Column: FA WNL season heading for huge finale
Five of the six FA WNL leagues across Tier 3 and 4 are still yet to be decided with only a couple of games to go as teams fight for promotion to a higher level.
It's rare, but five of the six Tier 3 and 4 leagues under the FA Women's National League banner are in for a tantalising finale over the next couple of weeks.
With the majority of leagues ending on 30th April - with a couple being extended due to postponements - there are all sorts of storylines set to play out in what will be a dramatic few weeks all across the country, with all leagues split into various regions.
The FA WNL often doesn't get the attention it deserves from the media, I'll be the first admit. That's not because people don't care, but due to most outlets only having one women's football writer, the Women's Super League always takes precedent, with even the Championship struggling for coverage.
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But what may or may not unfold over the coming weeks can't be ignored, with only one division sealed with two weekends to go after Stourbridge sealed a second successive title in Tier 4's Midlands Division 1.
I went to Stourbridge just last season with Sheffield United in the FA Cup when they were in Tier 5 and they gave us a good game, and next season they will be in Tier 3 alongside some big names and clearly those running the show have done an exceptional job.
What is a shame is that while only one team coming up from each league creates drama, it does once more raise the question of 'why only one?' All the leagues are so competitive, it seems a shame some will miss out on a chance to go up due to fine margins, especially when some of those teams who may miss out were robbed of the chance to be promoted when topping their leagues during the COVID-19 period which saw results and league tables null and void.
Relevant Read: Reforming Women’s Football in England
That's particularly prevalent in the Tier 3 North and South leagues, where even winning your league after 22 arduous battles doesn't even guarantee you a spot in the Championship, with only the winner of the national play-off between the two regional champions earning promotion to the second tier and all the extra financial incentives that come with it.
In the North, Nottingham Forest wasted the chance to put themselves in a more commanding position with a 1-1 draw at Brighouse Town on Sunday, while Wolves wasted the chance to capitalise with a 0-0 draw at Derby County. Burnley did win, leaving them two points behind Forest and Wolves a point behind them. Both have a game in hand on Forest who have just one game remaining, but that game is against each other this weekend!
A win for Burnley would put them above Forest with a game to go, with any other result keeping Forest top on goal difference. Whichever way you look at it, it's going down to the wire.
It's a similar story in the South league, with four teams capable of winning the league, though it will be almost impossible for Portsmouth in fourth to do so.
Oxford United lead the way on 48 points and have a game in hand on both Watford and Ipswich Town who both sit a point behind on 47. It looks like an enviable position for Oxford, but they have to travel to both Watford and Ipswich before the end of the season with both games having been postponed, and one could even end up being after the season has ended as a standalone match with few slots to fit the games in due to Watford's participation in the FA WNL Cup final this weekend.
It gets just as tasty when scouring down to Tier 4, bar the Midlands Division which has been sown up by Stourbridge in fairly dominant fashion ahead of historic side Doncaster Rovers Belles.
One of the best storylines comes in the North Division 1 where Newcastle United sit six points behind Durham Cestria with two games in hand. Cestria have just one game left while Newcastle have three away games at Leeds United, Bradford City and Barnsley.
Leeds and Barnsley have enjoyed solid seasons and neither will prove an easy task, with the Barnsley game set to be a standalone game on 7th May, with Cestria finishing their season a week early. Drama is guaranteed!
There's the added irony of Newcastle's much-talked about rise up the leagues being halted by a side closely linked to Durham, where there has been previous talk of Newcastle wanting to take their place in the Championship. Cestria might well do big sister a big favour over the coming weeks!
It's equally tantalising in the South East and South West leagues respectively. It looks good for Hashtag United in the former, they sit a point ahead of Wimbledon and have played a game less, but both their remaining games are against QPR which won't be easy. Their goal difference is significantly better too, but it's still all to play for.
The South West league is more complex, with Cardiff City having three games in hand on leaders Exeter City. With a nine-point gap, Cardiff could level things on points if they win all of their remaining games, while incredibly both sides have exactly the same goal difference - +61!
All of the above means it will be an incredibly exciting and dramatic in a division which gets little publicity, but absolutely should be over the coming weeks, because anything can happen.
The question out of all this needs to be put to the FA about when will they be expanding the Championship (& WSL) to deal with the barmy issue of 6 teams going for 1 spot!