VILLANS SWEEP THEIR WAY TO THE TITLE AND FINISH WITH A BANG
Aston Villa made a faltering start to the 1998-99 campaign but then swept all before them to claim the Northern Division title and promotion to the top flight for the second time in four years.
The Villans took just four points from the nine on offer in their first three games, but after losing 3-0 to Blyth Spartans Kestrels – who would end the season as runners-up – they won 13 and drew the other two of their last 15 outings to finish with an eight-point gap between themselves and the Kestrels.
Along the way they battered Berkhamsted Town 12-1 and concluded their triumphant campaign with a thumping 7-0 victory over bottom club Arnold Town. “It was a brilliant season for us,” recalled Villa legend Lorraine ‘Robbo’ Robinson, “probably the best season I had at the club.
“We had a good set-up and a group of very talented players. We played some exciting one- and two-touch football, we never hoofed the ball, and with some good finishers we were always going to score goals.”
Villa hit a total of 57 goals in their 18-match season, conceding just 14 with Robinson a solid and trustworthy central defender – but an admittedly over-worked one in the relegation season that followed. “We had a few batterings,” she conceded, “including a 10-1 against Arsenal at Highbury.”
That season was part of a yo-yoing decade for the Villans, who were promoted to the National Division three times only to get relegated after just the one season on each occasion.
Robinson was there for the majority of those campaigns before leaving to become player-manager at Leafield Athletic, going on to play league football until she was 48 and then playing for the England Walking Football age-group teams until well into her sixties.
The 1998-99 season which she reckons was her best at Villa was not as bad as it might have been for Arnold Town, who finished as the wooden spoonists but were not relegated as the Norther Division was set to be expanded from 10 to 12 teams for the following campaign.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 57 | 14 | 45 | +43 |
| 2 | Blyth Spartans Kestrels | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 44 | 17 | 37 | +27 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 67 | 29 | 32 | +38 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 25 | 32 | +15 |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 49 | 28 | 31 | +21 |
| 6 | Garswood Saints | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 39 | 29 | 29 | +10 |
| 7 | Berkhamsted Town | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 35 | 54 | 22 | -19 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 63 | 10 | -49 |
| 9 | Huddersfield Town | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 67 | 9 | -43 |
| 10 | Arnold Town | 18 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 53 | 6 | -43 |
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 1998-99
6/9/98
Aston Villa 1-0 Garswood
Coventry 0-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield Wed 2-5 Berkhamsted Town
13/9/98
Arnold Town 1-1 Huddersfield
Garswood 2-1 Berkhamsted Town
Leeds United 1-1 Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
20/9/98
Berkhamsted Town 3-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 3-0 Aston Villa
Garswood 5-0 Arnold Town
Huddersfield 3-2 Coventry
Leeds United 5-5 Sheffield Wednesday
4/10/98
Arnold Town 0-3 Berkhamsted Town
Coventry 2-2 Leeds United
Garswood 1-4 Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield 1-4 Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-4 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
11/10/98
Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Berkhamsted Town 2-3 Leeds United
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 3-0 Garswood
Coventry 1-0 Arnold Town
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 Huddersfield
18/10/98
Aston Villa 12-1 Berkhamsted Town
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 5-1 Huddersfield
Leeds United 10-1 Arnold Town
Sheffield Wednesday4-1 Coventry
22/11/98
Aston Villa 4-2 Huddersfield
Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Garswood
29/11/98
Arnold Town 2-0 Coventry
Berkhamsted Town 3-2 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Aston Villa
13/12/98
Leeds United 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield Wednesday 7-2 Huddersfield
20/12/98
Berkhamsted Town 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 1-1 Arnold Town
Leeds United 3-1 Huddersfield
10/1/99
Huddersfield 1-4 Garswood
17/1/99
Berkhamsted Town 5-6 Garswood
24/1/99
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 Berkhamsted Town
7/2/99
Arnold Town 0-3 Aston Villa
14/2/99
Aston Villa 4-0 Coventry
Berkhamsted Town 1-0 Arnold Town
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield 1-7 Leeds United
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-3 Garswood
21/2/99
Leeds United 2-3 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Arnold Town
28/2/99
Arnold Town 0-2 Leeds United
Berkhamsted Town 0-2 Aston Villa
14/3/99
Huddersfield 2-2 Arnold Town
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Coventry
Sheffield Wednesday 2-3 Leeds United
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 2-0 Berkhamsted Town
Garswood 2-2 Aston Villa
21/3/99
Arnold Town 1-3 Garswood
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 3-0 Leeds United
Coventry 3-0 Berkhamsted Town
Huddersfield 1-5 Sheffield Wednesday
28/3/99
Coventry 0-6 Aston Villa
Garswood 1-1 Leeds United
Huddersfield 0-3 Berkhamsted Town
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
4/4/99
Aston Villa 2-1 Leeds United.
Berkhamsted Town 4-1 Huddersfield
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 7-0 Coventry
7/4/99
Berkhamsted Town 3-0 Coventry
11/4/99
Arnold Town 0-1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Garswood 1-2 Coventry
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 Leeds United.
13/4/99
Aston Villa 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
15/4/99
Arnold Town 1-4 Sheffield Wednesday
18/4/99
Leeds United 4-1 Garswood
Coventry 0-2 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Arnold Town 2-5 Wolverhampton Wanderers
25/4/99
Garswood 1-1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
28/4/99
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Aston Villa
2/5/99
Aston Villa 1-1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Coventry 0-2 Garswood
Leeds United 10-1 Berkhamsted Town
Sheffield Wed 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
3/5/99
Huddersfield 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
5/5/99
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Arnold Town
6/5/99
Coventry 1-6 Sheffield Wednesday
Garswood 0-5 Huddersfield
9/5/99
Aston Villa 7-0 Arnold Town
Coventry 2-3 Huddersfield
Garswood 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
16/5/99
Blyth Spartans Kestrels 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
23/5/99
Huddersfield 2-4 Blyth Spartans Kestrels
Leeds United 11-0 Coventry
