BEES BUZZ THEIR WAY TO LONG-AWAITED TITLE
Barnet’s long march to the FAWPL Southern Division title was completed in an outstanding 2009-10 campaign, not only finishing eight points ahead of runners-up Reading but also reaching the FA Cup semi-finals before going down 2-0 to eventual winners Everton.
Under manager Tracey Kevins, appointed in February 2004 as the Bees were set for relegation from the league, the Bees had won promotion back from the South East Combination in 2006 and in the three seasons that followed had finished fourth, third and then second in 2008-09.
So confidence was high as Kevins’ team strode into what was the FA WPL’s last season ahead of the FA Women’s Super League making its entrance in 2011.
And that confidence was borne out as the first eight league games of the season were won with aplomb, scoring 22 goals in the process and conceding only four.
A 2-0 defeat at West Ham United in October failed to stop their impetus and their only other loss came in April at Keynsham Town, going down 2-1 but with the title almost within their grasp.
The reversal at Keynsham came exactly a month after March 14th’s semi-final and the disappointment of not reaching the final for what would have been the first time since, under the club’s previous name Wembley, 1996-97 - when runners-up medals had to be settled for after losing 1-0 to Millwall Lionesses.
In the nine league games that followed the semi-final, Barnet raced away from the opposition as they collected 20 points from the 27 on offer and with striker Stacey Sowden hitting 11 goals to take her season’s tally to 20 and win the division’s Top Goalscorer award.
Whilst proving their growing stature in the women’s game the club had put in an application to become one of the first eight founder members of the WSL. Their bid was unsuccessful, however, and in 2010-11 they were to finish fifth in a reconstituted Premier League National Division.
Meanwhile finishing in the Southern Division’s bottom two at the end of the 2009-10 campaign were Crystal Palace and Fulham, the Cottagers taking the wooden spoon after a four-season run that had seen them relegated from the top flight in 2006-07, promoted back a year later and then relegated in successive seasons to drop out of the league. Palace were to return as members of the Premier League South East Division One in 2014.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnet | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 53 | 18 | 52 | +35 |
| 2 | Reading | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 28 | 44 | +15 |
| 3 | Keynsham Town | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 55 | 36 | 41 | +19 |
| 4 | Portsmouth | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 32 | 39 | +10 |
| 5 | West Ham United | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 38 | 24 | 36 | +14 |
| 6 | Cardiff City | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 44 | 32 | 35 | +12 |
| 7 | Charlton Athletic | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 20 | 34 | +4 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove A | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 33 | 33 | 26 | 0 |
| 9 | Colchester United | 21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 40 | 23 | -21 |
| 10 | Queen’s Park Rangers | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 42 | 43 | 20 | -1 |
| 11 | Fulham | 21 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 14 | 63 | 8 | -49 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 22 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 12 | 50 | 7 | -38 |
Fulham v Colchester not played – points awarded to Colchester
RESULTS
16/8/2009Barnet 3–1 Cardiff City
Brighton & Hove Albion 5–0 Fulham
Crystal Palace 0–3 Colchester United
Keynsham Town 2–2 West Ham United
Portsmouth 1–2 Reading
Queens Park Rangers 1–0 Charlton Athletic
23/8/2009
Reading 1–0 Crystal Palace
West Ham United 1–1 Queens Park Rangers
Fulham 1–4 Keynsham Town
30/8/2009
Barnet 5–1 Reading
Cardiff City 2–2 West Ham United
Crystal Palace 0–1 Fulham
Keynsham Town 0–1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portsmouth 2–1 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 9–2 Colchester United
1/9/2009
Cardiff City 3–3 Keynsham Town
2/9/2009
Colchester United 0–0 West Ham United
Reading 3–1 Queens Park Rangers
3/9/2009
Barnet 5–1 Fulham
Portsmouth 2–1 Brighton & Hove Albion
6/9/2009
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–2 Queens Park Rangers
Charlton Athletic 0–1 Barnet
Colchester United 0–0 Cardiff City
Reading 4–3 Keynsham Town
West Ham United 5–1 Crystal Palace
Fulham 1–2 Portsmouth
9/9/2009
Crystal Palace 0–3 Charlton Athletic
13/0/2009
Colchester United 2–1 Brighton & Hove Albion
20/9/2009
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Keynsham Town
Colchester United 3–0 Fulham
Crystal Palace 1–2 Barnet
Queens Park Rangers 2–4 Portsmouth
Reading 1–3 West Ham United
27/9/2009
Barnet 2–0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Cardiff City 2–0 Crystal Palace
Keynsham Town 3–3 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 1–0 Colchester United
West Ham United 3–1 Charlton Athletic
Fulham 1–2 Reading
30/9/2009
Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 Portsmouth
Keynsham Town 2–2 Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers 2–3 Reading
West Ham United 0–0 Colchester United
1/10/2009
Fulham 0–2 Barnet
4/10/2009
Colchester United 0–2 Barnet
Crystal Palace 0–2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Queens Park Rangers 0–2 Cardiff City
Fulham 0–3 West Ham United
11/10/2009
Cardiff City 2–1 Queens Park Rangers
Charlton Athletic 1–0 Fulham
Colchester United 2-1 Keynsham Town
Crystal Palace 0-1 Portsmouth
Reading 1–1 Brighton & Hove Albion
West Ham United 2–0 Barnet
18/10/2009
Barnet 6–3 Keynsham Town
Charlton Athletic 2–1 Colchester United
Portsmouth 0–0 West Ham United
Queens Park Rangers 9–1 Fulham
Reading 2–1 Cardiff City
25/10/2009
Barnet 1–1 Portsmouth
Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 West Ham United
Charlton Athletic 0–2 Reading
Colchester United 2–1 Queens Park Rangers
Keynsham Town 2–0 Crystal Palace
1/11/2009
Brighton & Hove Albion 3–1 Colchester United
Cardiff City 2–1 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Barnet
West Ham United 1–2 Fulham
8/11/2009
Crystal Palace 1–4 Queens Park Rangers
Keynsham Town 3–0 Fulham
Portsmouth 1–4 Cardiff City
Reading 1–1 Colchester United
22/11/2009
Colchester United 0–1 Charlton Athletic
West Ham United 3–2 Cardiff City
29/11/2009
Colchester United 1–4 Portsmouth
24/1/2010
Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 Crystal Palace
7/2/2010
Crystal Palace 1–3 Keynsham Town
14/2/2010
Barnet 2–1 Crystal Palace
Cardiff City 1–0 Reading
Portsmouth 5–2 Queens Park Rangers
28/2/2010
Cardiff City 0–3 Brighton & Hove Albion
7/3/2010
Cardiff City 4–0 Fulham
Charlton Athletic 0–0 Brighton & Hove Albion
14/3/2010
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic 1–1 Portsmouth
Crystal Palace 0–5 Reading
Keynsham Town 3–1 Colchester United
Fulham 0–1 Queens Park Rangers
21/3/2010
Cardiff City 2–5 Barnet
Colchester United 0–0 Crystal Palace
Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Reading 2–2 Portsmouth
West Ham United 1–1 Keynsham Town
Fulham 0–2 Charlton Athletic
28/3/2010
Barnet 5–0 Colchester United
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–6 Keynsham Town
Portsmouth 2–1 Fulham
Reading 1–1 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 1-3 West Ham United
4/4/2010
Barnet 0-0 Charlton Athletic
Cardiff City 3-0 Colchester United
Fulham 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
11/4/2010
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Barnet
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
Crystal Palace 1-1 Cardiff
18/4/2010
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–3 Reading
Charlton Athletic 1-0 West Ham United
Keynsham Town 2-1 Barnet
Fulham 3-3 Crystal Palace
22/4/2010
Reading 1-1 Barnet
25/4/2010
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Cardiff City
Portsmouth 1-2 Barnet
Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Crystal Palace
West Ham United 4-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
26/4/2010
Keynsham Town 5-1 Portsmouth
29/4/2010
Barnet 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 4-0 Crystal Palace
2/5/2010
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Cardiff City 3-2 Portsmouth
5/5/2010
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Keynsham Town
6/5/2010
Barnet 3-0 West Ham United
9/5/2010
Colchester United 0-3 Reading
Keynsham Town 3-1 Charlton Athletic
West Ham United 2-2 Portsmouth
Fulham 0-6 Cardiff City
11/5/2010
Reading 3-0 Fulham
12/5/2010
Crystal Palace 1-2 West Ham United
16/5/2010
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Crystal Palace
Portsmouth 2-0 Keynsham Town
West Ham United 0-1 Reading
18/5/2010
Keynsham Town 2-1 Reading
