2024 A Year In Review Part One

With the postponement of this weekend's Blackburn Rovers match, now that we've played our last competitive football of the year, I'm guessing there's still some training sessions left to do for the lasses, time to have a look back over the year that was 2024. 

January
Played 4, W2, L2, Scored 12, Conceded 8

After a huge 11-3 home win against AFC Fylde to close out 2023 it was back to FAWNL league action at Kingston Park on 7th January as NUW got 2024 off to an impressive start with a 7-0 win against Halifax. This was originally due to be the opening match of the season but was postponed due to the Women's Word Cup Final. If I remember correctly, it was postponed a second time as well in late November or early December. 

Katie Barker opened the scoring after only 2 minutes. A second for Barker, a Georgia Gibson goal and Emma Kelly on the scoresheet just before halftime saw NUW head in to the interval 4-0 up. Barker completed her hat trick on 52 minutes before half time substitute Hannah Greenwood added a 6th. NUW's number 7 Tyler Dodds added the 7th, her first of the season, in the 79th minute, making good on her new year's resolution to score more goals.

Tyler Halifax goal

A week later, the toon army descended on Leigh Sports Village as NUW came up against WSL side Manchester United in the FA Cup. Somewhere in the region of 1,500 travelling fans left an impression on Mark Skinner, Mary Earps and Nikita Parris despite the hosts coming away with a 5-0 win, goals via England international Ella Toone, former Lioness Parris (37' and 55'), Rachel Williams and Melvine Malard. 

19th January, one of my highlights of the year, we sign probably my favourite women's footballer, Beth Lumsden, from Portsmouth. I made a post on the NUW Fans Facebook group, possibly undersold it a little, life on social media was never the same again. 

21st January, despite Georgia Gibson putting us 1-0 up after 4 minutes, the lasses fall to a 1-2 league defeat to promotion rivals Nottingham Forest. A debatable 30th minute equaliser from Alice Keitley, heavy hint of offside, then a 90th minute Niamh Reynolds winner securing all 3 points. 

28th January saw the lasses travel to AFC Fylde. Two for Gibson and a further two for Dodds secured a 1-4 win and sent NUW into the FAWNL Cup semi-final.

Rounding out January, the final day of the month saw the arrival of new full back #99 Lia Cataldo, C-A-T-A-L-D-O from Crystal Palace.

February
Played 4, W4, Scored 10, Conceded 2

Wolves at home on 4th Feb saw a full debut for Lumsden, after coming on as a sub against Forest, and a debut for Cataldo. Two goals from new signing Paige Bailey-Gayle set things up before "Swagga like" Jas McQuade came off the bench to score a fantastic 3rd from the edge of the box.

Jas goal vs Wolves

A week later the lasses headed to promotion rivals Burnley. After a frustrating first half saw both sides go into the break scoreless, winger Kacie Elson came off the bench to do what she did so many times last season, score a vital opening goal. Once the deadlock was broken, it became a bit more comfortable, Bailey-Gayle and McQuade rounding out an important 0-3 victory including a memorably bizarre goal from an indirect free kick due to a back pass. "What's happening Chris Kamara?"

Derby County came to Kingston Park on 18th February. Lumsden, who played her first full 90 minutes, opened the scoring, her first NUW goal, after 7 mins. Getting in behind the back four and on the end of a pin point long diagonal ball from Emma Kelly, Lumsden fired home at the near post. 

A further goal from Bailey-Gayle secured all 3 points despite an 84th minute consolation goal for the visitors. 

Beth's first goal

The FAWNL Cup semi-final against Portsmouth at St. James' Park closed out February. The visitors, top of the Southern Premier Division, made the match as competitive as expected. After Pottsy opened the scoring after 52 minutes the visitors levelled barely 10 mins later. The match looked destined for extra time when, heading into stoppage time, Georgia "Gallowgate" Gibson headed home a Katie Barker cross to send SJP into meltdown. In front of the Gallowgate End, of course. The Lasses were headed to a Cup Final.

March
Played 5, W4, L1, Scored 16, Conceded 5

March was very much a West Midlands road trip, no home matches all month. 

First up Stoke City. A hectic 3 minutes which saw goals from Katie Barker after 11 minutes, Georgia Gibson 2 minutes later and Jas McQuade a minute after that meant the match was effectively over after quarter of an hour. After coming on as a 72nd minute sub, Bridget Galloway scored her 17th of the season which turned out to be her final goal for NUW. 

Mother's Day, 10th March, saw the road trip head to Stourbridge. Given the ridiculous amount of rain beforehand, how this match didn't get rained off I will never know. Huge props to the Stourbridge groundsmen who must've worked miracles to get the pitch to a point where it was deemed playable. 

The pitch, and the weather, certainly played a part in a fairly close match. 0-1 to the visitors at half time via Georgia Gibson after 13 minutes, Kelly in the 52nd minute and Gibson again on 78' got NUW another 3 points closer to a consecutive promotion. 

Finally, what proved to be many fans' match of the season, an unforgettable classic away to Wolves. For the first time in many seasons, the lasses went into the half time break 2-0 down. 

Elson came on for Lumsden at half time, along with Stobbs for Liv Watt and Elysia Boddy for Emma Kelly. Once again, a vital opening goal via Kacie Elson on 54 minutes started the comeback. Making a late run into the box, Elson got on the end of a Barker ball across the 6 yard box and tapped home at the far post. Going into the last 10 minutes, McQuade levelled the scores heading home a Georgia Gibson free kick on 79 minutes. Then, in one of the moments of the season, an Elson cross from the right wing picked out possibly the smallest player on the pitch, Katie Barker, who fired a header from the penalty spot past the Wolves keeper to finish off an amazing comeback in the least likely fashion, silencing the home fans and causing LIMBS in an ecstatic away end.

I'll not dwell too long on the FAWNL Cup Final. Chaos in the stands at Kenilworth Road, some stewards telling fans to sit in their allocated seats, others advising sit anywhere you want, and a rare off day on the pitch. I don't know if the occasion got to the team or an element of overconfidence crept in given the opposition but we were physically outmuscled the whole match. Would it have been different if Lumsden wasn't cup-tied, or if Soulsby had been brought on? We'll never know. But if won't be our last cup final. 

That being said, the fan zone the day before the final was a huge highlight of 2024. Massive shoutout to Dan & Jamie for the most iconic chant we have - 

Huge scene's running down that wing as she's really good at dribbling and
Her name's Lia Cataldo, her name's Lia Cataldo.

It's Lia, it's Lia.
Cataldo, Cataldo.

It's Lia, It's Lia.
Cataldo, Cataldo.

It's Li-a Cataldo, C-A-T-A-L-D-O, it's Li-a Cataldo, C-A-T-A-L-D-O, it's Li-a Cataldo, C-A-T-A-L-D-O..........

Putting the disappointment of the Cup Final aside, 8 days later on 31st March the lasses returned to Kingston Park for the first time since the 18th February. A Bailey-Gayle hat trick plus goals from Hannah Greenwood and Jas McQuade saw NUW run out 5-1 winners against old foes Liverpool Feds, who narrowly beat NUW to tier 4 promotion two seasons earlier, which meant only one more win was required to secure promotion to the Women's Championship. 

April
Played 2, W1, D1, Scored 10, Conceded 0

And was promotion secured in style. What a day. A record 7,382 attendance at Kingston Park watches the lasses blow away Huddersfield Town 10-0.

Emma Kelly opened the scoring in the first minute before some people had even found their seat. Two for Kelly on the day, two for Lumsden, two for Barker, a goal for Pottsy and one each for subs Jas McQuade, Kacie Elson and, in second half stoppage time, Georgia Gibson. 

The 100th NUW goal of the season was amongst those 10, one of Lumsden's two goals, the only downside to the day was Lia Cataldo not scoring goal 99 of the season. A very, very memorable day.

After the excitement of the promotion clinching match, a come down was always on the cards. April finished with a 0-0 draw away to Halifax. Fair play to Halifax, they stuck to their game plan for the full 90 minutes and were decent hosts. 

May
Played 1, W1, Scored 4, Conceded 0

A memorable season came to an end away to West Bromwich Albion. In the opening minutes of the second half, Tyler Dodds signed off in what ultimately proved to be her final match with a classic Tyler goal. Elson once again on the score sheet and, fittingly, the final two goals of the season courtesy of Sharna Wilkinson, who would go on to sign for Boro and huge fan favourite Anna Soulsby who now plays for Durham Cestria. The match was followed by a fantastic end of season party. Huge tank you to everyone at Redditch Football Club for making the night as memorable as it was and to Jamie, Dan & Steph for organising a superb night. 

Portsmouth also secured promotion to the Championship so congratulations to Beth Lumsden, not sure if she actually received a Portsmouth medal but one of very few players to secure two promotions in the same season. 

Part two, the Women's Championship, to follow next weekend......