Women's National League Playoff Final - Southampton FC Women 1 Wolverhamption Wanderers Women 0

 

Up the Leagues We Go

Here is a first….  

Today, as everyone knows by now, is the Women's National League Play-Off Final in which Saints take on Wolves for the right to be promoted into the Championship, which as in the men’s game, is the second tier of the football pyramid.  Saints won National League South very comfortably, as Wolves did in the North, so it seems plainly ridiculous that they don’t both automatically get promoted, especially when you consider the relative strengths of the teams at the bottom of the Championship. I’ve seen it spun that it’s important that only the very best get promoted and I get that but it just seems like a bottleneck to me.

It’s an absolutely huge game for Saints and winning it would be a great thing for the club and would justify the investment they made in the women’s team about five years ago.  Similarly to when the men’s team were in the third tier, you have to move up through the divisions for your better players to feel that they are progressing and want to stay with you next season. As we see from this play-off situation, the route to a higher league is not made easy.

There is undeniably something about women’s football at administrative level which is slightly Mickey Mouse. Whether this is down to a lack of money and support or whether it’s down to incompetent decision-making is not clear. The lack of automatic promotion does little to raise the standard. From what I’ve seen, both Saints and Wolves would do pretty well in the Championship and there are other National League sides like the Oxford, Ipswich and Portsmouth who wouldn’t let themselves down either but they are stuck in this bottleneck. Those three teams will be hoping that Saints get promoted and that Watford, who are coming down from the championship will take their place in the southern division next season, which I guess will give them a much better chance next year.

The fact that this play-off is in Stockport of all places and not in London or not even a two legged affair, is mad.  I mean, Wolverhampton against Southampton and the game is 75 miles north of Wolverhampton. Absolutely ridiculous. The fact that the respective league seasons for the two clubs finished about a month ago is also slightly mad in itself but it should’ve meant that a more suitable venue could have been found.  Like I say, there is no way that all the London clubs in the men’s game are playing at home this weekend.  I guess it comes down to money.

Another more general story in the women’s game that has concerned me is the lack of medical cover at some levels. There was a highly publicised incident where Sophie Scargill, captain of the Doncaster Belles, had to crowdfund to pay for her own knee operation. This became high-profile because Gary Lineker and Danny Rose stepped up to pay the bill. How on earth can clubs be allowed to operate and not insure their own players? How can the men’s side of the game, with all the money that’s washing around in it, allow this kind of thing to happen?

The Southampton FC Women’s team have been a major positive throughout the season.  As I mentioned before, they won the National League South, they also won the National League Cup. The league that they’ve been in contains some good sides like the aforementioned Ipswich, Oxford and Portsmouth but has also contained some teams very much at the other end of the scale. I mean, who the hell loses by nine…?

It’s also been a major positive to be able to get to know the players through their social media. Because there is less spotlight on it, the players are more able to be themselves and there are no managed accounts and “can you tweet something like…” stuff, like there is on the other side of the fence.

The profile of today’s game has been made bigger with the fact that it is being streamed on the BBC Sport website, which is really cool. When I saw this news on Twitter I had a quick scroll down of the replies and for every positive one there was the usual expected, moronic one. Back here, the club have done their bit by putting on coach travel to the game for a fiver, so despite the stupid location, there should be a decent crowd up there.

Marianne Spacey-Cale has been rotating players throughout the season, probably because we were in a situation where within reason, we could do that and still win a vast majority of the games.  Today’s game is the all-important one, so it’ll be interesting to see what team she goes with.

It’s a decent start from both teams and it takes about 5 minutes for Saints to start asserting themselves. Our attacking play is looking good against a nervous looking Wolves defence with Pharoah, Ware and Kendall linking up well.  Kendall has the first decent chance as a low ball in from Griffiths finds Pharoah and her first-time layoff finds Kendall who from inside the penalty on the right, tries to chip the keeper, when smashing it would probably have worked out better.

Griffiths and Rutherford are imposing themselves well in midfield and there’s a shout for a penalty as Pharoah hits the deck under a challenge from a defender.  It looks a bit clumsy on first viewing but of course, no VAR and even if there was, we’re in Stockport.

Wolves first attack sees the ball bobbling around in our penalty area but Rafferty deals with the situation well by not allowing the striker any space to turn in and we eventually clear it.  The ball into the box was provided by one of the Cross twins in the Wolves side.  I'm watching the BBC feed and this is confusing the hell out the commentators.  Mind you, he is also struggling with Rendell and Kendall.  

Another decent chance goes on 20 minutes as we win a free-kick out on our right when Kendall (not Rendell) is chopped down and when she picks herself up, Kendall’s free-kick is met by the unmarked Rutherford who can only head down and straight at the keeper.  Kendall is beginning to get into the game more and picks up a wayward crossfield ball from Wolves out on the left, drives past the fullback but then tries to look for a shot from 30 yards which goes straight to the keeper again.

It is all Saints though and you feel that the quality will eventually tell and then it does.  Mott goes in for a challenge and the ball drops to Freeland on the right.  She gets her head up and floats a lovely ball over the defence to meet Pharoah’s run, great first touch, skips round the keeper and rolls it in.  That’s a bloody good goal – get in!

Sophia Pharoah With What Turned out to be The Winner

Saints seem to step up after the goal and it looks there for the taking.  Pharoah and Ware in particular are linking up well now and Wolves are certainly not shy about leaving a foot in and the game goes a bit scrappy.  Saints are still looking the most likely though and Rutherford attempts a 1-2 on the edge of the box gets absolutely flattened by Wolves defender Darby who has zero interest in the ball, which earns her a yellow card, and us a free kick in JWP territory.   JWP will today be represented by Lucia Kendall and it’s up and over the wall, hits the post, Griffiths gets there first and unfortunately, puts it into the back row, which is not Row Z in Stockport, more like Row G or something.

Wolves are only a threat when we turn possession over and they break after our corner and Captain Parnell takes one for the team with a cynical pull-back about 40 yards out.  Well played and have a yellow card.  Right on half time, the game takes a major lurch in our favour when Wolves defender Darby has had enough of getting twisted blood trying to stop Alisha Ware and having already been booked, decides to scythe down her tormentor again after she gets beaten again.  The foul alone was probably worthy of a second booking but just to make sure, she has a kick at Ware on the ground.  She takes a good old swipe at a water bottle as she went off as well – what an idiot.

Half time and all is looking good.  Wolves were looking a bit tired before the break, even when they had 11 players so the second half will hopefully be comfortable, and the second goal won’t be too long in coming.  The second half starts well with a brilliant ball from Rafferty out to Mott on the right who does superbly to get the ball over but Pharaoh couldn’t get a decent touch on it and just popped it up to the goalkeeper.  Wolves try and play out but give the ball away to Lucia Kendall who tries to chip the goalkeeper from 30 yards but it goes comfortably wide.

Wolves have rearranged their team and put another player at right back to hopefully be terrorised by Ware and the main danger to Saints is on the break when an attack breaks down and Collett initially looks in trouble from one such break but looks much more solid this half and manages to clear the danger.

For all Saints possession since half time and being undoubtedly the better side, we are not exactly peppering the goalkeeper and need a second goal.  The game loses a bit of direction for 10 minutes or so with Wolves are sitting in shape and letting Saints play across the back four and then we eventually try to ping a Hollywood ball, losing possession and then getting countered on.  We’re getting away with it because Wolves can’t get numbers in our box.

The first change for Saints is Freeland being replaced with Ella Morris who goes onto the right wing in a straight swap.  The sub gets involved straight away, powering down the right but then smashing the cross over and no one can get a touch.  Wolves don’t appear to have it in them to create anything much so Saints have just got to guard against over committing or unforced errors… this translates as we only need to not do anything dumb and we win this game but then the otherwise excellent Rafferty has a bit of a brain-fart moment and passes it straight to the Wolves striker who takes it forward and drills it well wide with a tired swing of her leg.

That’s the thing – at 1-0 you are at the mercy of a mistake or a dodgy decision and the referee steps up to give Wolves a helping hand by giving them a free kick against Collett for absolutely fuck all, on the right hand side.  Over it comes and an excellent catch by Rendell and the first time she’s had to extend herself.

Katie Rood is on for Megan Collett on 75 which brings a bit of a reshuffle with Morris going to left back and Pharoah dropping in to the right-hand side of midfield.  Rood is keen to make an impact and tries a curler from left which looks like it has a chance for a second but fades away just wide.  She then gets her head on a Griffiths delivery from a free kick but can only divert it wide.  There has been good impact by both the subs so you wonder if Ciara Watling and Ella Pusey will replace anyone who’s tiring.

When Saints play football through midfield, we look a very good side, but the nerves are beginning to show as we get into the last 10 with Parnell taking her turn to play a dodgy pass out of defence to a Wolves striker but the situation is rescued by Rutherford absolutely wiping her out, which is somehow missed by the referee.  We will take it.

90 is up and 4 minutes are signalled.  In the main we are in control and don’t look like conceding but then a major scare as a cross comes in, gets headed back over and Parnell’s challenge is enough force the striker to lift the chance over the bar.  It’s brave defending as well because it was one of those where you know you’re going to get clattered.

This needs to end now and I admire Rood’s determination to go towards goal but take it to corner please.  94, 95 and finally a bit of shithousing that we can all get behind as we indulge in some keep-ball in the far corner courtesy of Sophia Pharaoh and when we lose it, Laura Rafferty belts a ball that was already well out, high into the stand and there goes the final whistle and that’s it, Saints are promoted to the Championship and deservedly so.

Not that it really matters because it’s all about promotion, but the team also pick up another bit of silverware to add to the collection and today’s captain Rosie Parnell, received the trophy and the now familiar scenes of celebration took place on the Edgeley Park pitch. Get in.

This game is of course the culmination of everything that the staff and players have worked towards this season but as far as this actual game is concerned in isolation, I’m sure that the team and the manager would’ve liked us to have played a bit better, especially in the second half against 10 players but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter a shit. Cup football, play-off football, any type of one-off game and it’s all about the end result and we did the job and achieved what we set out to achieve. Whilst it would’ve been nice to have scored the second goal to make it less nervy, Kayla Rendell really didn’t have a save to make.

If anything, Wolves going down to 10 made it more difficult because they stayed a lot more compact in the second half.  If the first half was anything to go by then Saints would certainly have found far more space going forward if they had kept 11 on the pitch. That said, Saints didn’t exactly deal particularly well with Wolves going down to 10.  Though we in the main, kept possession across the back four well, to try and draw them out, we seemed to lack patience a little bit because it eventually always seemed to end with an attempted longer ball into a forward which inevitably gave the ball away. The diagonal ball to the full-back area was working well in the first half with Ware in particular picking up a lot of possession in space out on the left but when they went to a flat back four, we seemed to persist with that tactic and Ware and Freeland didn’t have the space.

I felt that we needed to trust our midfield more and played through it more. When we did that in the second half and managed to get the ball eventually into the feet of Pharaoh, Ware, Rood and Kendall, we looked dangerous but like I said, we probably would’ve liked to have played better but at the end of the day, playing better can wait for another day.  Finals are not usually great spectacles as football matches.  We were professional and got the job done with very few alarms.  The experience in the team is provided by the centre backs and the central midfielders, with everyone else being very young, so this team is only going to get better.

After today is done and the hangovers have cleared, thoughts can go towards next season where the team will have to improve, not to compete at that level, but to do well. I’m sure that Marianne Spacey-Cale has a pretty long ‘to do’ list as we move into the Championship where more of the sides are professional.  Hopefully the club can give the women’s team the backing that it will need and that it deserves.

That’s all for another day. Today is about celebrating the achievements of this excellent women’s side that we have in Southampton. Winning the League, winning the League Cup and winning the Promotion Play-Off Final. It really doesn’t get any better than that.