ADDICKS CHAMPIONSHIP-BOUND AFTER TRIUMPHANT SEASON
The 2017-18 FAWPL season was the last played under the Premier League banner ahead of its name-change to The Women’s National League, thus reverting to the title under which the competition had originally been named when launched by the Women’s FA in 1991.
Not that the re-branding, when it arrived, would be of any concern to Charlton Athletic; for after winning the 2017-18 Southern Division Riteesh Mishra’s team were to beat Northern Division champions Blackburn Rovers in the promotion play-off to take themselves up to the FA Women’s Championship.
The Southern Division was won with 20 victories in the 22-match campaign; but with season-long challenges coming from both C&K Basildon and Crystal Palace it was not an easy ride for Charlton.
They chalked up 11 victories in their first 13 games of the campaign to sit at the top of the table, but they were only two points clear of Palace and a further four ahead of C&K.
And after then having a five-week spell without a league fixture, they had dropped to third place with Palace now top and Basildon second - though the Addicks had a game in hand on C&K and three on Palace.
The points gap was eventually hauled back and overtaken, with the decisive day arriving on 13 May as Charlton travelled to Palace holding a one point advantage over their hosts and two points over Basildon.
Mishra’s side also had two games in hand on both rivals, for each of whom this day’s match was their last of the season. But if the Addicks had lost to Palace it would mean that they would then have had to win both of their remaining matches to ensure themselves of taking the title.
That’s how the encounter started. But 90 minutes later and with a conclusive 4-0 victory - all four goals coming from super-sharp striker Kit Graham - Charlton were triumphant and would go on to win their final two outings to finish eight points clear at the top.
Reflecting on the campaign some years later, manager Mishra said: “It felt like the club had been ready to do that for a little while. Also, a feeling of massive relief, you feel like you’re on top of the world.
“(But) going through an entire season, winning your league and then the only way to to get promoted is to have a one-off game after being league champions is a really strange feeling.” And so to the play-off….
FAWPL PROMOTION PLAY-OFF 2017-18
Blackburn Rovers 1 (Shepherd (p) 5)
Charlton Athletic 2 (Graham 42, Griffin 45+2)
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
27 May 2018
Attendance: 917
Charlton secured their passageway to the FA Women’s Championship with a deserved victory after coming from behind to beat the Northern Division champions in a well-contested promotion play-off.
Blackburn took the lead through captain Lesley Shepherd’s fifth minute penalty, which had been awarded for a foul by Sam Pittuck on striker Saffron Jordan.
The Lancashire side then pushed for a second goal, but Charlton eventually forced their way into the game and drew level with a 42nd minute Kit Graham header.
Two minutes into first half stoppage time Georgia Griffin headed the Addicks into the lead, a lead they held for the rest of the game and would have increased had Charlotte Gurr not missed a late penalty.
An emotional striker Graham, whose goal was her 40th of the season in all competitions, said: “It’s amazing, this is what we’ve worked hard for all season. As soon as that goal went in I didn’t have any doubt we’d get the other, and to get it so quickly was great for us.
“The message from the gaffer (at half-time) was to calm ourselves down and play our football. We have a set way of playing and we executed that for both of our goals.
“This (promotion) means everything because it’s what we work hard for all season. Credit to the girls for their efforts and credit to the management for helping us.”
Looking back at the game and its result, manager Mishra said: “Other than the first 10 minutes it felt like we were the stronger team. Half-time was quite calm and measured, it felt the team had belief as we had planned for the scenario… We did feel quite confident that we would get it over the line.
“We had most of the season unbeaten so we had a lot of belief; even after missing that penalty it felt we were going to win the game... When players look back they will always remember that season.”
Blackburn Rovers: Hill, Jukes (Montgomery 82), Taylor, Shepherd, Holbrook, Makin, Fenton, Jordan, Flint, McDonald, Cook.
Substitutes not used: Size, Walsh, Clarkson, Cunliffe.
Charlton Athletic: Startup, Lukasewich, Coombs, Clifford, Gurr, Churchill, Pittuck, Pepper, Graham, Bennett, Griffin (Nash 81).
Substitutes not used: Brunton-Wilde, Dixson, Lee, Jackson
Referee: Lucy Oliver
FAWPL SOUTHERN DIVISION UPS AND DOWNS 2017-18
While Charlton won promotion to the FA Women’s Championship through winning the Southern Division then the Premier League play-off, fellow Southern Division sides Crystal Palace and Lewes also followed on the same upward trajectory after each was awarded a Championship licence through application as part of the FA’s re-structuring of the top four tiers of the women’s league pyramid.
West Ham United also moved upwards from the Southern Division, though not by one but two tiers as they were granted a place in the FA Women’s Super League through application.
Dropping down into what would be, under it’s new branding, the Southern Premier Division of the Women’s National League were Oxford United and Watford, both of who had lost their FA WSL2 (to be re-named the Championship) places after failing to retain their Tier 2 licences.
Meanwhile climbing up to the Southern Premier Division would be MK Dons, Plymouth Argyle and Loughborough Foxes, respectively the 2017/18 winners of Division One South East, Division One South West and Division One Midlands.
FINAL TABLE
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlton Athletic | 22 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 13 | 60 | 85 |
| 2 | C & K Basildon | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 51 | 24 | 52 | 27 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 59 | 15 | 50 | 44 |
| 4 | Coventry United | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 69 | 20 | 44 | 49 |
| 5 | Lewes | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 45 | 25 | 44 | 20 |
| 6 | Portsmouth | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 44 | 35 | 37 | 9 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 57 | 42 | 29 | 15 |
| 8 | Chichester City | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 43 | 48 | 28 | -5 |
| 9 | Gillingham | 22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 24 | 53 | 17 | -29 |
| 10 | Cardiff City | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 40 | 69 | 16 | -29 |
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 22 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 17 | 94 | 8 | -77 |
| 12 | Swindon Town | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 10 | 119 | 0 | -109 |
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 2017-18
20/8/2017
Charlton Athletic 6-1 Lewes
Crystal Palace 9-0 Queens Park Rangers
C & K Basildon 2-0 Chichester City
Portsmouth 4-1 Cardiff City
Swindon Town 0-8 Coventry United
Gillingham 1-0 West Ham United
27/8/2017
Coventry United 1-2 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 2-0 Swindon Town
Lewes 1-1 C & K Basildon
Chichester City 2-4 Crystal Palace
West Ham United 4-3 Cardiff City
Gillingham 1-2 Charlton Athletic
10/9/2017
Cardiff City 2 - 5 Chichester City
C & K Basildon 3-0 West Ham United
Queens Park Rangers 0-4 Gillingham
Lewes 1-0 Coventry United
Portsmouth 0-1 Charlton Athletic
Swindon Town 0-7 Crystal Palace
17/9/2017
Charlton Athletic 7-0 Queens Park Rangers
Crystal Palace 0-0 Coventry United
Lewes 1-0 Portsmouth
Chichester City 4-0 West Ham United
Gillingham 5-0 Swindon Town
20/9/2017
Lewes 1-0 Crystal Palace
Portsmouth 2-2 Chichester City
West Ham United 0-6 Charlton Athletic
21/9/2017
Cardiff City 4-1 Swindon Town
Gillingham 1-3 C & K Basildon
24/9/2017
Charlton Athletic 4-1 C & K Basildon
Portsmouth 2-1 West Ham United
Chichester City 1-2 Lewes
1/10/2017
Cardiff City 1-3 Charlton Athletic
Crystal Palace 2-0 Portsmouth
C & K Basildon 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
Lewes 3-0 West Ham United
Swindon Town 4-7 Chichester City
Gillingham 0-9 Coventry United
8/10/2017
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Crystal Palace
Coventry United 4-1 C & K Basildon
Queens Park Rangers 3-4 Cardiff City
Lewes 2-2 Chichester City
Portsmouth 3-1 Gillingham
West Ham United 5-0 Swindon Town
11/10/2017
Charlton Athletic 1-3 West Ham United
Crystal Palace 3-0 Lewes
C & K Basildon 3-0 Gillingham
12/10/2017
Chichester City 3-2 Portsmouth
15/10/2017
West Ham United 1-2 Coventry United
29/10/2017
C & K Basildon 2-1 Charlton Athletic
Lewes 7-0 Swindon Town
Portsmouth 0-2 Coventry United
5/11/2017
Cardiff City 2-3 Lewes
Charlton Athletic 2-0 Coventry United
Gillingham 0-1 Crystal Palace
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Chichester City
Swindon Town 0-3 C & K Basildon
12/11/2017
Coventry United 2-1 West Ham United
Crystal Palace 4-1 Chichester City
C & K Basildon 5-0 Cardiff City
Lewes 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Gillingham 0-4 Portsmouth
14/11/2017
Swindon Town 0-6 Cardiff City
19/11/2017
Chichester City 3-3 Cardiff City
Swindon Town 1-3 Lewes
26/11/2017
Charlton Athletic 11-0 Swindon Town
Crystal Palace 2-0 Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers 1-10 Coventry United
Portsmouth 3-2 Lewes
West Ham United 3-7 C & K Basildon
Gillingham 0-4 Chichester City
17/12/2017
West Ham United 0-2 Crystal Palace
7/1/2018
Swindon Town 1-4 Queens Park Rangers
West Ham United 0-0 Gillingham
14/1/2018
Cardiff City 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
Crystal Palace 2-0 Gillingham
28/1/2018
Cardiff City 2-6 West Ham United
C & K Basildon 1-0 Crystal Palace
Swindon Town 0-9 Charlton Athletic
4/2/2018
Crystal Palace 0-0 West Ham United
C & K Basildon 3-1 Swindon Town
Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Portsmouth
11/2/2018
Gillingham 1-1 Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers 1-3 C & K Basildon
25/2/2018
Cardiff City 0-2 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Crystal Palace
4/3/2018
Crystal Palace 8-1 Swindon Town
11/3/2018
Charlton Athletic 5-1 Cardiff City
Swindon Town 0-4 Gillingham
West Ham United 2-0 Chichester City
25/3/2018
Cardiff City 2-4 C & K Basildon
Lewes 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
Portsmouth 0-4 Crystal Palace
Chichester City 1-0 Gillingham
Swindon Town 0-6 West Ham United
1/4/2018
Portsmouth 5-0 Swindon Town
8/4/2018
Cardiff City 2-5 Crystal Palace
C & K Basildon 1-0 Coventry United
Queens Park Rangers 0-10 West Ham United
Lewes 2-0 Gillingham
Swindon Town 0-3 Portsmouth
12/4/2018
Cardiff City 2-2 Coventry United
15/4/2018
Cardiff City 3-2 Gillingham
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Portsmouth
Coventry United 3-1 Chichester City
Crystal Palace 2-0 C & K Basildon
Queens Park Rangers 0-3 Lewes
22/4/2018
C & K Basildon 1-0 Lewes
Gillingham 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
Coventry United 0-3 Charlton Athletic
Chichester City 2-1 Swindon Town
West Ham United 7-1 Portsmouth
29/4/2018
C & K Basildon 4-2 Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers 0-11 Charlton Athletic
Chichester City 0-3 Coventry United
West Ham United 1-2 Lewes
2/5/2018
Chichester City 0-6 Charlton Athletic
6/5/2018
Gillingham 0-2 Lewes
Coventry United 4-0 Cardiff City
Portsmouth 2-1 C & K Basildon
Chichester City 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
8/5/2018
Coventry United 1-2 Crystal Palace
13/5/2018
Coventry United 5-0 Gillingham
Crystal Palace 0-4 Charlton Athletic
Lewes 4-0 Cardiff City
Portsmouth 6-1 Queens Park Rangers
Chichester City 0-1 C & K Basildon
15/5/2018
Coventry United 7-0 Swindon Town
16/5/2018
Charlton Athletic 8-1 Gillingham
17/5/2018
Coventry United 4-1 Queens Park Rangers
20/5/2018
Charlton Athletic 4-1 Chichester City
Coventry United 2-1 Lewes
West Ham United 7-1 Queens Park Rangers
