DONNY’S DESPERATE RELEGATION BATTLE AFTER MASS PLAYER EXODUS
2004-05 was the second in a run of seven successive National Division seasons – right up to the 2010 formation of the Women’s Super League – that saw an increasingly dominant Arsenal crowned champions. They clinched the title with a 1-0 win at title rivals Charlton Athletic, Kelly Smith coming off the bench to score with a spectacular 30-yard strike. They finished the league unbeaten, as Julie Fleeting scored three in a 6-2 defeat of Fulham.
At the other end of the table, however, it was the frantic battle for survival of the country’s once top team Doncaster Rovers Belles that was the story of the season.
Until the previous campaign, the 13th in the League’s history, Donny – champions in two of the first three seasons – had never finished below third in the table.
But with long-time captain Gill Coultard having retired in 2001 and manager Julie Chipchase departing in 2003, and – critically for the Belles’ fortunes – Chipchase persuading prolific striker Karen Walker to move with her, 2003-04 brought a fifth place finish.
Worse was to follow in the 2004 close season as eight international players on the club’s books decided to leave in a mass exodus, heading to Everton and elsewhere.
Meanwhile there had been a major operational change for the club, which was taken under the wing of men’s outfit Doncaster Rovers and hence the word ‘Rovers’ added to the Belles’ name.
Now under the management of former Rovers men’s team player John Buckley, the early weeks of the 2004-05 campaign saw a disastrous run of results as just two points were taken from a possible 15 from the first five outings.
A 1-0 victory over Fulham at the end of September brought some relief, but then an eight-match winless run – with just one point from the 24 available collected – had the relegation cards well and truly stacked on the Belles’ table.
They pulled an ace out of the pack when they beat relegation rivals Bristol City 2-0 to leave themselves with three games to save their top flight life.
But defeats to Arsenal and Everton followed and, cometh their final match of the season, they were level on points with bottom of the table Bristol but a point behind bottom-but-one Liverpool – each of whom had completed their 18-match league season.
So victory was imperative if Belles were to make absolutely certain of avoiding a first ever relegation when they hosted fourth in the table Birmingham City.
And victory, to the relief of all concerned with Donny, was achieved through a 1-0 victory courtesy of a 68th minute goal by England international Vicky Exley.
“We played magnificently,” commented manager Buckley afterwards, “we were really aggressive.”
“I love the club and I couldn’t have left,” said stalwart midfielder Exley, a Belle for 10 years by this time and who had determinedly stayed put while several of her international colleagues had left. “It’s been a really hard season,” she added, “but I never lost hope that we could stay up.
“We’ve come good over the last couple of months thanks to some new signings, and next season I’m confident we’ll be back at the top end of the table.” (They were to finish fourth in 2005-06).
Exley’s sentiments were shared by team mate Claire ‘Des’ Utley, who at the start of the season had returned to the club after spending the previous year with Leeds United, where she rehabbed from an ACL injury suffered in 2001.
Utley, whose entire Premier League career was spent at Doncaster apart from that brief spell with Leeds, went even further than Exley in expressing her feelings about avoiding the drop in such dramatic fashion.
“It was just the best feeling ever,” reminisced England defender Utley. “I’ve never won a League, but I think if I had it wouldn’t have compared to staying up on the last day. It was the best.
“There’s five or six of us meet up every year and we talk about that game every time. Everyone had written us off. It (the winner) was a Vicky Exley header from a corner. I’ll never forget it.”
The Belles’ own joy at their survival was shared by none other than Arsenal manager Vic Akers, whose team had been used to battling it out with their old adversaries at the top end of the table.
“I wished them well before the game,” said Akers, “and I’m delighted to hear that they’ve kept themselves up. They’re a club with a great history and they belong in the top flight.”
Akers had seen his team clinch the title for the seventh time in 12 seasons. “The team has done really well and it’s amazing to have a group of girls like this around you,” he said. “We’ve won the League quite a few times now, but every year it means more to me.”
At the opposite end of the table Donny’s great escape meant that the bottom two clubs, Liverpool and Bristol City, were relegated – both of them after just one season in the top flight. The Reds were thus despatched back to the Northern Division and the Robins to the Southern.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 13 | 48 | +44 |
| 2 | Charlton Athletic | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 17 | 41 | +26 |
| 3 | Everton | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 45 | 24 | 37 | +21 |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 28 | 30 | +9 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 28 | 28 | +7 |
| 6 | Leeds United | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 31 | 34 | 26 | -3 |
| 7 | Fulham | 18 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 39 | 14 | -21 |
| 8 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 18 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 38 | 12 | -28 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 21 | 49 | 10* | -28 |
| 10 | Bristol City | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 39 | 9 | -27 |
*1 point deducted
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION RESULTS 2004-05
15/8/2004
Bristol City 0-1 Birmingham City
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Liverpool
Fulham 0-3 Bristol Rovers
Leeds United 0-8 Everton
22/8/2004
Arsenal 2-2 Charlton Athletic
Birmingham City 0-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Leeds United
Everton 4-1 Bristol City
Liverpool 1-1 Fulham
29/8/2004
Birmingham City 2-2 Leeds United
Bristol City 0-1 Liverpool
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-1 Everton
Fulham 0-0 Arsenal
5/9/2004
Birmingham City 2-3 Everton
Bristol Rovers 5-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Fulham 4-2 Bristol City
Leeds United 1-5 Charlton Athletic
Liverpool 0-4 Arsenal
15/9/2004
Bristol City 0-2 Bristol Rovers
Charlton Athletic 4-1 Fulham
Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-4 Leeds United
Everton 2-1 Liverpool
19/9/2004
Liverpool 1-1 Doncaster Rovers Belles
26/9/2004
Bristol City 0-4 Charlton Athletic
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-0 Fulham
Leeds United 8-3 Liverpool
03/10/2004
Arsenal 4-1 Liverpool
Bristol City 0-0 Fulham
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Leeds United
Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-3 Bristol Rovers
Everton 2-2 Birmingham City
13/10/2004
Birmingham City 2-5 Arsenal
Bristol Rovers 2-2 Bristol City
Leeds United 1-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Liverpool 1-5 Everton
17/10/2004
Arsenal 1-0 Leeds United
Bristol City 3-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Everton
Fulham 1-4 Birmingham City
Liverpool 0-1 Bristol Rovers
24/10/2004
Leeds United 0-0 Bristol City
31/10/2004
Birmingham City 1-0 Charlton Athletic
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-6 Liverpool
Everton 3-2 Bristol Rovers
Leeds United 4-2 Fulham
14/11/2004
Arsenal 2-0 Everton
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Birmingham City
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Bristol City
Fulham 0-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Liverpool 1-2 Leeds United
21/11/2004
Bristol City 2-3 Arsenal
Bristol Rovers 5-1 Liverpool
Everton 2-2 Charlton Athletic
28/11/2004
Arsenal 2-0 Bristol Rovers
Birmingham City 6-0 Liverpool
Bristol City 0-1 Leeds United
Charlton Athletic 2-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Fulham 0-0 Everton
5/12/2004
Arsenal 3-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Birmingham City 4-0 Bristol City
Bristol Rovers 3-2 Fulham
Everton 1-3 Leeds United
Liverpool 0-1 Charlton Athletic
12/12/2004
Bristol City 1-3 Everton
Leeds United 0-2 Bristol Rovers
19/12/2004
Everton 2-1 Fulham
23/1/2005
Arsenal 7-0 Bristol City
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-3 Charlton Athletic
Fulham 2-1 Leeds United
6/2/2005
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-0 Bristol City
Charlton Athletic 3-2 Birmingham City
Everton 1-1 Arsenal
Fulham 2-1 Liverpool
8/2/2005
Fulham 0-4 Charlton Athletic
27/2/2005
Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-1 Arsenal
6/3/2005
Bristol Rovers 1-2 Everton
Liverpool 0-1 Bristol City
23/3/2005
Arsenal 8-1 Birmingham City
27/3/2005
Birmingham City 3-0 Fulham
Leeds United 1-2 Arsenal
3/4/2005
Liverpool 2-1 Birmingham City
Bristol Rovers 1-5 Arsenal
10/3/2005
Bristol Rovers 1-3 Charlton Athletic
Leeds United 0-2 Birmingham City
17/4/2005
Birmingham City 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Everton 5-2 Doncaster Rovers Belles
24/4/2005
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-0 Birmingham City
Charlton Athletic 0-1 Arsenal
7/5/2005
Arsenal 6-2 Fulham
