Wolves and Boldmere clinch titles
Northern Premier Division
Wolverhampton Wanderers clinched the Northern Premier Division title with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield FC. Going into the match needing one more point to make sure, Kelly Darby and Tammi George both scored in the opening 25 minutes to put the result, and the title race, beyond doubt.
With second placed Derby County not having a game, Fylde Women took the opportunity to close the gap on them to a single point by beating Stoke City 2-1. Faye McCoy and Amy Hughes put the Coasters two ahead at half time, with Nuala Miszkiel reducing the arrears for Stoke after the break.
Nottingham Forest kept their hopes of the runners-up spot alive by scoring seven times without reply away to Middlesbrough, who remain in the bottom three. Mai Moncaster and Charlotte Greengrass both scored a goal in each half for Forest whilst Naomi Powell and Amy West also contributed late strikes, along with an own goal.
Huddersfield Town are a further point adrift following a convincing away win of their own, 5-0 at Hull City. Beth Ibbotson gave Town a first half lead which was doubled on the stroke of half time by Mia Parry. Brittany Sanderson went on to score twice in the final twelve minutes, either side of a further goal from Katie Stanley.
Burnley FC Women were another team to enjoy themselves on their travels, courtesy of a 6-2 success against Loughborough Lightning. Evie Priestley and Millie Ravening both bagged doubles for the Clarets and they were joined on the scoresheet by Megan Dykes and Courtney Willis, whilst Chloe Young and Anna Renken produced second half replies for Loughborough.
The honours were shared at West Bromwich Albion where the home side battled out a 2-2 draw with Brighouse Town in their mid-table clash. Albion raced out of the blocks at the start of the game with Evie Gallop and home debutante Jade Arber putting them two ahead inside the opening seventeen minutes but in the second half, Brighouse fought back strongly and goals from Drew Greene and Danielle Whitham gave them a result which keeps them four points above Albion.
Southern Premier Division
It was a good day for Southampton FC Women as they moved themselves closer towards the title with results going their way. First, they returned to the top of the table by running out 5-0 winners over Hounslow Women. Shannon Sievwright opened the scoring late in the first half and after the break, Ella Pusey netted a quickfire double before Ciara Watling and Sophia Pharoah completed the scoring.
Ipswich Town had started the day as leaders but saw their title hopes receive a blow as they drew 1-1 with Chichester & Selsey. Chi got off to a great start with Amelia Hammond giving them an eighth minute lead, which they held until after the break when Lucy O'Brien earned Ipswich a share of the spoils.
Any remaining chances that Oxford Utd may have had were probably ended when they were beaten 1-0 by Bridgwater Utd. Jenna Markham scored the only goal of the goal for Bridgwater, who continue to finish the season strongly and stay on course to finish fourth.
Crawley Wasps move up to fifth place, courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle. The two teams had met seven days earlier, with Crawley winning 4-3 on that occasion, and they were to complete a double over their Devon opponents thanks to goals from Imogen Lancaster and Letitia Nicholls.
Milton Keynes Dons and Portsmouth also met for the second Sunday in a row and Pompey were to gain revenge for their defeat seven days earlier, by winning 1-0. A solitary strike from Cherelle Khassel, early in the second half, earned Portsmouth a result which still keeps them in with a chance of a top six place.
Division One North
Newcastle Utd's title aspirations took a huge blow on Sunday when they were beaten 2-1 by Chorley, who move up into fourth place. Emma Hickson and Laura Walker scored the goals for Chorley, who continue to have a fine season, whilst Newcastle's consolation came from Kacie Elson.
Defeat for Newcastle leaves Liverpool Feds firmly in the driving seat and their 2-0 win away to Bradford City takes them to within one point of the leaders, but with two games in hand. After a goalless first half, Rosie Kinvig opened the scoring for the Feds nine minutes after the restart and Beth Donoghue wrapped up the win with the second goal.
Leeds Utd stay in third place after scoring six times without reply against Alnwick Town. Laura Bartup has had a good season for Leeds and she bagged a four-goal haul to spearhead the victory, with Amy Woodruff and Abbie Brown also getting on the scoresheet.
FC United of Manchester meanwhile gave their survival hopes a huge shot in the arm with a crucial 2-0 victory over Norton & Stockton Ancients. Kirsty Chambers scored both goals for FCUM, to earn a result which takes them back out of the bottom three and three points above Barnsley.
Division One Midlands
Boldmere St Michaels have been confirmed as Champions after second placed Doncaster Rovers Belles drew 1-1 with Long Eaton Utd. Anya-Mae Cresswell gave Long Eaton the lead early in the second half, with Charlotte Dinsdale equalising for the Belles, whilst late Belles pressure could not bring a winner and the draw means that Boldmere are no longer catchable.
Peterborough Utd kept themselves in the top half of the table, thanks to a 2-1 victory away to Leafield Athletic. Chantelle Teare put Leafield in front midway through the first half, with Jessica Driscoll equalising eight minutes later and Driscoll completed her double after the break to give the Posh Women the points.
Sporting Khalsa firmly banished any lingering relegation fears in emphatic fashion when beating Solihull Moors 3-0. Olivia Woolston was on target twice for Khalsa, with Rebecca Gill-Parsons adding the other goal.
Burton Albion meanwhile gave themselves renewed hope by beating Wem Town 2-1. Amber-Leigh Denny and Ella Ritchie scored the goals which take them above Wem, whose reply came from Lauren Reese.
Division One South East
Billericay Town picked up one of the two wins they needed with a 4-0 success away to Cambridge City. Jay Blackie, Logan O'Shea, Zoe Rushen and Ruby Sealey all scored for Billericay to leave them two points behind Hashtag Utd and a victory in their final match will give them the title.
AFC Wimbledon meanwhile ran out 7-1 winners against Harlow Town. Ashlee Hincks once more led the scoring with a four-goal haul and she was joined on the scoresheet by Kelly Highman, Katie Stanley and Chloe Sampson, whilst Harlow's consolation came from Chloe Bassett.
Queen's Park Rangers were pegged back by a late strike from Kent Football Utd as they shared a 3-3 draw. Brogan Moore netted twice and Erin Pope the other for Rangers, whilst Priscilla Martins bagged a double, including an injury time equaliser, for Kent along with a goal from Chloe Francis.
Division One South West
AFC Bournemouth ensured that the title race will go to the wire when they defeated Chesham Utd 4-1 at the Vitality Stadium. Becki Bath hit a first half hat-trick for the Cherries and Katie James added a fourth on the hour, whilst Gemma Fraser netted a consolation for Chesham. Bournemouth therefore narrow the gap at the top to two points but Cheltenham Town will become Champions if they win on Sunday, also against Chesham.
Exeter City are back in the top three following a seven-goal blast against Poole Town. Connie Pengelly netted a hat-trick for the Devon side and she was joined on the scoresheet by Mollie Taylor, Jessica Sandland, Stephanie Back and Sarah Stacey.
Southampton Women were held to a 1-1 draw by Swindon Town, who have finished the season in good form. Kellie Warren gave Southampton the lead midway through the second half, with Annabelle Colston earning Swindon a point by equalising seven minutes later.
The points were also shared at Larkhall Athletic where the home side battled out a goalless draw with Larkhall Athletic. Both sides had opportunities but neither could make a breakthrough on the day.
Midweek round-up...
For the second match in a row, Brighouse Town came from two goals behind at the break to earn themselves a 2-2 draw, this time against newly crowned Champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. An own goal put Wolves ahead in the second minute and Maz Gauntlett made it two on the half hour, but once again Brighouse showed great durability and goals from Leah Embley and Imogen Porteous-Williams crowned another good fightback. A win could have moved Nottingham Forest up to second but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Loughborough Lightning which greatly damages their challenge for runners-up, whilst boosting Loughborough's survival hopes. Sophie Bonser gave Loughborough the lead midway through the second half, with Amy West equalising for Forest six minutes from time. Huddersfield Town can still finish second but they also picked up a point, their match with Burnley FC Women finishing goalless.
Southampton FC Women now require two more wins to secure the Southern Premier Division title after storming to a 9-1 win over Keynsham Town on Thursday night. Ella Morris, Ella Pusey and Ciara Watling all scored twice for the Saints along with Lucia Kendall, Shannon Sievwright and Alice Griffiths whilst Keynsham's consolation came from a thumping strike by Henna Butcher. Oxford Utd meanwhile closed the gap on second placed Ipswich Town by winning 3-0 at Hounslow Women, given to them by first half goals from Lily Stevens, Gemma Sims and Sophie Baker. Iesha Swaby, Letitia Nicholls and Naomi Cole, along with an own goal, gave Crawley Wasps a 4-2 victory against Gillingham.
Reserve Section round-up...
The top four teams in the Northern Division did not play on Sunday and they have been caught by Durham Cestria after they defeated Barnsley 11-1. Poppy Pritchard bagged a hat-trick for the Wildcats and Ellie Wise weighed in with a brace, whilst Mia Gibbon, Anna Vince, Sarah Burn, Anna Querfel, Oumou Donzo and Lily West also got on the scoresheet. Katie Ormerod and Daisy Stokoe meanwhile scored the goals for Middlesbrough in their 2-1 success away to Hull City, and Liverpool Feds also won 2-1 against Bradford City thanks to Abbie Wyke and Lauren Sharples.
Nottingham Forest remain on track for the runners-up spot in the Midland Division, they won 2-1 away to Loughborough Lightning thanks to Jessica Waplington and Bea Hembrough. Their main rivals are West Bromwich Albion who beat Stoke City 2-0 with goals from Natasha Bailey and Laura Dodwell. Dulcibella Binns and Tara Kirk accounted for the goals as Leicester City defeated Solihull Moors 2-0 and Doncaster Rovers Belles won for the second time, 3-0 against Lincoln City courtesy of an Alisha Attwood brace and Jessica Woods.
One match was played in the South East Division, Milton Keynes Dons lifting themselves up to fourth place in the table with a 4-0 victory over Stevenage Women.
Crystal Palace have secured the runners-up position in the South Central Division, finishing off their campaign by winning 2-1 away to Enfield Town in the solitary match which took place in the division.
Bridgwater Utd took a huge step towards a second place finish in the South West Division, thanks to a 3-1 victory away to Oxford Utd whose consolation came from Jennifer Hughes.
