:00:35. > :00:36.wants you to support Good evening and welcome to The
:00:36. > :00:44.Women's Football Show. For the first time in a decade, we
:00:44. > :00:53.have new champions of England. Coming up, the race for the title
:00:53. > :00:55.draws to a thrilling conclusion. We look ahead to the introduction of
:00:55. > :01:04.WSL2 with promotion favourites Sunderland.
:01:04. > :01:10.And stand by for our Goal of the Season.
:01:10. > :01:22.And tonight for the final time this season we have Faye and Sue giving
:01:22. > :01:27.their views! Is that right? Well, we begin with Widnes. Where yesterday
:01:27. > :01:30.Liverpool and Bristol Academy went head-to-head in a straight shoot out
:01:30. > :01:34.to become WSL Champions. Perched in the commentary box for us was Nigel
:01:34. > :01:38.Adderley. One football's most famous names is now 90 minutes away from
:01:38. > :01:44.making a real impact in the women's game, but it is sure to be a very,
:01:44. > :01:47.very tense afternoon. It is the same Liverpool side which won the
:01:47. > :01:53.Merseyside derby in such memorable fashion before the international
:01:53. > :01:58.break. Only two of the three and he goes is in from the Bristol Academy.
:01:58. > :02:18.-- three Amigos. There is a very cosmopolitan feel to
:02:18. > :02:24.the Liverpool side these days. A fine save from Chamberlain. 11 goals
:02:24. > :02:42.so far this season for the German. And again, she is denied by
:02:42. > :02:53.Chamberlain! Well, Bristol Academy giving far too much room there.
:02:53. > :03:04.And Liverpool dominance so far. Given the room to shoot! And
:03:04. > :03:10.clipping the frame of the goal! And Bristol Academy here, hanging on by
:03:10. > :03:17.their fingernails! And all he wants to note down is a Liverpool goal.
:03:17. > :03:30.The challenge, and it is a penalty! The pressure was building. Alex
:03:30. > :03:37.looks distraught. But Nicole is such a tricky customer. But she makes no
:03:37. > :03:46.mistake and Liverpool are on their way! In the circumstances, such a
:03:46. > :03:55.confident penalty. Delight on the bench as well.
:03:55. > :04:03.And here is a rare attack for Bristol Academy. It is del Rio...
:04:03. > :04:17.And she is lucky to see that one pass beyond the far post. Will --
:04:17. > :04:23.well, Laura del Rio has not seen much of this. An opportunity for the
:04:23. > :04:30.team. Bristol Academy, they need goals here, and they need them quick
:04:30. > :04:40.key. Del Rio! She does have the ability. -- they need them quickly.
:04:41. > :04:46.Back into this game. Liverpool beginning to rediscover their
:04:46. > :04:56.rhythm. And that should have been the title wrapped up there and then.
:04:56. > :05:00.Working hard outside the penalty area. And Liverpool get the free
:05:00. > :05:16.kick. One of two Americans in the side
:05:16. > :05:30.will take it. It's Liverpool's title now! Great play by Natasha Dowie and
:05:30. > :05:37.Catrin man stopped here. To put Liverpool's red ribbons on the
:05:37. > :05:44.trophy! Such a transformation in this club. They have gone from worst
:05:44. > :05:46.to first in the space of a season! Liverpool are the champions!
:05:46. > :05:53.Disappointment for Mark Sampson and the Bristol Academy. And Arsenal's
:05:53. > :05:59.Iraqi dominance is finally over! -- the Bristol Academy. And Arsenal's
:05:59. > :06:03.era of dominance. So it's congratulations to
:06:04. > :06:07.Liverpool, and earlier this evening, I caught up with Reds manager Matt
:06:07. > :06:10.Beard and striker Natasha Dowie as they arrived for their End of Season
:06:10. > :06:13.Awards at Anfield. So Liverpool and Bristol was the
:06:13. > :06:16.main event of the weekend, but there were three other games played
:06:16. > :06:18.yesterday, including Sue Smith's Doncaster. A great performance and
:06:18. > :06:22.I'm delighted for the team because they fully deserved to win this
:06:23. > :06:26.title. It was a great day, the team played well and we had a good night
:06:26. > :06:31.out last night and it is great the club have put this on for us tonight
:06:31. > :06:34.as well. At the start of the season, you would have been
:06:34. > :06:39.surprised if this had happened, would you? Or did you always know
:06:39. > :06:42.you would get it? We always knew we were building a side that could
:06:43. > :06:49.compete at the top of the table. But they just had to understand how we
:06:49. > :06:53.wanted them to play. And the players have been crossing that line and
:06:53. > :06:58.performing week in, week out, so, as I say, I would be happy with Europe
:06:58. > :07:04.but to win the league is a fantastic achievement. There are some who say
:07:04. > :07:10.you have brought in some foreign players. Is that right for the WSL?
:07:10. > :07:16.What is your response? Well, we have put in the best players that we
:07:16. > :07:18.could. The English system with regards to not many clubs being able
:07:18. > :07:23.could. The English system with to pay for players and lots of the
:07:23. > :07:27.players are under 24, so with the new format, the players are
:07:27. > :07:33.contracted and you would have to pay a transfer fee and I don't think any
:07:33. > :07:41.clubs want to do that. But as one of the reasons I was at tempted to
:07:41. > :07:45.bring in players from overseas. I felt I needed a fresh start and the
:07:45. > :07:50.opportunity to be training every day, I really felt it would improve
:07:50. > :07:55.my game. I had a disappointing year last year so to have the season I
:07:55. > :08:00.have had this year, it is like a dream come true, and I have enjoyed
:08:00. > :08:05.every minute. What was the atmosphere like? We went out for a
:08:05. > :08:10.few drinks last night and let our hair down. Most of us obviously
:08:10. > :08:13.recovering and then took the time to come here and have this meal
:08:13. > :08:16.tonight. They have supported us and I think it has been a huge factor in
:08:16. > :08:26.tonight. They have supported us and our success, and how much they have
:08:26. > :08:30.invested in us. Has it sunk in? Not really, no. It will take a couple of
:08:30. > :08:36.days for it to sink in and then I can reflect on the season and start
:08:36. > :08:39.focusing on next year. It will be tough to defend the title because
:08:39. > :08:45.Arsenal will come back strong next year. We'll so have man city coming
:08:45. > :08:54.into the division, so it will be interesting to see what happens. --
:08:54. > :08:59.we also have Manchester City. People will want to knock us off the top
:08:59. > :09:07.now and it is up to us to defend ourselves. What is the favourite
:09:08. > :09:14.memory of the season? Oh, gosh! Too many to think of. The Emirates, but
:09:14. > :09:21.obviously, yesterday was the best by far. As soon as that whistle was
:09:21. > :09:26.blown, it was a dream country. And they will have another big night
:09:26. > :09:31.tonight. I am sure! You motivated that beard and his players, so he
:09:31. > :09:35.said, by predicting on the BBC website at the start of the season
:09:35. > :09:40.that they would finish mid-table! How do you feel? Guilty! . I am just
:09:40. > :09:44.pleased that my opinion holds so much weight! It is impressive what
:09:44. > :09:52.they have done and they certainly deserve the title. For a team that
:09:52. > :09:55.has got there that quickly. And he said he could take the pressure and
:09:55. > :10:00.expectation from them because 12 players were completely new to the
:10:00. > :10:05.team, but, yes, they have done well. Lots of the players scoring and I
:10:05. > :10:09.think they got three in the top five of goal-scorers. All credit to
:10:09. > :10:17.them. They got the most points and they deserve it. Good to hear you
:10:17. > :10:24.say that! The support they have got is brilliant! Sue, talking of the
:10:24. > :10:29.forward line, helped in some measure by 14 goals in 21 games by Natasha
:10:29. > :10:33.Dowie. She is a natural goal-scorer and I think we were saying it all
:10:33. > :10:39.through the year rose. She doesn't just score the same type of goal.
:10:39. > :10:45.This goal is just a lovely, cool finish, and that is what she can
:10:45. > :10:49.do. She is confident in goal. That is their natural instinct, their
:10:49. > :10:55.natural goal-scoring, and she justifies it in, knows exactly where
:10:55. > :11:01.the goal is. But again, confidence. It shows how she was so delighted to
:11:01. > :11:05.score against her Everton, old club, in the Derby. And, again, it means
:11:05. > :11:10.so much to her to school these goals, and she has continually done
:11:10. > :11:15.that through the season. And I have been continually impressed by her
:11:15. > :11:17.forward line. They have all been scoring goals. Lots of people have
:11:17. > :11:22.forward line. They have all been been saying, Liverpool, they have
:11:22. > :11:30.finished bottom in previous seasons but now they are at the top but they
:11:30. > :11:34.have the budget. And think it is natural when you see such a massive
:11:34. > :11:39.change and people say, how has that happened? It has to be money to
:11:39. > :11:43.attract those foreign players. But like you say, Chelsea have a big
:11:43. > :11:47.budget, and Lincoln as well, but they have not necessarily done well.
:11:47. > :11:51.They have attracted the players but not necessarily been able to do that
:11:51. > :11:57.and get higher up in the league. So it is great for Liverpool to have
:11:57. > :12:01.made it work in their first season. What a season for Bristol! They got
:12:01. > :12:04.to the FA Cup final again and took it to the final day. Not too many
:12:04. > :12:10.would have tipped them for that at the start of the season? No. The
:12:10. > :12:14.girls are going to be so disappointed that they got to the
:12:14. > :12:17.final game of the season and they will be really disappointed, but
:12:17. > :12:22.they have to look back at the whole season and be really proud of
:12:22. > :12:26.themselves, because, as you have mentioned, they've had an amazing
:12:26. > :12:31.season and they are so together at the team. They looked down and
:12:31. > :12:34.disappointed but they have to be proud of themselves. They finished
:12:34. > :12:40.second but that was ultimately because of the deduction after those
:12:41. > :12:46.lost points. But what a fantastic experience for them going into
:12:46. > :12:48.Europe? Yes, and it will help them grow that bit more and attract
:12:48. > :12:50.players for next year. But it is a grow that bit more and attract
:12:50. > :12:54.vital experience as a player and grow that bit more and attract
:12:54. > :12:57.club, just to develop and get that experience of playing foreign
:12:57. > :13:01.teams, the travelling and the togetherness that can bring.
:13:01. > :13:05.Confidence as well. It is just a good thing to look to. Rate effort
:13:05. > :13:16.and fantastic spirit they have there. Three other games were played
:13:16. > :13:23.yesterday. Including Doncaster. But it was the end of an era. This was
:13:23. > :13:27.your last match, Sue, before getting relegated. You did finish bottom in
:13:27. > :13:31.the end but you found out after one match of the season that the club
:13:31. > :13:35.would be relegated. How much of an impact do you think that had? I
:13:35. > :13:41.think we could use that as an excuse. We didn't perform well in
:13:41. > :13:46.the games. We were bottom. We did play well at times but we could not
:13:46. > :13:51.get the results. It was quite an emotional day and we couldn't get
:13:51. > :13:57.the results. I had tears in my eyes. It was a whole emotion and we wanted
:13:57. > :14:02.to finish on a high and we didn't. Obviously, the John Buckley thing,
:14:02. > :14:06.more than anything, the fact that he won't be managing next season, for
:14:06. > :14:10.me, especially, I was down about that, because I have been managed by
:14:10. > :14:14.him for the last two years and he has been a fantastic manager and
:14:14. > :14:19.person. I'm just gutted he isn't going to be involved. I've thought
:14:19. > :14:27.he would be the man to take us back up into the WSL 1. So hopefully
:14:27. > :14:33.things can mean he gets another job in women's football. It sounds like
:14:33. > :14:37.it was a shock? Yes. I am still in a bit of shock now. He was a great
:14:37. > :14:42.guy, a great character, and has done so much for the club.
:14:42. > :14:47.Arsenal won 14 Championships during Donny's top-flight stay but not this
:14:47. > :14:49.season. They did finish with a 2-1 win over Everton thanks to a late
:14:49. > :14:54.Rachel Yankey winner. And Lincoln played their final ever
:14:54. > :15:01.League game before reforming as Notts County. They secured a 2-0 win
:15:01. > :15:13.over Chelsea courtesy of goals from Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Lara Fay.
:15:13. > :15:18.And that result means the Lady Imps leapfrog Chelsea in the table, but
:15:19. > :15:26.they could end the season on a real high with victory in the League Cup
:15:26. > :15:30.final on Friday against Arsenal. So one more big game in the domestic
:15:31. > :15:35.season, Arsenal against Lincoln, Arsenal still smarting presumably
:15:35. > :15:39.from not having won the league after nine years of dominating, what do
:15:39. > :15:44.you make of their chances? They have got a cup double still to fight
:15:44. > :15:48.for, important to bounce back from their disappointment, looking at the
:15:48. > :15:52.points deduction as well. They have only lost one game, so they will
:15:53. > :15:58.feel very aggrieved that bad. Lincoln have had a good season, they
:15:58. > :16:02.have drawn with them, that could be why the league has slipped away, but
:16:02. > :16:06.they have set a very defensively, made it frustrating to play against,
:16:06. > :16:09.but I think they will give it a good go in this final because they will
:16:09. > :16:14.want to finish on a high, the fact that they are not going to be
:16:14. > :16:17.Lincoln next year as well. Let's have a look at your team of the
:16:17. > :16:23.season, a couple of Arsenal players, a joint decision between you.
:16:23. > :16:33.How tough was that? Jordan Nobbs has had a great season, best player for
:16:33. > :16:37.Arsenal in my opinion. It was not just me picking the Arsenal players!
:16:37. > :16:46.Siobhan Chamberlain in goal has had a great season, played every minute
:16:46. > :16:51.of every game. I also picked out Lizzy of Everton, but I think
:16:51. > :16:55.Siobhan deserved it in goal. Yes, we are going to pick some Bristol
:16:55. > :17:00.players as well, especially Jemma Rose and Corinne Yorston, they have
:17:00. > :17:04.stood out as being really strong, quality defenders, they made it
:17:04. > :17:09.difficult for teams to break down, but we were looking at wide players,
:17:09. > :17:11.went we? Gemma Davidson could have been in there, so many different
:17:11. > :17:15.went we? Gemma Davidson could have players. To get it down to 11 was
:17:15. > :17:20.difficult, but that shows the standard of the league this season.
:17:20. > :17:26.Fara Williams, Alex Greenwood as well. We had quite a debate! Nikki
:17:26. > :17:31.to Harris is brilliant for a young player, to do so well for Everton.
:17:32. > :17:36.After a thrilling WSL campaign, the game is thriving in this country,
:17:36. > :17:40.and adding to the vibrancy is an expansion to a second tier this
:17:40. > :17:44.season. One of the favourites for promotion will be Sunderland, who
:17:44. > :17:48.narrowly missed out on a place in the inaugural WSL after failing to
:17:48. > :17:55.meet the FA bid criteria, but three years on the Black Cats are
:17:55. > :17:58.determined to make their case on the pitch.
:17:58. > :18:04.Sunderland are a team on the up, and ahead of their entry into WSL2, they
:18:04. > :18:10.have now formalised their partnership with the men's club. We
:18:10. > :18:12.needed a strong partnership to put in a bid for the super league. We
:18:12. > :18:16.have always had a good relationship in a bid for the super league. We
:18:16. > :18:21.with Sunderland football club, and this time around they afforded a lot
:18:21. > :18:27.of their facilities and staff in putting together what proved to be a
:18:27. > :18:30.successful bid, so we are delighted to have a proper partnership with
:18:30. > :18:33.Sunderland football club. It is to have a proper partnership with
:18:33. > :18:37.massive for us, the men have done loads for us in the past, given as
:18:37. > :18:41.the ground and the transport, and now that we are under the umbrella,
:18:41. > :18:48.I think it will take us to the next level. 2009, the appearance in the
:18:48. > :18:52.FA Cup final in front of a worldwide audience on TV, again, we were
:18:52. > :18:56.excited, and we thought we had arrived. We thought it was just a
:18:56. > :18:59.matter of course before we could apply successfully to the Super
:18:59. > :19:05.League, and we were devastated when we were turned down. Yes, it hurt
:19:05. > :19:09.everyone at the club, but we got over that, and our attitude was,
:19:09. > :19:13.well, let's go and win the league and prove everybody wrong, and we
:19:14. > :19:18.have done that three years on the bounce. Out of something that upset
:19:18. > :19:22.as and disappointed us, we have had three years of success, and we got
:19:22. > :19:27.there in the end. The Lady Black Caps have an excellent reputation
:19:28. > :19:32.for developing talent, four of the current England side. I think we
:19:32. > :19:35.have definitely got to mention the work of Mick Mulhern, the amount of
:19:35. > :19:41.players he has brought through the system has been me, Steph, Jordan,
:19:41. > :19:44.Lucy, the players who have come through the centre of excellence.
:19:44. > :19:48.Lucy, the players who have come For me, that fills me with immense
:19:48. > :19:50.pride that we are challenging clubs that have been established for
:19:51. > :19:57.years, it is great that they have got to an international level. To be
:19:57. > :20:00.honest, the north-east just loves its football, whether you are a boy
:20:00. > :20:05.or a girl, you always encouraged to play from a young age, and
:20:05. > :20:07.Sunderland is no different, and Sunderland has been the team that I
:20:07. > :20:11.support, and having a chance to play Sunderland has been the team that I
:20:11. > :20:16.for them from such a young age was a great opportunity for me, but in
:20:16. > :20:20.terms of breeding them players, I think Sunderland is the best club in
:20:20. > :20:23.the north-east that does that. The Wearsiders are hoping their current
:20:23. > :20:28.crop can propel them into the top tier. Were going in as Premier
:20:28. > :20:32.League champions, we can hold our heads high, we have made a few
:20:32. > :20:36.signings to strengthen the squad, but we have not lost any body, which
:20:36. > :20:40.is a bonus. We have got that family atmosphere around the globe,
:20:40. > :20:48.everyone is buzzing to get in. Hopefully we will keep producing
:20:49. > :20:50.players, hopefully we will keep them and succeed from there. It is going
:20:50. > :20:52.players, hopefully we will keep them to be very tough, everybody has the
:20:52. > :20:54.same aims and ambitions. Everyone wants to play in the top league in
:20:55. > :20:58.same aims and ambitions. Everyone the women's game, and that is where
:20:58. > :21:01.we want to be, and hopefully this time next year we might have done
:21:01. > :21:07.that, but we will see. It would be great to achieve our ambition of
:21:07. > :21:11.WSL1 status, and perhaps look at some of our form players and say, if
:21:11. > :21:19.you would like to come home, we would welcome you with open arms.
:21:19. > :21:20.So this is how the brand-new WSL1 looks next season. Lincoln become
:21:20. > :21:41.Nottinghamshire County. Sunderland won the Premier League
:21:41. > :21:47.for the last three seasons in a row, they really fancy their chances.
:21:47. > :21:50.They are a top team, they will be difficult to beat, Mick Mulhern has
:21:50. > :21:55.brought through some fantastic players, a very good coach, and they
:21:55. > :21:58.will be the team to beat. He deserves a huge amount of credit,
:21:59. > :22:03.maybe they will get some of those Sunderland players back. What about
:22:03. > :22:13.Manchester City, the new kids on the block in WSL1? People are wondering
:22:13. > :22:16.what they will bring, lots of signings from other clubs, players
:22:16. > :22:19.from abroad, will they throw money at it? Until they sign a first
:22:19. > :22:20.player, it is hard to know, because you hear rumours about foreign
:22:20. > :22:24.player, it is hard to know, because players. They have got a lot to
:22:24. > :22:29.offer. They have a lot of facilities as well, that is a big draw, so we
:22:29. > :22:33.shall wait and see. They will be able to train five times a week,
:22:33. > :22:37.which Nottinghamshire County will be doing next season, Arsenal four
:22:37. > :22:41.times, Liverpool five times, it makes a difference. It will be a
:22:41. > :22:46.great opportunities for the players, I wish I was still playing! It will
:22:46. > :22:53.be a big draw for those players to join those teams. Interim coach
:22:53. > :22:55.Brent Hills' first England squad contained four players who started
:22:55. > :22:58.Brent Hills' first England squad at Sunderland. Let's see how they
:22:58. > :23:03.got on in the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Turkey.
:23:03. > :23:10.No Hope Powell for the first time in 15 years, but it took Brent Hills'
:23:10. > :23:13.side just three minutes to break the deadlock through Karen Carney, and
:23:13. > :23:21.the winger effectively ended the contest before half-time, completing
:23:21. > :23:28.a hat-trick in front of 7000 fans in Bournemouth's gold sounds stadium.
:23:28. > :23:31.Natasha Dowie grabbed the first international goal as a second-half
:23:31. > :23:35.substitute to help England finish with a 6-0 win. Turkey were the
:23:35. > :23:39.victims of another stuffing at with a 6-0 win. Turkey were the
:23:39. > :23:45.Fratton Park five days later. This time it was Toni Duggan's turned to
:23:45. > :23:49.grab a first-half hat-trick which put the Lionesses on their way to a
:23:49. > :23:51.drubbing. Brent Hills putting his name in the shop window for the
:23:51. > :23:57.permanent job. This is how the group looks after
:23:57. > :24:21.two games. England versus Wales will be the
:24:21. > :24:24.first game for the new head coach. This is Helen Ward's gold, the
:24:24. > :24:28.Chelsea player for Wales, laid This is Helen Ward's gold, the
:24:28. > :24:31.against Belarus at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday night. A great
:24:32. > :24:36.week for Brent Hills and England, interesting comment from Hope
:24:36. > :24:40.Powell, who said that appointing the next England manager as a male would
:24:40. > :24:48.be a backward step, do you agree Quetta at all. I think it has to be
:24:48. > :24:51.the best person for the job, as long as they are as qualified as they
:24:51. > :24:57.need to be. I do not think Brent Hills would be too happy about that!
:24:57. > :25:01.He has done fantastically well, look at his results, he has to be quite
:25:01. > :25:07.high up in the pecking order, the fact that they won by a lot of
:25:07. > :25:11.goals, haven't they? Thank you! And not conceded many. It does not
:25:11. > :25:13.matter in my eyes if it is male or female. We will find out Hope
:25:13. > :25:21.Powell's successor in the next two female. We will find out Hope
:25:21. > :25:23.or three weeks. Scotland rounded off good week for the British sides when
:25:23. > :25:25.or three weeks. Scotland rounded off they followed up a 7-2 win in the
:25:25. > :25:30.Faroe Islands with another seven against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Fir
:25:30. > :25:36.Park. Seven different goal-scorers, Lisa Evans with the first, Suzanne
:25:36. > :25:38.Lappin completing the rout late on. This is our group four stands, so
:25:38. > :25:48.far so good for Scotland. You would think Sweden would be the
:25:48. > :25:51.main challenger to the end of that group and automatically qualifying.
:25:51. > :25:57.They play Northern Ireland next, Scotland, on the same day as the
:25:57. > :25:59.England-Wales game. OK, we could not finish the show without the
:25:59. > :26:02.customary goal of the season contenders, so here the top five
:26:02. > :26:38.strikes from the 2013 WSL1 campaign. Four days later, Corine Yorston
:26:38. > :26:42.provided this goal, showing great composure and technique to deliver a
:26:42. > :26:51.superb strike past Everton keeper Rachel Brown.
:26:51. > :26:58.Gold C comes from Steph Houghton against Lincoln. With Arsenal on the
:26:58. > :27:01.brink of a second successive defeat, she killed this past Karen Bardsley
:27:01. > :27:10.to salvage a point for the Gunners. -- curled. This is a beautifully
:27:10. > :27:13.constructive team goal from Chelsea. Winning possession in the
:27:13. > :27:15.middle of the park, they patiently strung together 20 passes, finished
:27:15. > :27:37.with a stroke to match. And last but not least, a wonderful
:27:37. > :27:40.trike from Liverpool's Catrin Omarsdottir, pulling the trigger to
:27:40. > :27:52.devastating effect against Bristol Academy.
:27:52. > :28:00.Not an easy decision, who do you think was the best? I will sit on
:28:00. > :28:05.the fence normally, but there were so many great girls. I will go.
:28:05. > :28:09.Fulton, I thought it was the fact that it was the last minute of the
:28:09. > :28:17.game. -- I will go. Photo on. Looked up, top corner, fantastic finish. I
:28:17. > :28:20.will go with Blondel's goal for Chelsea, just purely because you
:28:20. > :28:28.pick the best of the long-range efforts. -- Blondel. So you will go
:28:28. > :28:33.for the team effort. Thank you to both of you, that is it for another
:28:33. > :28:37.season, it has come to an end. We hope you enjoyed it, WS L will be
:28:37. > :28:40.back bigger and better next year, Liverpool kicking off as defending
:28:40. > :28:42.champions. Goodbye for now.