NAZ ON THE BALL AS ARSENAL BEGIN 'TOP TEAM' TAKEOVER

The changing of the guard was signalled in the WFA National League’s second season as Arsenal, in their debut campaign as a top flight club, began to take over the mantle of England’s best club team from the previously dominant Doncaster Belles.

The two outstanding sides were neck and neck at the top of the table for the first five months of the season, separated only by goal difference with the Belles generally scoring more often than the Gunners in the long race for the championship.

Both teams had 100 per cent records until the deadlock was broken when, on 21 February, Donny hosted their close rivals and beat them 2-0, England colleagues Gill Coultard and Karen Walker hitting the goals to take their team two points clear (it was two points, not three, for a win in the early days of the National League).

That defeat proved Arsenal’s only loss of the season – and the only game in which they failed to score a goal. But three weeks later the  Belles crucially slipped up at Wimbledon, losing 3-2 in what was the only time they were beaten until 28 March.

On that fateful Sunday, Donny travelled to Arsenal and returned home nursing the wounds of a 2-1 defeat courtesy of goals by prolific Gunner Naldra ‘Naz’ Ball and captain Gill Wylie.

The Belles won their remaining three matches, but to no avail as Arsenal picked up the points they required to take the title. They clinched it in their final league game of the campaign, winning 4-1 at Red Star Southampton with Ball again among the goals.

That completed an unprecedented treble for the Gunners, who in their previous two matches had heaped more misery on Donny with a 3-0 FA Cup final victory at Oxford United’s stadium and then beaten Knowsley United 3-0 in an historic League Cup final – the first ever women’s final to be played at the national stadium.  

It was also the sweetest of finales to the campaign for Ball, who scored in both finals as well as the last league game to take her goals tally for the season to 28 in the Premier Division, seven in the League Cup and five in the FA Cup – 40 in all competitions.   

“It was absolutely the best season of my career,” said Ball. “I was an old fashioned striker, a poacher, a ferret in the box, and I had great service from players like Jo Churchman – the best crosser of a ball I ever played with. 

“Our whole squad was totally committed to the cause and we just grew and grew as the season went on. To end up with three trophies was just incredible, but we deserved all three – I think that was the season when we showed what the club could achieve in the long term.”  

While it was a triple celebration for Arsenal at the season’s end, it was disappointment for Maidstone Tigresses and Bronte – the latter only twelve months after their promotion to the top flight – as both teams were relegated to the second tier.

FINAL TABLE

WFA NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION RESULTS 1992-93

13/9/1992
Arsenal 0-2 Millwall Lionesses
Doncaster Belles 4-0 Bronte
Knowsley United 4-0 Ipswich Town 
Maidstone Tigresses 2-2 Red Star Southampton
Wimbledon 2-3 Stanton Rangers

20/9/1992
Arsenal 7-0 Ipswich Town
Bronte 1-3 Knowsley United
Millwall Lionesses 4-1 Maidstone Tigresses
Red Star Southampton 2-2 Wimbledon
Stanton Rangers 1-9 Doncaster Belles

27/9/1992
Arsenal 5-0 Knowsley United
Maidstone Tigresses 1-5 Ipswich Town
Stanton Rangers 2-1 Bronte
Wimbledon 1-1 Millwall Lionesses

4/10/1992
Bronte 0-2 Arsenal
Ipswich Town 2-2 Wimbledon
Knowsley United 0-0 Maidstone Tigresses
Millwall Lionesses 0-7 Doncaster Belles
Red Star Southampton 1-2 Stanton Rangers

11/10/1992
Doncaster Belles 3-1 Ipswich Town
Maidstone Tigresses 0-3 Arsenal
Stanton Rangers 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
Red Star Southampton 3-1 Bronte
Wimbledon 0-1 Knowsley United

25/10/1992
Arsenal 9-2 Wimbledon
Bronte 1-1 Maidstone Tigresses
Ipswich Town 2-1 Stanton Rangers

1/5/1992
Millwall Lionesses 3-1 Bronte
Stanton Rangers 2-0 Knowsley United
Red Star Southampton 8-0 Ipswich Town
Wimbledon 1-0 Maidstone Tigresses

8/11/1992
Arsenal 2-0 Stanton Rangers
Ipswich Town 2-1 Millwall Lionesses

15/11/1992
Ipswich Town 2-2 Bronte
Doncaster Belles 5-1 Wimbledon
Ipswich Town 2-2 Bronte
Millwall Lionesses 1-3 Knowsley United
Red Star Southampton 1-4 Arsenal

22/11/1992
Millwall Lionesses 0-3 Arsenal

29/11/1992
Ipswich Town 4-5 Knowsley United

13/12/1992
Bronte 1-1 Stanton Rangers
Ipswich Town 0-5 Arsenal

10/1/1993
Ipswich Town 5-0 Maidstone Tigresses
Knowsley United 0-2 Arsenal
Millwall Lionesses 0-2 Wimbledon

17/1/1993
Arsenal 3-0 Bronte
Doncaster Belles 4-1 Millwall Lionesses
Maidstone Tigresses 0-1 Knowsley United
Stanton Rangers 2-4 Red Star Southampton

28/1/1993
Stanton Rangers 1-2 Arsenal

31/1/1993
Arsenal 7-0 Maidstone Tigresses
Ipswich Town 0-3 Doncaster Belles
Knowsley United 4-2 Wimbledon
Millwall Lionesses 0-2 Stanton Rangers
Red Star Southampton 3-1 Bronte

14/2/1993
Doncaster Belles 3-0 Knowsley United
Maidstone Tigresses 0-5 Bronte
Red Star Southampton 5-2 Millwall Lionesses
Wimbledon 0-4 Arsenal

21/2/1993
Bronte 1-0 Millwall Lionesses
Doncaster Belles 2-0 Arsenal
Ipswich Town 1-1 Red Star  Southampton
Knowsley United 3-0 Stanton Rangers
Maidstone Tigresses 0-2 Wimbledon

28/2/1993
Red Star  Southampton 4-2 Knowsley United
Wimbledon 4-0 Bronte

14/3/1993
Arsenal 4-1 Red Star Southampton
Bronte 1-2 Ipswich Town
Knowsley United 4-1 Millwall Lionesses
Maidstone Tigresses 2-1 Stanton Rangers
Wimbledon 3-2 Doncaster Belles

21/3/1993
Bronte 0-2 Red Star Southampton
Doncaster Belles 8-0 Stanton Rangers

28/3/1993
Arsenal 2-1 Doncaster Belles
Knowsley United 3-1 Bronte
Maidstone Tigresses 0-0 Millwall Lionesses
Stanton Rangers 2-3 Ipsich Town
Wimbledon 3-1 Red Star  Southampton

4/4/1993
Red Star Southampton 2-0 Maidstone Tigresses
Stanton Rangers 2-3 Wimbledon

11/4/1993
Doncaster Belles 3-1 Red Star Southampton

18/4/1993
Bronte 0-6 Doncaster Belles
Millwall Lionessses 1-0 Red Star Southampton

25/4/1993
Bronte 0-3 Wimbledon
Knowsley United 3-0 Red Star Southampton
Millwall Lionesses 0-1 Ipswich Town
Stanton Rangers 0-1 Maidstone Tigresses

9/5/1993
Wimbledon 3-1 Ipswich Town
Red Star Southampton 1-4 Arsenal

23/5/1993
Knowsley United 1-7 Doncaster Belles