4/1998
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Ilkeston Town
5/4/1998
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Ilkeston Town
12/4/1998
Coventry City 0-7 Ilkeston Town
19/4/1998
Garswood Saints 3-3 Coventry City
Huddersfield Town 2-2 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Aston Villa
22/4/1998
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 Bloxwich Town
26/4/1998
Coventry City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
29/4/1998
Bloxwich Town 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
3/5/1978
Coventry City 2-1 Bloxwich Town
10/5/1998
Garswood Saints 2-0 Bloxwich Town
Date not known
Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 Huddersfield Town
