FROM DELIGHT TO DESPAIR FOR TITLE WINNERS POMPEY

A crushing home defeat on the first day of the season was brushed aside by Portsmouth as they bounced back emphatically to win the Southern Division - only to then disappointingly miss out on promotion to the FA Women’s Super League through a 1-0 play-off defeat by Northern Division champions Sheffield FC.

In what was an historic season for the FAWPL, promotion to the WSL through playing success - rather than exclusively by meeting FA requirements - was available for the first time.

Not that anyone at Pompey was thinking of promotion immediately after the opening day of the campaign as they went down 7-3 to Cardiff City, Gemma Hillier hitting a hat-trick in vain as Bluebirds striker Cori Williams bagged five goals for the rampant visitors.  

The level of defeat was a shocker for Perry Northeast’s team. But they recovered quickly and, with a run of five successive victories, were top of the table by the end of September.

They held their position until having to go through November and early December with no league fixtures, and at the turn of the year they had dropped to fourth place as their title rivals took full advantage. 

Brighton & Hove Albion were now leading the division ahead of Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City, who were in joint second place. Portsmouth had a game in hand on the leaders, but as the season moved into its second half high-scoring Cardiff started forging ahead.

Four straight wins - hitting 20 goals in the process - took the Bluebirds four points ahead of the chasing pack as the run-in to the end of the season began. Sadly for the Welsh club it was at this point of the season when their title hopes faded, losing four of their next five games to fall out of contention.

Charlton boosted their chances with a 6-3 win at Portsmouth in early April, but that proved to be the last setback for Pompey as they responded with a six-match winning streak to pip Brighton to the title. They needed at least a draw in their final outing at home to West Ham United, but a 3-1 win saw them home.

And so to the play-off for a place in the FA WSL2, a massive game against a Sheffield side that had already outdone Northeast’s side in the semi-final of the League Cup.

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PROMOTION PLAY-OFF 2014-15

Portsmouth 0

Sheffield 1 (Giampalma 90+2)

Sheffield had the better of the game but twice in the closing stages, with the scoresheet blank, Pompey went close to scoring what might have been the decisive goal.

Lucy Quinn saw a goalbound effort brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Claire Wallhead, who then kept out a point-blank range shot from Charlie Wilson.

Wallhead’s heroics were followed by Sheffield’s killer blow which came when Lisa Giampalma turned the ball into the Pompey net from a Jodie Michalska pass two minutes into stoppage time.

Defeat was very hard to take, said manager Northeast: “It’s difficult to speak,” he said. “With the journey that this club has been through this season, for it to come down to added time at the end, that is cruel.

“Neither side played to just stay in the game. Credit to Sheffield, their goalkeeper made two fantastic saves. Both sides went out there to win the game. I can not be prouder. We have overcome so many barriers. The players have been absolutely magnificent."

Portsmouth (4-4-2): Trodd, Frampton, Bazan (Taylor 60), Clark, Currie, Bloomfield (Callahan 89), Kempson, Sievwright, Quinn, Wilson, Hillier.

Substitutes not used: Goodall,

Sheffield FC (4-5-1): Wallhead Cox, Murphy, Gilliat, Giampalma, Ward, Parkin, Goodman, Beanland (McIver 67), Michalska; Johnson.

Substitutes not used: Nikki Hogg, Aimee Johnson, Suzanne Davies.

Knights’ Lane, Stratford
Referee: L Rashid
Attendance 308

FAWPL UPS AND DOWNS 2014-15

Portsmouth’s defeat meant that for the 2015-16 campaign they would again be in the Northern Division, unlike 2014-15’s bottom two clubs who were both set for relegation.

Keynsham Town were to be replaced by South West Division One winners Forest Green, while second bottom club Gillingham’s place would be taken over by  South East Division One champions C&K Basildon.

Meanwhile Northern Division runners-up Coventry City (after changing ‘City’ to ‘United’ in their club title) would be switched to the Southern Division and heading in the opposite direction were Nuneaton Town (who had played as Copsewood Coventry in 2014/15).

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2014-15

24/08/2014
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 Nuneaton Town
Queens Park Rangers 1-2 West Ham United
Keynsham Town 1-12 Charlton Athletic
Lewes 2-0 Plymouth Argyle
Portsmouth 3-7 Cardiff City
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Gillingham

03/09/2014
Charlton Athletic 5-0 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 2-0 Lewes

04/09/2014
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 Gillingham
West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

07/09/2014
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-2 Portsmouth
Gillingham 2-1 Keynsham Town
Queens Park Rangers 3-0 Nuneaton Town
Lewes 0-1 West Ham United
Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Cardiff City
Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 Charlton Athletic

11/09/2014
Keynsham Town 0-6 Cardiff 

14/09/2014
Plymouth Argyle 0-5 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portsmouth 6-0 Keynsham Town
West Ham United 0-1 Nuneaton Town

21/09/2014
Cardiff City 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Gillingham 6-2 Nuneaton Town
Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Keynsham Town
Portsmouth 2-1 Charlton Athletic
Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 Lewes
West Ham United 5-2 Plymouth Argyle

28/09/2014
Cardiff City 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Charlton Athletic 4-0 Keynsham Town 
Queens Park Rangers 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Lewes 3-0 Nuneaton Town
Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Gillingham
West Ham United 0-3 Portsmouth

02/10/2014
Gillingham 1-5 Brighton & Hove Albion
Queens Park Rangers 1-4 Charlton Athletic
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 West Ham United

05/10/2014
Cardiff City 2-0 Nuneaton Town
Charlton Athletic 4-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Plymouth Argyle 2-2 Lewes
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Portsmouth
West Ham United 4-1 Keynsham Town

07/10/2014
Cardiff City 5-1 Keynsham Town

08/10/2014
Lewes 0-3 Portsmouth

19/10/2014
Cardiff City 6-2 Gillingham
Lewes 1-2 Charlton Athletic

26/10/2014
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Gillingham
Keynsham Town 1-8 Queens Park Rangers
Lewes 0-2 Cardiff City
Nuneaton Town 0-3 West Ham United
Plymouth Argyle 0-3 Portsmouth
Tottenham Hotspur 2-5 Brighton & Hove Albion

02/11/2014
Brighton & Hove Albion 5-1 Charlton Athletic
Gillingham 2-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Keynsham Town 0-6 Lewes
Plymouth Argyle 3-1 Nuneaton Town

09/11/2014
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Gillingham 1-3 Lewes
Keynsham Town 1-5 Tottenham Hotspur

16/11/2014
Cardiff City 3-3 Charlton Athletic

23/11/2014
Nuneaton Town 1-1 Gillingham

07/12/2014
Gillingham 0-4 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur

14/12/2014
Charlton Athletic 3-3 West Ham United
Gillingham 1-7 Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Lewes
Keynsham Town 3-3 Plymouth Argyle
Nuneaton Town 0-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portsmouth 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur

04/01/2015
Keynsham Town 1-3 West Ham United

25/01/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 West Ham United
Cardiff City 2-0 Lewes
Plymouth Argyle 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 3-0 Gillingham

01/02/2015
Nuneaton Town 1-6 Cardiff City

08/02/2015
Lewes 0-1 Gillingham
Nuneaton Town 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

15/02/2015
Cardiff City 5-0 Plymouth Argyle

22/02/2015
Nuneaton Town 0-5 Portsmouth
Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Keynsham Town

01/03/2015
Gillingham 0-0 Plymouth Argyle

08/03/2015
Gillingham 0-1 Queens Park Rangers
Nuneaton Town 0-5 Lewes
Plymouth Argyle 0-0 West Ham United

15/03/2015
Lewes 2-2 Keynsham Town
Portsmouth 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Plymouth Argyle
West Ham United 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

19/03/2015
West Ham United 5-1 Gillingham

22/03/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 5-0 Cardiff City
Lewes 1-2 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 2-2 Nuneaton Town

29/03/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 Lewes
Cardiff City 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Gillingham 3-2 West Ham United
Nuneaton Town 0-3 Charlton Athletic
Portsmouth 1-0 Plymouth Argyle
Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 Keynsham Town

01/04/2015
Charlton Athletic 5-0 Lewes

05/04/2015
Cardiff City 1-2 West Ham United
Charlton Athletic 6-3 Portsmouth
Keynsham Town 5-3 Gillingham
Lewes 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Plymouth Argyle 0-0 Queens Park Rangers
Tottenham Hotspur 8-0 Nuneaton Town

07/04/2015
West Ham United 0-0 Charlton Athletic

12/04/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 Plymouth Argyle
Keynsham Town 1-3 Portsmouth
Lewes 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Nuneaton Town 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
West Ham United 1-0 Cardiff City

16/04/2015
Queens Park Rangers 2-3 Portsmouth

19/04/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Cardiff City 0-1 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Gillingham
Nuneaton Town 3-0 Keynsham Town
West Ham United 1-2 Lewes
Plymouth Argyle 3-5 Charlton Athletic

22/04/2015
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

26/04/2015
Charlton Athletic 7-0 Nuneaton Town
Gillingham 1-4 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 0-3 Cardiff City
West Ham United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

03/05/2015
Keynsham Town 1-5 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portsmouth 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Cardiff City

10/05/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion H-W Keynsham Town (HW – Home Walkover)
Charlton Athletic 1-4 Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Plymouth Argyle
Nuneaton Town 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 3-1 West Ham United

13/05/2015
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Queens Park Rangers

17/05/2015
Keynsham Town 1-4 Nuneaton Town
Charlton Athletic 11-1 Plymouth Argyle