TRUDY POWERS SEMI-PRO GAS GIRLS TO PROMOTION
Professional club Fulham’s 2001-02 promotion - with a 100 per cent record - to the Premier League’s top flight meant far more of a level playing field for the Southern Division in 2002-03.
Or at least that seemed the case until Bristol Rovers, in only their second season in the League and first as a semi-professional outfit, won their opening eight matches and then breezed to the title with a 17-point gap between themselves and runners-up Ipswich Town in the final table.
The Gas Girls were boosted from the previous campaign not only because of their move to semi-professionalism but also the recruitment of several players – most notably prolific striker Trudy Williams – from Barry Town following the Welsh club’s folding and departure from the League.
Williams, speaking after her retirement, recalled: “Barry folded (because) we just didn't have enough players. So that's when five or six of us decided we'd go to Bristol. One of the girls phoned Rovers and said, ‘Can we come and see if you are interested in any of us signing?’
“So we went along, had a training session and at the end of the session we had a friendly game. At the end of that they said, ‘Yeah, we'd like to sign you.’ Little known to us, they had decided that they were going to go semi-professional that season.
“So we received money for appearances and for wins. It was the first time I'd ever been given anything for playing football. At the time I was overwhelmed – ‘oh wow, getting paid for doing something I love’ – and we didn't have to pay out anything for kit, everything was paid for.”
Williams more than justified her semi-pro status, consistently scoring goals along with her strike partner Stef Curtis as Rovers swept all before them to comfortably clinch promotion.
She proudly remembered: “I won the Player of the Year and (was) the League's top goalscorer. So I went up to London (for the FA Women’s Awards) to get the awards, and that was lovely.”
The Gas Girls, who had a name switch from Bristol Rovers to Bristol Academy in 2005, were to stay in the Premier League’s top flight until the 2010 formation of the Women’s Super League.
Meanwhile the 2002-03 Northern Division’s bottom club Barking, who (including under their previous name of Leyton Orient) had been in the Premier League since 1995, were relegated and would not return to the League – once more under the banner Leyton Orient – until 2017.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol Rovers | 20 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 76 | 19 | 52 | +57 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 36 | 35 | +13 |
| 3 | Bristol City | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 47 | 34 | 35 | +13 |
| 4 | Millwall | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 41 | 33 | 34 | +8 |
| 5 | Barnet | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 29 | 24 | 34 | +5 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 33 | 31 | 32 | +2 |
| 7 | Merthyr Tydfil | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 34 | 30 | -4 |
| 8 | Langford | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 35 | 29 | +3 |
| 9 | Wimbledon | 20 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 27 | 48 | 16 | -21 |
| 10 | Enfield | 20 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 32 | 59 | 11 | -27 |
| 11 | Barking | 20 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 22 | 71 | 7 | -49 |
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2002-03
18/8/2002
Bristol Rovers 3-0 Wimbledon
Chelsea 3-0 Barking
Enfield 3-7 Bristol City
Merthyr Tydfil 1-1 Barnet
25/8/2002
Barking 1-2 Merthyr Tydfil
Barnet 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
Bristol City 1-1 Ipswich Town
Enfield 2-5 Bristol Rovers
Langford 3-2 Chelsea
1/9/2002
Chelsea 0-0 Bristol City
Ipswich Town 2-3 Enfield
Merthyr Tydfil 4-2 Langford
Millwall Lionesses 5-0 Barking
Wimbledon 0-2 Barnet
8/9/2002
Barking 3-4 Wimbledon
Enfield 2-3 Chelsea
Ipswich Town 1-3 Bristol City
Millwall Lionesses 1-1 Barnet
15/9/2002
Bristol Rovers 2-0 Barnet
Chelsea 1-2 Ipswich Town
Merthyr Tydfil 1-1 Enfield
Millwall Lionesses 2-4 Bristol City
Wimbledon 0-3 Langford
22/9/2002
Barking 0-2 Barnet
Bristol City 2-0 Wimbledon
Chelsea 0-3 Bristol Rovers
Enfield 1-3 Millwall Lionesses
Langford 1-3 Ipswich Town
25/9/2002
Bristol City 2-3 Bristol Rovers
Enfield 3-3 Langford
Wimbledon 2-5 Millwall Lionesses
6/10/2002
Barnet 0-0 Langford
Bristol City 1-2 Chelsea
Bristol Rovers 13-0 Barking
Millwall Lionesses 1-3 Ipswich Town
Wimbledon 3-2 Enfield
13/10/2002
Bristol City 3-1 Barnet
Chelsea 0-4 Millwall Lionesses
Enfield 0-6 Ipswich Town
Langford 4-0 Barking
Merthyr Tydfil 1-3 Bristol Rovers
20/10/2002
Barking 1-2 Bristol City
Barnet 2-0 Enfield
Bristol Rovers 2-3 Langford
Ipswich Town 3-4 Chelsea
23/10/2002
Bristol Rovers 4-1 Bristol City
Langford 4-0 Enfield
Millwall Lionesses 1-0 Wimbledon
3/11/2002
Bristol City 2-2 Langford
Ipswich Town 5-1 Barnet
Merthyr Tydfil 3-2 Wimbledon
10/11/2002
Barnet 2-1 Merthyr Tydfil
Bristol City 2-1 Enfield
Langford 3-1 Millwall Lionesses
Wimbledon 1-7 Bristol Rovers
17/11/2002
Bristol Rovers 5-2 Enfield
Merthyr Tydfil 2-1 Barking
24/11/2002
Ipswich Town 4-3 Bristol City
1/12/2002
Barnet 3-0 Wimbledon
15/12/2002
Bristol Rovers 5-0 Ipswich Town
Merthyr Tydfil 3-5 Bristol City
Millwall Lionesses 2-1 Langford
19/1/2003
Merthyr Tydfil 1-0 Ipswich Town
26/1/2002
Langford 0-0 Wimbledon
Merthyr Tydfil 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
9/2/2002
Bristol City 4-2 Barking
Millwall Lionesses 4-1 Merthyr Tydfil
16/2/2002
Barnet 2-4 Ipswich Town
Bristol Rovers 6-0 Millwall Lionesses
Wimbledon 1-4 Chelsea
23/2/2002
Barnet 3-0 Barking
Langford 1-2 Merthyr Tydfil
Wimbledon 4-0 Ipswich Town
2/3/2002
Barking 2-4 Chelsea
Bristol City 2-2 Millwall Lionesses
Bristol Rovers 3-1 Merthyr Tydfil
Enfield 3-1 Wimbledon
Ipswich Town 7-1 Langford
9/3/2003
Barking 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
Barnet 0-1 Bristol Rovers
Chelsea 1-2 Wimbledon
Ipswich Town 2-0 Merthyr Tydfil
11/3/2003
Barking 0-2 Enfield
16/3/2003
Wimbledon 4-0 Barking
23/3/2003
Chelsea 2-1 Merthyr Tydfil
Ipswich Town 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
Langford 1-1 Barnet
Wimbledon 3-2 Bristol City
30/3/2003
Barnet 1-0 Bristol City
Enfield 1-2 Merthyr Tydfil
Millwall Lionesses 0-0 Chelsea
2/4/2003
Barking 1-1 Ipswich Town
6/4/2003
Barking 1-4 Langford
Bristol Rovers 1-0 Chelsea
Millwall 2-1 Enfield
Wimbledon 1-2 Merthyr Tydfil
13/4/2003
Chelsea 2-1 Langford
Enfield 1-2 Barnet
Ipswich Town 1-0 Wimbledon
Millwall Lionesses 2-2 Bristol Rovers
20/4/2003
Barking 2-5 Bristol Rovers
Chelsea 2-1 Enfield
Langford 0-3 Bristol City
27/4/2003
Langford 1-0 Bristol Rovers
