REDS REGAIN TOP FLIGHT STATUS

Two years after their relegation from the top flight, Liverpool bounced back following a season-long tussle with OOH Lincoln for the Northern Division title.

The Reds had finished runners-up to Blackburn Rovers in the previous campaign as new manager Keith Cliffe, who had replaced John Williams in the 2005 close-season, made his mark.

The previously named Lincoln City led for most of the 2006-07 campaign, but that was largely due to the fact that Cliffe’s team were almost always playing catch-up in terms of matches played.

When the teams met at Liverpool on 22 October, Lincoln won 3-1 to put themselves seven points ahead of their rivals at the top of the table – but they had played two games more.

By the end of the year the gap between the two teams was 10 points, but this time the Reds were three games behind.

And when they fought out a goalless draw at Lincoln on 25 March, the now nine points difference was not as demanding for Liverpool as it seemed at first glance as they had five games in hand. 

Lincoln’s recent sequence of results at that stage proved crucial, their worst run of the season having seem them collect just nine points from seven matches. Liverpool meanwhile were going well having taken 17 points from eight outings.

So when Lincoln completed their fixtures at the end of April on 45 points, the Reds were just a point behind with three games left to play – and they needed only the first of them, in which they trounced Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-0, to claim the title and with it, promotion. 

Amidst the celebrations of the excellent feat, and what came as a surprise to most in the League, Cliffe decided to quit his post and handed the managerial reins to David Bradley.

Cliffe’s team’s promotion-clinching win against Wolves had condemned the West Midlanders to the division’s second from bottom spot and relegation along with rock-bottom Curzon Ashton. 

Wolves had been in the League since its 1991 inception, spending two seasons in the top flight during the mid-1990’s, but after their relegation they were unable to regain their place before the 2011 inaugural season of the FA Women’s Super League.

Curzon Ashton, however, regained their Premier League status through promotion after just one season and were part of the new-look Northern Division following the start of the WSL.

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2006-07
 
20/8/2006
Aston Villa 1-0 Curzon Ashton
Newcastle United 3-1 Stockport County 
OOH Lincoln 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
Tranmere Rovers 3-1 Preston North End
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Manchester City
 
27/8/2006
Manchester City 1-1 Curzon Ashton
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Tranmere Rovers           
Stockport County 0-1 Crewe Alexandra
 
3/9/2006
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Newcastle United
Liverpool 2-4 Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Preston North End
OOH Lincoln 1-1 Manchester City
Stockport County 3-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Curzon Ashton
 
17/9/2006
Aston Villa 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
OOH Lincoln 2-3 Tranmere Rovers           
Stockport County 0-3 Liverpool
 
24/9/2006
Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Curzon Ashton 0-6 Newcastle United
Preston North End 1-8 OOH Lincoln 
Liverpool 3-1 Tranmere Rovers           
Nottingham Forest 2-3 Manchester City
Stockport County 6-1 Aston Villa
 
1/10/2006
Crewe Alexandra 1-2 OOH Lincoln 
Curzon Ashton 0-2 Stockport County 
Manchester City 3-2 Aston Villa
Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Preston North End
 
4/10/2006
Aston Villa 3-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Curzon Ashton 1-5 Tranmere Rovers           
Liverpool 5-0 Crewe Alexandra
 
8/10/2006
Manchester City 0-1 Stockport County
 
15/10/2006
Aston Villa 1-0 Stockport County 
Newcastle United 2-1 Tranmere Rovers           
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 OOH Lincoln
 
22/10/2006
Curzon Ashton 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Liverpool 1-3 OOH Lincoln 
Manchester City 1-1 Preston North End
Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Stockport County 
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
 
29/10/2006
Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool
Fylde 0-5 Tranmere Rovers           
OOH Lincoln 4-0 Curzon Ashton
Stockport County 0-1 Manchester City
 
5/11/2006
Aston Villa 1-2 Newcastle United
Curzon Ashton 2-2 Stockport County 
Preston North End 3-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nottingham Forest 2-3 Liverpool
Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Crewe Alexandra
 
8/11/2006
Curzon Ashton 1-2 Crewe Alexandra
Tranmere Rovers 4-1 Manchester City
 
12/11/2006
Crewe Alexandra 3-4 Stockport County 
Curzon Ashton 0-2 Manchester City
Liverpool 1-0 Preston North End
Newcastle United 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Tranmere Rovers 2-2 OOH Lincoln 
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Aston Villa
 
26/11/2006
Aston Villa 1-1 Preston North End
Crewe Alexandra 3-3 Tranmere Rovers           
Curzon Ashton 1-5 Liverpool
OOH Lincoln 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Stockport County 1-1 Nottingham Forest
 
10/12/2006
Crewe Alexandra 3-2 Aston Villa
OOH Lincoln 1-0 Stockport County 
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-3 Curzon Ashton
 
17/12/2006
Curzon Ashton 0-1 Preston North End
Manchester City 3-3 Tranmere Rovers           
Newcastle United 1-2 Crewe Alexandra
Stockport County 1-2 OOH Lincoln
 
14/1/2007
Curzon Ashton 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Stockport County 1-2 Tranmere Rovers           
 
21/1/2007
Crewe Alexandra 0-4 Liverpool
Nottingham Forest 3-2 Newcastle United
 
28/1/2007
Crewe Alexandra 3-0 Manchester City
Preston North End 1-1 Stockport County 
Nottingham Forest 4-3 Aston Villa
OOH Lincoln 2-2 Newcastle United
 
4/2/2007
Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Preston North End
Manchester City 1-1 OOH Lincoln 
Newcastle United 0-1 Curzon Ashton
 
11/2/2007
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
 
25/2/2007
Crewe Alexandra 4-3 Nottingham Forest
Curzon Ashton 2-5 Aston Villa
Liverpool 4-0 Stockport County 
Manchester City 1-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
OOH Lincoln 3-4 Preston North End
 
4/3/2007
Preston North End 2-0 Crewe Alexandra
Nottingham Forest 4-1 Curzon Ashton
OOH Lincoln 4-1 Aston Villa
Stockport County 4-3 Newcastle United
 
11/3/2007
Aston Villa 1-2 Tranmere Rovers           
Preston North End 1-3 Liverpool
Manchester City 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
OOH Lincoln 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Newcastle United
 
14/3/2007
Preston North End 6-3 Curzon Ashton
 
18/3/2007
Preston North End 2-1 Manchester City
Newcastle United 2-0 OOH Lincoln 
Tranmere Rovers 0-2 Aston Villa
 
21/3/2007
Tranmere Rovers 1-0 Liverpool
 
25/3/2007
Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Curzon Ashton
Manchester City 1-2 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Stockport County 
OOH Lincoln 0-0 Liverpool
 
1/4/2007
Preston North End 2-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
Newcastle United 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nottingham Forest 0-3 OOH Lincoln
 
8/4/2007
Aston Villa 0-0 OOH Lincoln 
Preston North End 4-2 Newcastle United
Liverpool 3-1 Curzon Ashton
Manchester City 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Stockport County 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
 
15/4/2007
Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City
Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle United
Stockport County 2-1 Preston North End
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Tranmere Rovers           
Nottingham Forest 3-0 Crewe Alexandra
 
22/4/2007
Preston North End 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Liverpool 5-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tranmere Rovers 1-0 Newcastle United
 
24/4/2007
Aston Villa 1-3 Nottingham Forest
 
29/4/2007
Liverpool 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United 1-1 Preston North End
 
30/4/2007
Curzon Ashton 2-5 OOH Lincoln