LAST DAY CLIFF-HANGER DECIDES THREE-WAY TITLE RACE

Fulham’s short-lived era as a full-time professional women’s team may have ended at the close of their title-winning 2002-03 season, but they were still a force to be reckoned with as part-timers during an exciting 2003-04 campaign that saw them in contention to retain their crown right up to the final few minutes of the very last match of the season. 

In what was the tightest race to the line in the Women’s Premier League’s pre-WSL era, that last match was to pit the Cottagers against Arsenal. But as the game kicked off it was not only the two opponents who could become champions but also – depending on the result at the Gunners’ then Highbury Stadium – Charlton Athletic.

The Addicks had been two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table when they completed their League season’s 18-match schedule with 1-0 win at Leeds United in mid-April.

Third-placed Fulham were a further three points behind but with two games in hand. And in their penultimate outing they collected all three with a 2-1 victory over Birmingham City to leave themselves – like Arsenal – two points below Charlton as the fateful last match approached.

A win for either the Gunners or the Cottagers would give them the title – but a draw would therefore leave Charlton as League champions for the first time. So it was no surprise to see most of the Addicks’ playing squad in Highbury’s West Stand, hoping against hope to witness a stalemate that would hand them the Premier League crown. 

Their hopes looked as though they’d been dashed as the home side took a two-goal lead through Lianne Sanderson’s 38th minute opener and Julie Fleeting’s strike eight minutes after the break.

But Fulham kept themselves in the game and set up a dramatic finish when Rachel McArthur pulled a goal back with just five minutes and stoppage time remaining.

The Charlton players as well as the Fulham supporters were now urging on McArthur and her colleagues; but it proved to no avail as Ellen Maggs became the third of Arsenal’s front three to find the net, her 90th minute goal seeing the game finish 3-1 and the Gunner’s regaining the title they had relinquished to the Cottagers at the end of the previous campaign.   

A crowd of almost 5,000 had watched the match, which had followed the Arsenal men’s team collecting the season’s Premiership trophy. Men’s team manager Arsène Wenger, captain Patrick Vieira and the club's vice-president, David Dein, had stayed on to watch the women’s game.

Vic Akers, who doubled as the Premiership side's kit man and women's manager, said: "It's a great day for the club and it was fantastic that people like Mr Dein, Mr Wenger and Patrick stayed to support the girls. It just shows that the women's team is seen as an integral part of the club."

Arsenal’s joy meant a double disappointment for Charlton, who a fortnight earlier had lost to the Gunners in the FA Cup final. Addicks boss Keith Boanas, reflecting on that season some years later, said: “Winning the FA Cup was seen as the pinnacle of the women’s game at that point, but from a coaching perspective you wanted to win the league. 

“We won the League Cup that season and we were on for the treble; but fractionally we ended up with one out of three when it could have been three out of three.”

Meanwhile Fulham, League Cup final losers to Charlton and 12 months after being reduced from a full-time professional team to semi-pro status, were set to revert back to playing as a virtually amateur side and begin their slide away from the upper echelons of the Premier League.

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION RESULTS 2003-04

17/8/2003 
Aston Villa 2-7 Doncaster Belles 
Birmingham City 2-3 Charlton Athletic 
Everton 3-1 Bristol Rovers   
Tranmere Rovers 2-9 Arsenal 

24/8/2003
Arsenal 0-0 Everton 
Bristol Rovers 0-0 Aston Villa 
Charlton Athletic 5-0 Leeds United 
Doncaster Belles 1-1 Birmingham City 

31/8/2003 
Aston Villa 1-7 Arsenal 
Birmingham City 0-3 Fulham    
Everton 0-4 Charlton Athletic    
Leeds United 4-1 Bristol Rovers   
Tranmere Rovers 0-2 Doncaster Belles    

7/9/2003 
Birmingham City 0-2 Leeds United   
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Bristol Rovers    
Doncaster Belles 0-2 Arsenal   
Fulham 4-0 Everton   
Tranmere Rovers 0-3 Aston Villa    

17/9/2003 
Aston Villa 0-1 Birmingham City
Bristol Rovers 2-3 Fulham
Leeds United 2-1 Doncaster Belles    

21/9/2003
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Tranmere Rovers    
Everton 4-2 Aston Villa 
Fulham 5-3 Doncaster Belles    

28/9/2003
Aston Villa 0-7 Fulham    
Doncaster Belles 1-3 Charlton Athletic 
Leeds United 4-0 Everton   
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Bristol Rovers  

1/10/2003 
Everton 1-1 Tranmere Rovers  

5/10/2003
Arsenal 7-0 Doncaster Belles   
Aston Villa 1-1 Tranmere Rovers    
Bristol Rovers 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Everton 0-1 Fulham  
Leeds United 0-0 Birmingham City  

15/10/2003 
Birmingham City 1-1 Aston Villa    
Doncaster Belles 3-3 Leeds United
Fulham 2-0 Bristol Rovers   
Tranmere Rovers 1-0 Everton

16/10/2003 
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Arsenal    

26/10/2003 
Aston Villa 2-5 Charlton Athletic 
Bristol Rovers 3-3 Doncaster Belles   
Everton 3-2 Birmingham City 
Fulham 1-1 Arsenal    

2/11/2003 
Birmingham City 1-1 Tranmere Rovers   

9/11/2003 
Aston Villa 0-1 Everton   
Birmingham City 0-5 Bristol Rovers   
Tranmere Rovers 1-4 Charlton Athletic 

16/11/2003
Everton 2-0 Leeds United 
Bristol Rovers 5-0 Tranmere Rovers 
Charlton Athletic 2-3 Fulham   

23/11/2003 
Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds United 
Bristol Rovers 0-3 Arsenal    
Everton 2-5 Doncaster Belles   
Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Birmingham City    

30/11/2003 
Birmingham City 1-0 Everton    
Charlton Athletic 8-2 Aston Villa   
Doncaster Belles 3-1 Bristol Rovers  
Leeds United 2-0 Tranmere Rovers 

7/12/2003 
Arsenal 6-0 Tranmere Rovers   
Bristol Rovers 2-3 Everton
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Birmingham City
Doncaster Belles 3-2 Aston Villa   
Fulham 4-1 Leeds United  

14/12/2003
Birmingham City 1-2 Doncaster Belles  
Leeds United 2-0 Aston Villa   

11/1/2004 
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Leeds United    
Doncaster Belles 3-1 Tranmere Rovers    

18/1/2004 
Fulham 5-1 Tranmere Rovers 

8/2/2004
Aston Villa 1-2 Bristol Rovers   
Fulham 5-0 Aston Villa   

22/2/2004
Arsenal 3-1 Bristol Rovers 
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Everton 
Leeds United 2-2 Fulham  

4/3/2004
Birmingham City 0-3 Arsenal  

7/3/2004
Bristol Rovers 1-2 Birmingham City    
Doncaster Belles 2-1 Everton    
Leeds United 1-2 Arsenal    
Fulham 1-2 Charlton Athletic    

14/3/2004
Tranmere Rovers 0-8 Fulham  

21/3/2004
Arsenal 4-0 Leeds United    
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Doncaster Belles    

28/3/2004 
Arsenal 2-1 Birmingham City  

4/4/2004
Everton 1-3 Arsenal   
Tranmere Rovers 2-7 Leeds United  

15/4/2004
Arsenal 1-0 Charlton Athletic  

18/4/2004
Arsenal 8-0 Aston Villa   
Doncaster Belles 2-3 Fulham   
Leeds United 0-1 Charlton Athletic  

2/5/2004 
Fulham 2-1 Birmingham City    

15/5/2004
Arsenal 3-1 Fulham