1 month ago
Three teams, 2 automatic promotion spots and only 1 constituent betwixt them. Add nan truth that 2 are facing each different and Saturday’s last time of nan Women’s Super League 2 play is group perfectly for an day of precocious drama, twists and emotions.
Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City and Crystal Palace are dreaming of a WSL place. For this play only, location are 2 automatic promotion spots alternatively than nan accustomed one, arsenic nan apical tier expands from 12 to 14 teams, offering a precious opportunity that adds to nan hostility for nan 3pm kick-offs, nan astir tantalising of which comes astatine nan Valley, wherever nan apical two, Charlton and Birmingham, spell head-to-head.
Charlton lead by a point, meaning they will beryllium champions if they triumph and promoted successful first aliases 2nd spot if they draw. With Birmingham and Palace level 1 constituent behind, Palace cognize triumph astatine location to relegated Portsmouth would guarantee promotion. For Birmingham thing but a triumph would time off them 3rd unless Palace gaffe up.
For whoever finishes 3rd location will beryllium a spot successful nan caller promotion/relegation playoff decider against nan WSL’s bottommost broadside connected 23 May. That force will beryllium Leicester City, which was confirmed aft their 7-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Arsenal connected Wednesday. The WSL2 broadside will beryllium astatine home.
Inconsistency and unpredictability person been cardinal themes of nan season. Charlton were 9 points clear successful mid-March, and missed a chance to spell 12 points clear that period erstwhile losing astatine location to Portsmouth. They person been limping towards nan decorativeness line, pinch 1 triumph successful six, but person nan champion protect record, nan fewest defeats and location advantage connected Saturday.
Palace, fixed their red-hot form, will beryllium disappointment to person started truthful slowly, drafting 4 and losing 3 of their first 8 convention games. They are connected a tally of 11 wins successful 13, person been defeated erstwhile since early November. They person looked nan strongest broadside since overpowering Birmingham successful a 3-0 triumph successful December.
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Most anxious could beryllium Birmingham, who were apical earlier past weekend’s matches but suffered a astonishing 3-0 nonaccomplishment astatine location to Ipswich to miss nan chance to each but clinch promotion.
Birmingham’s caput coach, Amy Merricks, repeated nan connection “fight” complete and complete successful thing of a rallying outcry to her squad during her property convention connected Thursday, saying: “The champion teams person nan expertise to bounce backmost and we person a monolithic opportunity to make judge we respond and put it right. It comes down to nan fight. We’ve sewage to conflict for what we want. The opportunity is location and it’s now astir nan characteristic successful nan group, which I cognize we person successful abundance.”
Merrick’s broadside were besides progressive successful final-day play involving nan apical 2 past term, pinch London City Lionesses finishing arsenic champions aft a 2-2 draw. The erstwhile Brighton coach said: “This is simply a awesome league. What it needs now is astir apt a spot much of a spotlight … We person awesome players, coaches and teams successful this convention and what we request to do is get to nan constituent now successful nan women’s crippled wherever it’s not conscionable astir nan WSL, it’s astir some leagues.”
Birmingham were laminitis members of nan WSL successful 2011 but person been successful nan 2nd tier since relegation successful 2022, and Palace were relegated arsenic WSL debutants past season. Both invested powerfully successful players successful January but it is lower-budget Charlton successful rod position, led by nan erstwhile Tottenham coach Karen Hills.
The stakes are heightened by nan knowledge that, from adjacent season, 2nd spot will beryllium capable only for a spot successful nan promotion/relegation playoff. Saturday offers a unsocial opportunity to declare nan top-tier position that this trio are hopeless to grasp.
