GOALDEN GIRL HELEN HURRIES HORNETS UP TO TOP FLIGHT

It was the Helen Lander show as the 40-goal striker led Watford’s charge to the Southern Division title and with it, promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club’s history.

The Hornets sharpshooter also earned herself the division’s Golden Boot award for the second successive season, her 2006-07 haul being the Premier League’s highest since Norwegian striker Marianne Pettersen’s 49 for Fulham in 2001-02.

“It’s been absolutely brilliant,” Lander (later Ward through marriage) told Women’s Soccer Scene magazine. “From the word go we knew what we wanted - the aim was promotion and nothing else would do. We came close last season (in 2005/06 Watford had finished third), then added a couple of players. 

“Sian Williams (ex-Arsenal and Wales player) came in as manager. Matt (Ward) stayed on and did a tremendous job (as coach). Sian knows players and has the experience herself. It’s been a learning curve for all involved, but everyone has played their part.”

As to her top goalscorer award, she added: “It’s all very well getting individual awards, but it’s the result of a team effort. I can’t score the goals if my team mates don't create the chances for me. If it’s a tap-in that's fine, if it gets the points, even better. 

“Everyone, the players and staff, have done a fantastic job and it's a combination of everything.”

The sum of the parts was a conclusive promotion triumph, only Portsmouth keeping pace at the top until getting severely and decisively stung twice in quick succession by the buzzing Hornets. 

Watford first won 7-1 at Pompey and then beat them 4-3 at home, the second victory in early March creating a 17-point gap between the two teams. 

Portsmouth had two games in hand and battled valiantly in the final two months of the campaign, but the task of catching the table toppers proved beyond them - at the season’s end the Hornets were 10 points clear with third-placed Millwall Lionesses a further five points behind.

As Lander looked ahead to what would be her first taste of top flight football, she said “It’s where I’ve always wanted to play and luckily I’ll be able to do it with Watford, who I've been with since I was nine years old, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Perhaps not looking forward so much to the following campaign were the relegated Southampton Saints and AFC Wimbledon, bottom and bottom-but-one respectively and neither of them destined to make a Premier League return before the restructuring of the league pyramid  following the 2011 formation of the FA Women’s Super League.

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2006-07

20/8/2006
AFC Wimbledon 1-3 Reading Royals
Barnet 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
Crystal Palace 1-5 Watford
Portsmouth 6-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Southampton Saints 3-1 Keynsham Town
 
27/8/2006
AFC Team Bath 7-0 AFC Wimbledon
Keynsham Town 4-1 West Ham United
Southampton Saints 4-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
 
3/9/2006
AFC Wimbledon 1-3 Watford
Barnet 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Crystal Palace 6-3 Keynsham Town
Portsmouth 2-1 AFC Team Bath
Southampton Saints 1-4 Millwall Lionesses
West Ham United 0-1 Reading Royals
 
17/9/2006
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Keynsham Town
Barnet 2-3 Watford
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 Southampton Saints
Crystal Palace 2-2 AFC Team Bath
Portsmouth 2-0 Reading Royals
West Ham United 0-0 Millwall Lionesses
 
24/9/2006
AFC Team Bath 3-1 Barnet
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-4 Watford
Keynsham Town 5-1 Reading Royals
Millwall Lionesses 6-2 Crystal Palace
Southampton Saints 1-2 AFC Wimbledon
West Ham United 2-2 Portsmouth
 
1/10/2006
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 West Ham United
Barnet 4-0 Southampton Saints
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portsmouth 6-1 Keynsham Town
Reading Royals 0-1 AFC Team Bath
Watford 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
 
4/10/2006
AFC Team Bath 2-1 Keynsham Town
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Portsmouth
Crystal Palace 2-1 Barnet
Millwall Lionesses 5-1 AFC Wimbledon
Reading Royals 1-5 Watford
 
15/10/2006
Barnet 1-2 Portsmouth
Millwall Lionesses 5-2 AFC Team Bath
Reading Royals 2-2 Southampton Saints
West Ham United 2-3 Watford
 
22/10/2006
AFC Team Bath 1-7 Watford
AFC Wimbledon 1-5 Barnet
Keynsham Town 1-3 Millwall Lionesses
Portsmouth 4-0 Crystal Palace
Reading Royals 6-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
West Ham United 2-1 Southampton Saints
 
29/10/2006
Crystal Palace 1-1 Portsmouth
Millwall Lionesses 0-1 Reading Royals
Southampton Saints 1-1 AFC Team Bath
Watford 7-4 Keynsham Town
West Ham United 0-0 Barnet
 
5/11/2006
Keynsham Town 1-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Reading Royals 4-0 Crystal Palace
Southampton Saints 0-1 West Ham United
Watford 2-0 Barnet
 
8/11/2006
Barnet 2-1 Reading Royals
Keynsham Town 2-2 AFC Team Bath
Millwall Lionesses 0-2 West Ham United
Portsmouth 3-3 Southampton Saints
Watford 2-1 Crystal Palace
 
9/11/2006
AFC Wimbledon 3-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
 
12/11/2006
AFC Wimbledon 1-1 AFC Team Bath
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-4 Barnet
Crystal Palace 0-1 Reading Royals
Portsmouth 3-3 Millwall Lionesses
Watford 6-0 Southampton Saints
West Ham United 1-4 Keynsham Town
 
19/11/2006
Keynsham Town 1-0 Crystal Palace
 
26/11/2006
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Southampton Saints
 
3/12/2006
AFC Team Bath 1-1 Crystal Palace
 
17/12/2006
Barnet 3-1 AFC Team Bath
Watford 8-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
 
14/01/2007
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 Crystal Palace
Southampton Saints 0-7 Barnet
 
21/01/2007
Reading Royals 3-1 West Ham United
 
28/01/2007
AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Crystal Palace
Keynsham Town 3-0 Southampton Saints
Millwall Lionesses 1-3 Barnet
West Ham United 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
 
4/2/2007
Keynsham Town 1-1 Barnet
Portsmouth 1-7 Watford
West Ham United 1-2 Crystal Palace
 
18/2/2007
AFC Team Bath 3-1 West Ham United
 
11/3/2007
Barnet 4-1 West Ham United
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Reading Royals
Millwall Lionesses 3-3 Keynsham Town
Southampton Saints 0-4 Crystal Palace
Watford 4-3 Portsmouth
 
18/3/2007
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-2 AFC Team Bath
Reading Royals 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
West Ham United 3-1 AFC Wimbledon
 
25/3/2007
Barnet 3-1 Crystal Palace
AFC Team Bath 1-2 Portsmouth
AFC Wimbledon 1-5 Watford
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 West Ham United
Millwall Lionesses 6-2 Southampton Saints
Reading Royals 0-1 Keynsham Town
 
28/3/2007
AFC Wimbledon 0-3 Millwall Lionesses
 
1/4/2007
AFC Team Bath 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Crystal Palace 12-0 Southampton Saints
Keynsham Town 3-1 AFC Wimbledon
Millwall Lionesses 4-3 Watford
Portsmouth 3-0 West Ham United
Reading Royals 2-0 Barnet
 
8/4/2007
Barnet 3-3 Keynsham Town
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 AFC Wimbledon
Crystal Palace 3-0 West Ham United
Millwall Lionesses 1-2 Portsmouth
Southampton Saints 0-3 Reading Royals
Watford 3-0 AFC Team Bath
 
11/4/2007
AFC Wimbledon 0-4 Portsmouth
  
15/4/2007
AFC Team Bath 1-2 Millwall Lionesses
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-5 Keynsham Town
Watford 3-2 Reading Royals
 
18/4/2007
Crystal Palace 2-4 AFC Wimbledon
Reading Royals 1-2 Portsmouth
 
22/4/2007
Barnet 1-2 AFC Wimbledon
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Millwall Lionesses
Watford 5-1 West Ham United
 
29/4/2007
Keynsham Town 2-1 Watford
Millwall Lionesses 4-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portsmouth 2-2 Barnet
Reading Royals 2-1 AFC Wimbledon