SEAGULLS SOAR TO LEAGUE TITLE AND PROMOTION TO FA WSL

Brighton & Hove Albion were disappointed at having to settle for the runners-up spot in the Southern Division’s 2014-15 season - but they more than made up for it 12 months later, not only taking the divisional title but then going on to win promotion to the FA Women’s Super League via a play-off victory over Northern Division champions Sporting Club Albion.

In their ultimately successful league campaign the south coast Albion had to beat off the challenge of several teams, particularly Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City, to earn the right to take on the West Midlands Albion in the play-off.

In the middle of a tight title race throughout the season, Brighton had to play catch-up after they were four points behind the Bluebirds as the Welsh team topped the table at the half-way stage.

The Seagulls, at that point joint second with Charlton, were going through their only blip of their 22-match programme. The only two games they lost came back to back, against Queens Park Rangers and then a potentially damaging 2-1 defeat by Cardiff.

But they bounced back quickly and convincingly. A fortnight after losing at home to the Bluebirds they beat them 2-1 away and never looked back - they won eight and drew the other one of their remaining nine outings, clinching the title with a 2-1 away victory over Tottenham Hotspur in what was their last match of the league campaign.   

Now they were to face a WSL play-off against a Sporting Club team who had not only made an equally impressive end to their league season, but had also knocked Brighton out of the FA Cup at the fifth round stage. So it was game on as the two teams stepped out at Wycombe Wanderers’ Adams Park for the winner-takes-all contest.

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PROMOTION PLAY-OFF 2015-16

Brighton & Hove Albion 4 (Natkiel 41, 68, Perry 73, Taylor 75)
Sporting Club Albion 2 (Dugmore 15, Clough 88)

Adams Park, Wycombe
29 May 2016
Attendance: 648

Brighton had to come from behind to beat a hard working Sporting side and win promotion to WSL 2, the second tier of the FA Women’s Super League.

The game started badly for the Seagulls as a Leigh Dugmore header gave Sporting an early lead. 

But the Southern Division team gradually took control and went in front through goals either side of half-time by Kate Natkiel, whose first strike was a superb 25yard drive and her second an easy finish after a loose ball had dropped her way in the penalty area.

Two goals in as many minutes then wrapped up the Seagulls’ victory, Sophie Perry curling in a fine free-kick and then Amy Taylor glancing home a header 15 minutes from time.

Sporting substitute Karen Clough pulled a goal back two minutes before the final whistle, but it was too little too late to potentially change the game’s outcome.

Reflecting on the route to the divisional title and now the play-off triumph, a delighted Natkiel - whose two goals had turned the play-off in her team’s favour - said:

“It has been a hard few months, but we really rose to it and we've come together as a team and we didn't let anything get us down.

“It's amazing, I couldn't think of anything better, I couldn't ask for a better performance. All the fans that came to watch us gave us their support - and I think we rose to the occasion and we gave them everything we had.”

Brighton and Hove Albion (3-5-2): Baker; Cooper, Ashton-Jones, Boswell; Perry, Barton, Young, Olding (Rowe 90), Somes (Dorey 80); Taylor (Fulgence 86), Natkiel.

Substitutes not used: Leitch, Wilson.

Sporting Club Albion (4-4-2): Thomas; Crossman, Conroy, Darby, Highman; Smith, Holmes, Greaves, Parnell (Clough 74); Dugmore, Cottam (Haynes 74).

Referee: Anthony Tankard

FAWPL SOUTHERN DIVISION UPS AND DOWNS 2015-16

As the Seagulls were set to fly up to the FA WSL so Forest Green Rovers and Plymouth Argyle - both cast well adrift of the the teams above them - were about to drop into regional divisions. At least that was the intended procedure before Forest Green left the league altogether before the start of the 2016-17 season.

They had won South West Division One and promotion at the first attempt in 2014-15 but sadly, after their second from bottom finish in this season, they withdrew from the league due to lack of players.

Meanwhile bottom of the table Plymouth would drop into South East Division One, to be replaced by that division’s 2015-16 champions Crystal Palace. South West Division One winners Swindon Town would step up to what would be an 11 rather than 12-team 2016-17 Southern Division.

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2015-16

16/8/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 Forest Green Rovers
Cardiff City 0-1 Portsmouth
Coventry United 5-0 West Ham United
C & K Basildon 1-1 Charlton Athletic
Lewes 4-1 Plymouth Argyle
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

23/8/2015
Cardiff City 5-0 Lewes
Charlton Athletic 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Coventry United 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
Forest Green Rovers 3-3 Plymouth Argyle
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 C & K Basildon

6/9/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Forest Green Rovers 1-0 West Ham United
C & K Basildon 4-7 Cardiff City
Lewes 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 5-1 Coventry United
Plymouth Argyle 1-6 Charlton Athletic

9/9/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Lewes
Portsmouth 3-0 Queens Park Rangers

10/9/2015
Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Cardiff City
West Ham United 0-1 C & K Basildon

13/9/2015
Charlton Athletic 4-1 C & K Basildon
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Cardiff City
Lewes 0-2 Portsmouth
Plymouth Argyle 0-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Forest Green Rovers

17/9/2015
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Charlton Athletic

20/9/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 6-1 C & K Basildon
Coventry United 5-0 Lewes
Forest Green Rovers 0-5 Tottenham Hotspur
Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Plymouth Argyle
Portsmouth 1-4 Charlton Athletic

23/9/2015
C & K Basildon 2-3 West Ham United
Lewes 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

24/9/2015
Cardiff City 8-2 Forest Green Rovers

27/9/2015
Cardiff City 3-1 Charlton Athletic
C & K Basildon 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Queens Park Rangers 1-3 Lewes
Plymouth Argyle 0-4 Coventry United
West Ham United 0-3 Forest Green Rovers

30/9/2015
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Portsmouth

11/10/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Coventry United
Cardiff City 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Charlton Athletic 8-1 West Ham United
C & K Basildon 3-3 Queens Park Rangers
Lewes 3-1 Forest Green Rovers
Plymouth Argyle 2-5 Portsmouth

18/10/2015
Cardiff City 0-3 Coventry United
C & K Basildon 2-1 Plymouth Argyle
Lewes 2-2 West Ham United
Portsmouth 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion

25/10/2015
Coventry United 1-1 Portsmouth
Forest Green Rovers 0-6 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Plymouth Argyle 1-3 Cardiff City
West Ham United 1-0 Lewes

1/11/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Portsmouth
C & K Basildon 2-3 Lewes
Queens Park Rangers 4-1 Forest Green Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Coventry United

8/11/2015
Cardiff City 9-1 Plymouth Argyle
Forest Green Rovers 1-3 Coventry United
Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 2-2 C & K Basildon
West Ham United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

15/11/2015
Cardiff City 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 West Ham United

22/11/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 West Ham United
Lewes 0-4 Coventry United
Tottenham Hotspur 0-4 Portsmouth
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

29/11/2015
Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Plymouth Argyle 0-2 West Ham United

6/12/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Charlton Athletic
C & K Basildon 0-0 Coventry United
Portsmouth 7-0 West Ham United

13/12/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 Plymouth Argyle
C & K Basildon 3-1 Forest Green Rovers
Queens Park Rangers 3-1 West Ham United
Portsmouth 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

20/12/2015
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Coventry United 4-0 Forest Green Rovers
C & K Basildon 4-3 Portsmouth
West Ham United 4-2 Plymouth Argyle

3/1/2016
Coventry United 11-0 Plymouth Argyle

24/1/2016
Forest Green Rovers 1-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Lewes 1-3 Cardiff City

31/1/2016
Charlton Athletic 0-0 Cardiff City

14/2/2016
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Plymouth Argyle
West Ham United 0-8 Charlton Athletic

21/2/2016
Coventry United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

28/2/2016
Forest Green Rovers 0-1 C & K Basildon
Lewes 1-2 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 6-0 Plymouth Argyle
West Ham United 0-4 Coventry United

6/3/2016
Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Queens Park Rangers
West Ham United 1-5 Portsmouth
Plymouth Argyle 1-3 Lewes

8/3/2016
West Ham United 1-0  Tottenham Hotspur

13/3/2016
Cardiff City 2-2 West Ham United
Queens Park Rangers 1-0 C & K Basildon
Lewes 0-1 Charlton Athletic
Plymouth Argyle 2-4 Tottenham Hotspur

20/3/2016
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Coventry United
Forest Green Rovers 0-6 Lewes
Plymouth Argyle 2-4 C & K Basildon
West Ham United 0-2 Cardiff City

27/3/2016
Forest Green Rovers 0-3 Portsmouth
C & K Basildon 1-6 Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Lewes

3/4/2016
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 Portsmouth
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Lewes
Queens Park Rangers 0-5 Coventry United
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Cardiff City

10/4/2016
Coventry United 2-1 C & K Basildon
Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Forest Green Rovers
Portsmouth 0-1 Lewes
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
West Ham United 0-0 Queens Park Rangers

17/4/2016
Cardiff City 7-1 Queens Park Rangers
Charlton Athletic 5-1 Plymouth Argyle
Coventry United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Lewes 2-1 C & K Basildon
Portsmouth 3-0 Forest Green Rovers

24/4/2016
Charlton Athletic 9-1 Forest Green Rovers
Plymouth Argyle 2-2 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 2-1 Cardiff City

1/5/2016
Cardiff City 4-2 C & K Basildon
Coventry United 2-3 Charlton Athletic

15/5/2016
Coventry United 2-0 Cardiff City