PROMOTION TO FA WSL TOPS TOTTENHAM’S TRIUMPHANT TREBLE
What a season 2016-17 was for Tottenham Hotspur! FAWPL Southern Division champions, League Cup winners for the second season in succession and, to top it all, elevation to the FA WSL after beating Northern Division champions Blackburn Rovers in the promotion play-off.
The first of the three honours obtained was the divisional title, won with three games to spare when they beat West Ham United 4-0 on an historic night at the London club’s iconic White Hart Lane stadium in front of what was at that point a record crowd for the women’s team of 2,140.
They had blitzed their way to the title, winning 16 and drawing the other one of the 17 matches they had taken to lift the trophy. They were to lose the following two games, against season-long chasers Cardiff City and Charlton Athletic, but then rounded off the campaign with a crushing 7-0 victory at West Ham.
Cardiff and Charlton finished the season in third and fourth places respectively, while Tottenham’s closest rivals Coventry United ended as runners-up with only two defeats throughout the campaign - both of them crucially coming against Spurs, who topped the final table with a four-point margin.
Karen Hills’ team was spearheaded by strike partners Bianca Baptiste and Wendy Martin, who hit 25 goals apiece in all competitions while each making a total of 33 appearances - and both were destined to be on the scoresheet again as promotion was clinched.
Looking ahead to the play-off meeting with Blackburn, manager Hills said: “Winning the league, for us at the moment, was the pinnacle. Doing it at White Hart Lane, against West Ham in front of a fantastic crowd, has been the highlight so far. But there were a lot of highlights around The FAWPL Cup.
“There’s just one more to focus on, the girls are really keen, eager, and ready to go. So we’re just looking forward to the game. The outcome will be tough for one team, but also fantastic for another team. If we can get another trophy and, hopefully, win a place in FA WSL 2, then it will be the icing on the cake.”
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PROMOTION PLAY-OFF 2016-17
Blackburn Rovers 0
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Baptiste 2, Martin)
The Valley
28 May 2017
Attendance: 826
As they prepared for the promotion play-off Tottenham were set for not only their final game of the season but also for what could be their toughest assignment.
They were taking on a Blackburn team that had won the Northern Division without losing a single game and with an 11-point gap between themselves and runners-up Middlesbrough.
But on the plus side in terms of confidence, Hills’ side had knocked Rovers out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 third round victory. Baptiste had hit both goals in that game and was to bag another brace in the play-off, with Martin fittingly scoring the final goal of Spurs’ glorious campaign.
The game was played at The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic, for whom Hills had made over 150 appearances as a player (and was to become the club’s manager in 2021). So it was an extra-special occasion for the Tottenham boss as promotion was clinched in style.
Baptiste opened the scoring 10 minutes before half-time, her shot going in off the post. And after Blackburn had gone close to equalising when Saffron Jordan hit the woodwork, the Spurs striker doubled her tally in the 66th minute to put her side in control.
Blackburn battled to force their way back into the game, but the result was already a foregone conclusion when Martin’s beautifully lobbed goal hit the net three minutes into stoppage time.
A delighted Hills said: “I thought it was a physical game but I thought we absolutely nailed our game plan. The belief from the girls in the changing room before they came out - you could feel the energy and that something special was going to be created here today…the focus was fantastic throughout.
“It’s all come together, it’s not luck and it wasn’t a fluke this year. It’s been a work in progress over the last three or four years and for it all to come together is testament to their belief in themselves and the club.”
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 SOUTHERN DIVISION UPS AND DOWNS 2016-17
As FA WSL bound Tottenham were waving goodbye to the Southern Division so Gillingham and Chichester City were about to step up from Division One South East and Division One South West respectively.
Meanwhile the departure of promoted Spurs and the expansion of the Southern League from 11 to 12 teams meant that Swindon Town and Queens Park Rangers, the division’s 2016-17 bottom two, were able to retain their places rather than having to face relegation.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 58 | 13 | 52 | 45 |
| 2 | Coventry United | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 55 | 15 | 48 | 40 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 20 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 72 | 19 | 44 | 53 |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 55 | 25 | 42 | 30 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 48 | 23 | 33 | 25 |
| 6 | C & K Basildon | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 29 | 42 | 27 | -13 |
| 7 | Lewes | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 31 | 36 | 25 | -5 |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 20 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 31 | 66 | 17 | -35 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 20 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 59 | 9 | -47 |
| 10 | Swindon Town | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 20 | 60 | 8 | -40 |
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 11 | 64 | 8 | -53 |
FA WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTHERN PREMIER DIVISION RESULTS 2016-17
21/8/2016
Charlton Athletic 4-0 Swindon Town
Crystal Palace 2-2 Coventry United
C & K Basildon 2-0 Portsmouth
Lewes 7-2 West Ham United
28/8/2016
Charlton Athletic 6-0 C & K Basildon
Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Crystal Palace
Lewes 1-1 Cardiff City
Portsmouth 3-1 West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Swindon Town
11/9/2016
Cardiff City 6-0 Lewes
Coventry United 1-0 West Ham United
Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
C & K Basildon 4-0 Queens Park Rangers
Swindon Town 4-3 Portsmouth
14/9/2016
Crystal Palace 3-3 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 4-3 Lewes
West Ham United 0-0 C & K Basildon
18/9/2016
Coventry United 8-1 Portsmouth
Lewes 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur
Swindon Town 0-3 Charlton Athletic
West Ham United 0-4 Crystal Palace
25/9/2016
Cardiff City 2-1 C & K Basildon
Charlton Athletic 1-5 Coventry United
2/10/2016
Coventry United 2-1 Swindon Town
Queens Park Rangers 1-4 Cardiff City
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 C & K Basildon
West Ham United 0-2 Charlton Athletic
5/10/2016
C & K Basildon 0-1 West Ham United
Lewes 1-2 Portsmouth
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
6/10/2016
Charlton Athletic 2-2 Crystal Palace
Swindon Town 0-4 Cardiff City
9/10/2016
Cardiff City 3-0 West Ham United
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Lewes
Coventry United 5-0 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 1-3 C & K Basildon
Swindon Town 0-1 Crystal Palace
16/10/2016
Queens Park Rangers 0-7 Swindon Town
23/10/2016
C & K Basildon 2-0 Swindon Town
30/10/2016
Cardiff City 3-2 Crystal Palace
C & K Basildon 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Portsmouth
Swindon Town 1-2 Lewes
West Ham United 0-5 Coventry United
13/11/2016
Charlton Athletic 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Coventry United 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Lewes 2-2 Crystal Palace
Portsmouth 5-0 Swindon Town
West Ham United 0-4 Cardiff City
27/11/2016
Charlton Athletic 4-2 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 West Ham United
Swindon Town 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
11/12/2016
C & K Basildon 0-3 Coventry United
18/12/2016
Charlton Athletic 1-4 Cardiff City
Coventry United 6-0 C & K Basildon
Crystal Palace 3-0 Swindon Town
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Portsmouth
West Ham United 1-2 Queens Park Rangers
8/1/2017
Crystal Palace 6-1 West Ham United
29/1/2017
Charlton Athletic 5-0 West Ham United
Crystal Palace 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
Lewes 3-1 Swindon Town
5/2/2017
Cardiff City 5-0 Portsmouth
12/2/2017
Cardiff City 0-2 Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Coventry United
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Lewes
West Ham United 1-1 Portsmouth
19/2/2017
Cardiff City 8-0 Swindon Town
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Lewes
26/2/2017
Coventry United 3-1 Lewes
Queens Park Rangers 0-6 Charlton Athletic
Swindon Town 2-2 West Ham United
12/3/2017
Charlton Athletic 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
C & K Basildon 3-2 Cardiff City
West Ham United 2-2 Swindon Town
19/3/2017
C & K Basildon 2-2 Crystal Palace
Lewes 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
26/3/2017
Coventry United 1-1 Charlton Athletic
Lewes 3-0 C & K Basildon
Portsmouth 1-5 Cardiff City
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Crystal Palace
2/4/2017
Crystal Palace 1-1 Lewes
Portsmouth 0-3 Charlton Athletic
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Coventry United
9/4/2017
Coventry United 2-2 Cardiff City
Lewes 0-2 Charlton Athletic
Portsmouth 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace 5-0 C & K Basildon
16/4/2017
Portsmouth 2-5 Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Cardiff City
West Ham United 0-0 Lewes
19/4/2017
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 West Ham United
23/4/2017
Swindon Town 0-3 C & K Basildon
Cardiff City 12-1 Queens Park Rangers
Coventry United 1-0 Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Charlton Athletic
26/4/2017
Swindon Town 1-3 Coventry United
30/4/2017
Cardiff City 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace 7-0 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 1-4 C & K Basildon
Lewes 0-1 Coventry United
7/5/2017
Cardiff City 1-2 Coventry United
C & K Basildon 0-2 Lewes
Portsmouth 3-2 Queens Park Rangers
14/5/2017
Crystal Palace 0-1 Cardiff City
C & K Basildon 4-3 Charlton Athletic
Portsmouth 1-3 Coventry United
Swindon Town 0-2 Queens Park Rangers
West Ham United 0-7 Tottenham Hotspur
