FULL-TIME FULHAM FLASH THROUGH SOUTHERN DIVISION

After becoming Europe’s only full-time professional women’s team in 2000 and subsequently smashing their way to promotion from the South East Combination at the first attempt, it came as no surprise to see Fulham similarly brush aside all-comers in the Premier League’s Southern Division to inevitably claim the 2001-02 title and rocket themselves up to the top flight.

The statistics tell you all you need to know about how the Cottagers became champions in what was a one-horse race in a 12-team division: 22 matches played; 22 won; 234 goals scored; six goals conceded; biggest victory 22-0 (against Barking). And just for good measure they won both the League Cup (goal aggregate over the six rounds 44-5) and FA Cup (38-2 over six rounds).

Beating amateur teams was obviously no problem, but they just never let up in a merciless, season-long goal-fest explained some time later by manager Gaute Haugenes: “We had to win those games,” he said, “but to go out and win 1-0 or 2-0 wasn't good enough. 

“So what I did to the players, I saw who we were going to play against and I’d say (for example) ‘we should at least beat this side 11-0.’ And we’d go 1-0 up, 2-0, and then if they reached the target they were rewarded with a day off the day after.

“Nobody watching understood why suddenly when they reached 10 or 11-0 they started running around celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup final. Other times it was okay if it’s four or six, depending on who we met, but I did that every game – we had a day off if we hit the targets.”

Norwegian Haugenes, who had taken over as manager after joining the club as assistant to previous boss Frank McMorrow, had – at the time of his 2000 arrival – boosted the team’s squad with the introduction of players such as Norway internationals Marianne Pettersen and (his wife) Margunn Haugenes, both Olympic gold medal winners.

Pettersen, who had also been a 1995 World Cup winner with her national team, scored an incredible 79 goals in all competitions. With England internationals such as Rachel Yankey, Katie Chapman, Mary Phillip and Rachel McArthur also in the side, Fulham were simply unstoppable.

And they never got tired of winning big. “We should enjoy our victories,” said Haugenes. “You have to give yourself a clap, a hand on the shoulder sometimes, and say, ‘Well done.’ And that was why we had those targets, like winning 11-0 or 7-0. 

“When we did that we have done the job that was expected. The same thing applies to those (Cup) finals. No matter how you look at it, if you win the League Cup final you have done a good job. So we were happy and we were celebrating a lot.”

More celebrations were to follow in 2002-03 for the Cottagers as they were once again to claim the treble. But there was no such future joy for 2001-02’s two relegated Southern Division clubs. It was to take second bottom Queens Park Rangers six seasons to make their way back, while wooden spoonists Berkhamsted not only dropped out of the FA Premier League but were never to return.

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2001-02 

19/8/2001 
Ipswich Town 0-13 Fulham 
Newport County 5-0 Queens Park Rangers 
Chelsea 8-3 Barking 
 
26/8/2001 
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Ipswich Town 
Berkhamsted 0-2 Newport County 
Queens Park Rangers 2-4 Millwall Lionesses 
Langford 0-1 Chelsea 
Wimbledon 0-12 Fulham 
 
2/9/2001 
Chelsea 4-0 Queens Park Rangers 
Langford 4-2 Barking 
Millwall Lionesses 1-0 Berkhamsted 
Newport County 0-14 Fulham 
Wimbledon 4-2 Bristol Rovers 
 
9/9/2001 
Barking 3-2 Ipswich Town 
Bristol Rovers 3-1 Newport County 
Berkhamsted 0-6 Chelsea 
Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Langford 
 
16/9/2001 
Langford 4-1 Berkhamsted 
Millwall Lionesses 2-2 Bristol Rovers 
Newport County 5-0 Barnet 
Queens Park Rangers 3-1 Barking 
Wimbledon 1-0 Ipswich Town 
 
23/9/2001 
Millwall Lionesses 2-1 Queens Park Rangers 
 
30/9/2001 
Barking 0-3 Wimbledon 
Barnet 1-2 Millwall Lionesses 
Bristol Rovers 3-2 Langford 
Fulham 9-1 Chelsea 
Ipswich Town 2-0 Newport County 
 
7/10/2001 
Chelsea 5-0 Barnet 
Langford 0-1 Bristol Rovers 
Newport County 1-1 Wimbledon 
 
14/10/2001 
Barking 0-0 Bristol Rovers 
Berkhamsted 0-12 Fulham 
Ipswich Town 6-3 Chelsea 
Wimbledon 0-3 Millwall Lionesses 
 
28/10/2001 
Barnet 1-1 Ipswich Town 
Bristol Rovers 5-0 Queens Park Rangers 
Wimbledon 2-4 Langford 
 
4/11/2001 
Barking 3-1 Millwall Lionesses 
Barnet 2-0 Berkhamsted 
Bristol Rovers 1-6 Fulham 
Ipswich Town 2-0 Queens Park Rangers 
Langford 0-1 Wimbledon 
Newport County 3-3 Chelsea 
 
11/11/2001 
Langford 2-2 Ipswich Town 
Millwall Lionesses 5-4 Newport County 
Wimbledon 6-1 Berkhamsted 
 
18/11/2001 
Bristol Rovers 3-1 Barking 
Newport County 0-2 Langford 
Queens Park Rangers 0-15 Fulham 
 
25/11/2001 
Barnet 1-7 Fulham 
Ipswich Town 12-0 Berkhamsted 
Langford 4-1 Newport County 
Millwall Lionesses 6-1 Chelsea 
Wimbledon 4-0 Queens Park Rangers 
 
2/12/2001 
Barking 2-3 Chelsea 
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Barnet 
Fulham 12-0 Ipswich Town 
 
16/12/2001 
Chelsea 1-3 Langford 
Ipswich Town 1-4 Bristol Rovers 
Newport County 3-0 Berkhamsted 
 
6/1/2002 
Barnet 0-4 Wimbledon 
 
9/1/2002 
Barking 2-4 Barnet 
Fulham 9-0 Wimbledon 
 
13/1/2002 
Berkhamsted 0-7 Millwall Lionesses 
Fulham 9-1 Newport County 
Ipswich Town 2-2 Barnet 
 
20/1/2002 
Ipswich Town 2-0 Barking 
Langford 3-0 Queens Park Rangers 
 
27/1/2002 
Ipswich Town 4-1 Wimbledon 
 
3/2/2002 
Bristol Rovers 8-0 Millwall Lionesses 
Langford 3-1 Barnet 
Wimbledon 2-1 Barking 
 
10/2/2002 
Barking 1-1 Berkhamsted 
Barnet 5-3 Langford 
Ipswich Town 3-0 Millwall Lionesses 
 
17/2/2002 
Fulham 15-0 Berkhamsted 
Newport County 1-2 Barking 
 
24/2/2002 
Bristol Rovers 10-0 Berkhamsted 
Fulham 22-0 Barking 
Ipswich Town 1-3 Langford 
Newport County 1-3 Millwall Lionesses 
Wimbledon 1-0 Chelsea 
 
3/3/2002 
Berkhamsted 1-1 Barnet 
Chelsea 5-2 Newport County 
Fulham 12-1 Bristol Rovers 
Millwall Lionesses 7-0 Barking 
Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Ipswich Town 
 
10/3/2002 
Barking 2-1 Newport County 
Berkhamsted 1-0 Ipswich Town 
Bristol Rovers 4-1 Chelsea 
Fulham 9-0 Millwall Lionesses
Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Wimbledon 
 
17/3/2002 
Fulham 18-0 Barnet 
 
24/3/2002 
Barking 1-4 Langford 
Barnet 0-6 Bristol Rovers 
Berkhamsted 0-0 Queens Park Rangers 
Chelsea 3-0 Wimbledon 
Millwall Lionesses 1-0 Ipswich Town 
 
31/3/2002 
Barnet 0-2 Newport County 
Berkhamsted 0-5 Barking 
Chelsea 2-1 Millwall Lionesses 
 
3/4/2002 
Barking 1-4 Fulham 
 
4/4/2002 
Chelsea 2-0 Ipswich Town 
 
7/4/2002 
Berkhamsted 1-5 Bristol Rovers 
Langford 3-4 Millwall Lionesses 
Newport County 1-1 Ipswich Town 
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Chelsea 
Wimbledon 1-1 Barnet 
 
10/4/2002 
Queens Park Rangers 0-3 Fulham 
 
11/4/2002 
Barnet 0-3 Chelsea 
 
14/4/2002 
Barnet 3-7 Barking 
Chelsea 5-1 Berkhamsted 
Millwall Lionesses 0-11 Fulham 
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Bristol Rovers 
Wimbledon 2-0 Newport County 
 
21/4/2002 
Barking 3-1 Queens Park Rangers 
Fulham 9-0 Langford 
Millwall Lionesses 3-1 Wimbledon 
 
23/4/2002 
Berkhamsted 2-6 Langford 
 
25/4/2002 
Chelsea 0-9 Fulham 
 
28/4/2002 
Millwall Lionesses 2-1 Langford 
Newport County 1-2 Bristol Rovers 
Queens Park Rangers 6-0 Berkhamsted 
 
1/5/2002 
Langford 0-5 Fulham 
 
2/5/2002 
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Barnet 
 
5/5/2002 
Chelsea 1-0 Bristol Rovers 
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Newport County 
 
7/5/2002 
Berkhamsted 1-7 Wimbledon 
 
8/5/2002 
Millwall Lionesses 1-2 Barnet 
 
12/5/2002 
Bristol Rovers 10-1 Wimbledon