Forest A Point From Title

Carly Davies’ Forest side have one hand gripped on the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division title, with one game to go, following Sunday’s 4-0 win away to Stourbridge.

That result means they just need to better that of their second-place rivals, Wolverhampton Wanderers, this coming Sunday, to both take the title, and with it, promotion to the Championship.

Granted, a point is enough for the Reds, but they’ll want to wrap it up in style when they play host to West Bromwich Albion, with maybe half-an-eye on proceedings in the Black Country as Wolves entertain Liverpool Feds.

An undefeated campaign beckons for the Reds, the win over Stourbridge being their seventeenth in the league (along with four draws in twenty-one) as they added four to the nine they put past the same earlier in the season (won 9-0 at home on early September, Sophie Domingo with three and Melanie Johnson a brace off the bench).

In this one, the Reds could have done similar, leading by three at the break, but the visitors took their foot off the gas in the second period and added just one more.

Charlie Wellings, with her twenty-seventh goal of the season, opened the scoring inside twenty minutes, before Holly Manders doubled the advantage ten minutes later with her second in three outings for the Reds.

Another ten minutes elapsed and the Reds moved three in front shortly before the break after a corner from Wellings was headed home by Hollie Olding, before Mollie Green saw a stunning free-kick saved by the home shot-stopper as the game ticked towards the interval.

Three to the good at the interval, the second was more about giving players a rest, and others a run-out for the Reds, although the loss of Millie Chandarana, after a fifteen-minute cameo, will certainly be looked at ahead of the season finale.

Between those changes however, Davies’ charges wrapped up another three points when Sophie Domingo got her name on the score-sheet after a strike from Wellings was well-saved, and put into the path of the oncoming Domingo for her thirteenth of the campaign.

The Reds did create a handful more chances, but to no avail, and a 4-0 win was taken ahead of the seasons last, at the City Ground, on 27 April.

Nottingham Forest – Emily Batty, Lyndsey Harkin, Natalie Johnson (Amy Sims, 73), Kate Longhurst (Caragh Hamilton, 62), Sophie Domingo, Melanie Johnson (Bridget Galloway, 78), Holly Manders (Mille Chandarana, 62; Megan Bell, 78), Charlie Wellings, Hollie Olding, Mollie Green, Freya Thomas

In Forest’s title challengers, Daniel McNamara’s Wolves sides, they themselves have won sixteen of their games, but it’s that one loss which stands out, a 6-1 reverse, at home to Forest, at the start of the season, as Mel Johnson bagged a treble.

Elsewhere in the Women’s Pyramid, Notts County, in the FAWNL Division One Midlands, will play their last game of the season this coming Sunday when they host Solihull Moors, across the River Trent, at Meadow Lane.

In the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Premier Division, and with Nottingham Trent University and Basford United taking the bottom two spots, ad SJR Worksop having survived, brilliantly, in sixth place, there can still be a runners-up spot for Mansfield Town.

They’ve two league games, and two cup finals, still to play, in a busy season for the Stags, and have road trips against second place Chesterfield, and third place Rotherham United to pull something out of the bag.

Across Division One. Arnold Eagles finished their season in the North, on mid-table, following a 2-1 loss at home to Dronfield Town, with Sherwood finishing fourth and Notts County Development seventh.

As for the Central Division, West Bridgford Colts finished their campaign in sixth place, third bottom.

Two games were also played, with plenty still to come, in the Notts Girls & Ladies League Seniors One, Radcliffe Olympic into third place following their 4-0 home win over Calverton Miners Welfare, and mid-table Lowdham Colts won 2-0 away to Retford.