FOREST’S FINAL DAY FLOURISH CLINCHES TITLE 

Spearheaded by strike partners Natalie Clarke and Andi Bell, Nottingham Forest won the Northern Division to reach the top flight in what was only the club’s third season as an FA Women’s Premier League team.

Clarke hit 25 goals and Bell, in her first season at the club after moving from Blackburn Rovers, struck 12 as Forest pipped near neighbours OOH Lincoln to the title in nail-biting fashion on what was each club’s final outing of the campaign.

Heading into that fateful Friday in late April, the teams were level on points but Lincoln – who had finished runners-up to Liverpool in the previous season – were on top of the table by the finest of margins: their goal difference was 51, just one better than Forest’s.  

By the end of the evening, however, goal difference played no part in the destiny of the title after Lincoln had gone down 2-1 to third in the table Sunderland while Forest had finished with a flourish to trounce Sheffield Wednesday 5-1, Clarke hitting a hat-trick.  

It was a dramatic conclusion to a season that Bell – who had herself grabbed a hat-trick in the penultimate game’s 3-1 win against Newcastle United – remembers fondly. 

“That season was probably the most enjoyable I had,” she says. “It was a big move (from Blackburn) for me and the pressure was on me to perform. 

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It was a bit nippy up in Durham for Sunderland’s 2-1 win against OOH Lincoln in April.

“So it was a massive relief to score on my debut, when we beat Newcastle (2-1). It was a difficult first game (of the season). They were a decent side, and on a pitch that I didn’t know and wasn’t the best surface. But we wanted to do well, and we just kicked on from there.

“It was a really enjoyable season, but there were some tough games as well. Even that Sheffield Wednesday game where we ended up winning (the division).

"Claire Wallhead, who signed for us the next season, was in goal for them and for, like, the first 20 minutes, she was just just pulling off unbelievable saves. 

“We were obviously pushed really hard by Lincoln, and they’re obviously local rivals as well. So it was a good scenario to beat them (to the title). 

“It wasn't the easiest season by any stretch, but we had a lot of quality players in that side, like Beth Bailey, Ellie Gilliat, Lyndsey Cunningham (now Harkin), Reanne Thomas and Emily Simkins. Clarkey (Natalie Clarke) was really good that season too. It was a quality side, a good mixture of experience and youth.” 

Forest were presented with the trophy before a capacity crowd at the City Ground. Captain Kelly Finley said: “It was a moment to savour and the squad enjoyed the occasion.

The close-run finish at the top end of the table had a similar conclusion at the other end, where Stockport County were relegated along with rock-bottom Crewe Alexandra but finished agonisingly close to third bottom Aston Villa. 

Stockport had been in a good position to retain their place in the league when beating Villa midway through the campaign, but following that victory they incredibly lost every one of their final 10 matches to finish two points below the Villans.

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2007-08
 
19/8/2007
Aston Villa 4-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Preston North End 1-0 Crewe Alexandra
Manchester City 2-2 Sunderland
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Newcastle United
Rotherham United 1-5 Stockport County 
Tranmere Rovers 1-5 OOH Lincoln
 
26/8/2007
Manchester City 2-4 Aston Villa
Newcastle United 1-3 Preston North End
OOH Lincoln 5-1 Sunderland
Rotherham United 3-6 Nottingham Forest
Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 Tranmere Rovers           
Stockport County 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
 
2/9/2007
Aston Villa 1-2 Stockport County 
Preston North End 2-0 Rotherham United
Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Manchester City
 
9/9/2007
Aston Villa 5-2 Tranmere Rovers           
Crewe Alexandra 1-3 Sunderland
Nottingham Forest 3-0 Manchester City
Rotherham United 3-6 Newcastle United
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Preston North End
Stockport County 0-3 OOH Lincoln
 
12/9/2007
Crewe Alexandra 1-5 Aston Villa
Preston North End 1-2 Manchester City
Rotherham United 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
 
13/9/2007
Newcastle United 1-2 Sunderland
Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Stockport County 
OOH Lincoln 1-2 Nottingham Forest
 
16/9/2007
Preston North End 5-2 Aston Villa
Manchester City 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday
OOH Lincoln 5-1 Newcastle United
Stockport County 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Sunderland 4-1 Rotherham United
Tranmere Rovers 4-1 Crewe Alexandra
 
23/9/2007
Crewe Alexandra 2-5 Manchester City
Preston North End 0-1 Stockport County 
Newcastle United 4-1 Tranmere Rovers           
Rotherham United 3-2 Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday 2-6 OOH Lincoln 
Nottingham Forest 3-2 Sunderland
 
7/10/2007
Preston North End 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Manchester City 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United 3-1 Rotherham United
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Stockport County 
Sunderland 0-1 Crewe Alexandra
Tranmere Rovers  1-0 Aston Villa
 
9/10/2007
Stockport County 0-1 Tranmere Rovers           
 
10/10/2007
Manchester City 0-4 Preston North End
 
11/10/2007
Aston Villa 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
Nottingham Forest 0-0 OOH Lincoln 
Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle United
 
14/10/2007
Crewe Alexandra 0-7 Nottingham Forest
Manchester City 3-0 Tranmere Rovers           
Newcastle United 2-2 Stockport County 
Sheffield Wednesday 2-5 Aston Villa
 
21/10/2007
Aston Villa 2-6 Nottingham Forest
Manchester City 0-0 Newcastle United
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Rotherham United
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Crewe Alexandra
Sunderland 2-1 Stockport County 
Tranmere Rovers 3-4 Preston North End
 
28/10/2007
Preston North End 1-2 Sunderland
Newcastle United 2-4 Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest 3-2 Tranmere Rovers           
Rotherham United 3-2 Manchester City
Stockport County 2-0 Aston Villa
 
4/11/2007
Aston Villa 1-2 OOH Lincoln 
Rotherham United 0-2 Crewe Alexandra
 
11/11/2007
Aston Villa 2-4 Sunderland
Crewe Alexandra 3-5 Newcastle United
Preston North End 3-2 OOH Lincoln 
Manchester City 2-0 Stockport County 
Sheffield Wednesday 1-5 Nottingham Forest
Tranmere Rovers 3-0 Rotherham United
 
18/11/2007
Nottingham Forest 5-2 Crewe Alexandra
Stockport County 0-4 Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland 2-0 Tranmere Rovers           
 
25/11/2007
Aston Villa 2-1 Preston North End
Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Tranmere Rovers           
Newcastle United 1-4 OOH Lincoln 
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Stockport County 
Rotherham United 1-3 Sunderland
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Manchester City
 
9/12/2007
OOH Lincoln 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
 
16/12/2007
Stockport County 0-5 Sunderland
 
13/1/2008
Manchester City 1-5 Rotherham United
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Crewe Alexandra
Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 Newcastle United
 
20/1/2008
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Preston North End
Stockport County 0-3 Manchester City
 
27/1/2008
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Rotherham United
Preston North End 1-5 Nottingham Forest
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Stockport County
 
23/2/2008
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Preston North End
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Tranmere Rovers           
Stockport County 0-5 Rotherham United
 
5/2/2008
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Rotherham United
 
10/2/2008
Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City
Crewe Alexandra 4-0 Stockport County 
Preston North End 0-3 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 7-0 Rotherham United
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
 
24/2/2008
Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest 4-4 Aston Villa
OOH Lincoln 3-0 Manchester City
Rotherham United 3-4 Tranmere Rovers           
 
2/3/2008
Manchester City 1-0 Crewe Alexandra
Newcastle United 3-2 Aston Villa
Rotherham United 1-2 OOH Lincoln 
Stockport County 0-3 Preston North End
Sunderland 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Tranmere Rovers 0-5 Nottingham Forest
 
9/3/2008
Aston Villa 1-3 Rotherham United
Crewe Alexandra 1-5 OOH Lincoln 
Newcastle United 3-0 Manchester City
Sunderland 2-2 Nottingham Forest
 
16/3/2008
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Preston North End
 
23/3/2008
Manchester City 0-2 OOH Lincoln 
Newcastle United 6-1 Crewe Alexandra
Tranmere Rovers 3-2 Sunderland
 
30/3/2008
Newcastle United 1-3 Nottingham Forest
Sheffield Wednesday 2-3 Sunderland
 
6/4/2008
Rotherham United 3-3 Preston North End
Tranmere Rovers 3-3 Newcastle United
 
13/4/2008
Preston North End 3-1 Tranmere Rovers           
OOH Lincoln 4-0 Aston Villa
Stockport County 0-7 Newcastle United
Sunderland 2-0 Manchester City
 
20/4/2008
Aston Villa 2-3 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 5-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland 2-1 OOH Lincoln
 
27/4/2008
Sunderland 4-2 Aston Villa
 
4/5/2008
Sunderland 2-0 Preston North End