ROVERS IN TOONE TO TAKE TITLE - BUT NOT PROMOTION

With 16-year-old future England star Ella Toone to the fore, Blackburn Rovers won the 2016-17 Northern Division title without losing a single game - but their quest to gain promotion to the FA WSL was thwarted when they lost out to Southern Division champions Tottenham Hotspur in the play-off.

Hugely talented youngster Toone, who would go on to play for Manchester United and England - scoring in both the national team’s 2022 and 2025 gold medal winning Women’s Euro finals - top scored for Rovers in an outstanding campaign that brought the divisional title in emphatic fashion.

Toone hit the net on 21 occasions in all competitions while Saffron Jordan - in her first full season of senior team football with the club - scored 20 goals.

Winning 17 and drawing the other three of their 20-match Northern Division programme, Rovers clinched the title with six games to spare and rounded off the league season with an outing against Stoke City at their men’s club’s Ewood Park Stadium in front of 676 fans - the biggest crowd of their season before the 826 who watched the play-off at Charlton Athletic’s stadium The Valley.

Stoke forced a 2-2 draw at Ewood (Huddersfield Town and Leicester City were the only other teams to deny Blackburn victory), but manager Gemma Donnelly was nevertheless delighted with her team’s success as she lifted the divisional winner’s trophy and looked ahead to the play-off meeting with Spurs. 

As her third full season in charge of the team drew towards its conclusion, Donnelly said: “It was great to finish off at Ewood Park and maintain our unbeaten run, and I’m super-pleased with the girls.

“I think I can afford the girls some time to absorb what they’ve achieved this season, and we are delighted to be officially crowned champions - it was nice to receive the trophy at last.”

Rovers had been confirmed as champions almost two months before the trophy presentation; but now they had to wait only a fortnight for their all-important clash with Tottenham.

Donnelly said: “We have been building towards this for the last three seasons. It has taken some real hard work from everyone to get into this position. We have done as much as we needed to and more, and I feel very confident going into the game - the girls are so up for this.”

Up for it the girls certainly were, but Donnelly - whose team had lost to Spurs in the third round of the FA Cup - added: “Spurs are a very good team - you don’t pick up the results they have all season through luck.

“Having played them in the FA Cup we have been privy to what they offer, and I am expecting an even game. There is so much pressure on both teams, I think it will be down to who can cope with the pressure  the best, which team performs on the day. It might come down to a little bit of luck.”

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF 2016-17

Blackburn Rovers 0
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Baptiste 2, Martin)
The Valley
28 May 2017
Attendance 826

Sadly for Rovers it was Tottenham who produced the better performance on the day. Bianca Baptiste gave the Londoners the lead 10 minutes before half-time, her shot going in off the post. 

And the ‘little bit of luck’ that Donnelly had referred to also went the opposition’s way when Jordan’s 65th minute shot hit the Spurs post but did not bounce into the net.

Within 60 seconds it was a double-whammy as Baptiste scored her second goal of the game. And though Blackburn had the better of the play during the closing stages, their fate was sealed when Baptistes’s strike partner Wendy Martin completed the scoring three minutes into stoppage time. 

Blackburn Rovers: Hill, Whitham, Shepherd (capt), Pearson, Holbrook, Fenton (Montgomery 75), Jordan, McDonald, Stewart, McCoy (Taylor 89), Toone (Rankin 75).

Substitutes not used: Cook, Fryer.

Tottenham Hotspur: Wayne, Leon, Rawle (Soobadoo 88), McLean, Green, Baptiste, Martin, Schillaci (capt), Vio (Moloney 90+1), Hector, Humes (O’Leary 69).

Substitutes not used: Pond, Blanchflower.

Referee: Sarah Garratt

FAWPL NORTHERN DIVISION UPS AND DOWNS 2016-17

Blackburn’s play-off defeat meant they would remain in the Northern Division for what would prove to be another successful season for Donnelly’s team in 2017-18.  

At the other end of the division’s 2016-17 campaign, bottom club Newcastle United - who had collected only seven of the 60 points available - dropped down to Division One North while second-bottom Nottingham Forest were spared relegation as the Northern Division was to be expanded to 12 teams.

Coming up to the Northern Division for 2017-18 would be Guiseley Vixens and Wolverhampton Wanderers, champions of Division One North and Division One Midlands respectively.

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN PREMIER DIVISION RESULTS 2016-17

21/8/2016
Bradford City 0-2 Derby County
Fylde 4-0 Leicester City
Middlesbrough 6-0 West Bromwich Albion
Newcastle United 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Stoke City 0-2 Blackburn Rovers

28/8/2016
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Derby County
Bradford City 0-2 Middlesbrough
Huddersfield Town 3-3 Blackburn Rovers
Leicester City 5-3 Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Fylde

11/9/2016
Blackburn Rovers 5-1 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 3-1 Huddersfield Town
Fylde 3-2 Bradford City
Middlesbrough 0-3 Leicester City
Stoke City 2-1 Newcastle United

13/9/2016
Middlesbrough 7-1 Newcastle United

14/9/2016
Bradford City 1-0 Huddersfield Town

18/9/2016
Bradford City 0-4 Blackburn Rovers
Leicester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Middlesbrough 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United 6-2 Huddersfield Town

25/9/2016
Bradford City 5-1 Stoke City
Newcastle United 1-5 Fylde
Derby County 0-2 West Bromwich Albion

2/10/2016
Stoke City 3-3 Fylde
Derby County 3-1 Bradford City
Newcastle United 0-1 Blackburn Rovers
Nottingham Forest 2-5 Huddersfield Town

04/10/2016
Newcastle United 1-6 Middlesbrough

5/10/2016
Fylde 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Bradford City
Stoke City 1-1 Nottingham Forest

9/10/2016
Blackburn Rovers 4-1 Nottingham Forest
Bradford City 4-1 Leicester City
Fylde 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Huddersfield Town 4-1 Derby County
Middlesbrough 1-1 Stoke City

16/10/2016
West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Nottingham Forest

23/10/2016
Bradford City 6-0 Nottingham Forest
Middlesbrough 3-2 Derby County
Stoke City 1-2 Leicester City

27/10/2016
Nottingham Forest 1-5 Stoke City

30/10/2016
Blackburn Rovers 4-2 Bradford City
Fylde 0-2 Stoke City
Huddersfield Town 1-2 Middlesbrough
Newcastle United 1-0 Leicester City

6/11/2016
Middlesbrough 3-1 Fylde

13/11/2016
Huddersfield Town 3-3 Nottingham Forest
Leicester City 1-1 Fylde
West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Newcastle United

20/11/2016
Middlesbrough 1-2 Blackburn Rovers

27/11/2016
Derby County 2-3 Middlesbrough
Huddersfield Town 1-6 Leicester City
Stoke City 1-3 Bradford City
Nottingham Forest 5-1 Newcastle United

11/12/2016
Bradford City 0-0 Newcastle United
Fylde 0-0 Derby County
Nottingham Forest 3-8 Middlesbrough

18/12/2016
Newcastle United 0-5 West Bromwich Albion
Stoke City 5-1 Middlesbrough

8/1/2017
Fylde 6-1 Huddersfield Town

15/1/2017
Leicester City 0-4 Blackburn Rovers
Newcastle United 1-5 Bradford City

29/1/2017
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Blackburn Rovers

12/2/2017
Blackburn Rovers 5-1 Middlesbrough
Huddersfield Town 2-0 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Leicester City
Stoke City 2-1 Derby County

16/2/2017
Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Fylde

19/2/2017
Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Newcastle United
Huddersfield Town 2-2 Fylde
Middlesbrough 2-1 Bradford City

26/2/2017
Huddersfield Town 2-2 Stoke City
Leicester City 2-1 Derby County
West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Middlesbrough

5/3/2017
Derby County 2-0 Newcastle United

12/3/2017
Derby County 4-3 Stoke City
Fylde 1-0 Nottingham Forest
West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Blackburn Rovers

19/3/2017
Derby County 5-0 Fylde
Leicester City 2-2 Huddersfield Town
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Bradford City

26/3/2017
Blackburn Rovers 3-2 Derby County
Fylde 3-0 Newcastle United
Leicester City 0-3 Middlesbrough
Stoke City 2-0 Huddersfield Town

2/4/2017
Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Leicester City
Bradford City 1-2 Fylde
West Bromwich Albion 3-1 Huddersfield Town

9/4/2017
Bradford City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 0-4 Blackburn Rovers
Leicester City 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Middlesbrough 4-2 Huddersfield Town
Newcastle United 1-4 Stoke City

16/4/2017
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Leicester City

23/4/2017
Newcastle United 1-4 Derby County
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Fylde
West Bromwich Albion 4-1 Bradford City

26/4/2017
Stoke City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

30/4/2017
Derby County 1-3 Leicester City
West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Stoke City

7/5/2017
Leicester City 5-4 Bradford City
Nottingham Forest 1-2 West Bromwich Albion

8/5/2017
Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Huddersfield Town

9/5/2017
West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Derby County

14/5/2017
Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Stoke City
Derby County 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Fylde 0-3 Middlesbrough
Huddersfield Town 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City 6-0 Newcastle United