Yeovil Town Ladies capped their debut season in the FA Women's Super League by being voted as Women's Super League Two Club of the Year.
The Glovers, who finished fifth in Women’s Super League Two and play their home games at Sherborne Town’s Jones Stadium, received the award after meeting criteria that includes demonstrating success in areas such as success on and off the pitch, supporting a range of programmes to help develop players, supporting the RESPECT campaign, community work and overcoming challenges.
One challenge that the club met successfully was the departure of manager Sarah Lawler, who stood down midway through the season after accepting a new job as a development coach with the FA; her assistant, Jamie Sherwood, stepped into the breach before his appointment was made permanent at the end of the season.
Lawler had spent 11 years with the club, which included several as a player, and she had been an influential figure in helping the club achieve Women’s Super League status.
At their new level, Yeovil found themselves competing against some illustrious clubs in women’s footballing circles, such as eventual champions Sunderland Ladies, Doncaster Belles and Millwall Lionesses.
They also encountered some of the games’ better known players including Reading Ladies’ England striker Fran Kirby and Sue Smith, an iconic figure in the women’s game, who turned out for Doncaster Belles. The Belles were also managed by former Plymouth Argyle striker Gordon Staniforth.
After losing their opening fixture against Reading Ladies, the Glovers won their opening home league match 4-1 against the London Bees with midfielder Stacey Pearson scoring a hat-trick.
One of the Glovers great strengths as the season wore on was their team spirit and for a club whose motto is ‘achieve by unity’ that level of togetherness stood them in good stead over the course of the campaign.
Another was their strong spine, which comprised of goalkeeper Rachel ‘Dodge’ Simkin, centre backs Natalie Haigh and skipper Rachael Edwards and midfielders Jade Radburn-Lorton and Katie Sherwood, wife of manager Jamie.
They all helped provide a strong defensive base for more attack-minded players such as Welsh international trio Helen Bleazard, Ellie Curson and leading scorer Sarah Wiltshire.
Since her arrival during the mid-season from Watford Ladies, Wiltshire scored 11 goals in eight matches to finish the campaign as the club’s leading scorer, and the third top scorer in the league behind Reading’s Kirby (24) and Sunderland’s Beth Mead (13).
Other key performers included Welsh international right-back Nicola Cousins who joined mid-season from Cardiff City Ladies.
The Glovers have ambitions to reach Women’s Super League One within the next three years, but they will be aiming for that target without Katie Sherwood and Rachael Edwards, both of whom announced their retirement at the end of the season.
For skipper Edwards, it was the end of a career that
very nearly didn’t happen at all; whilst in her teens she suffered a knee
injury and was told that she wouldn’t be able to kick a ball in anger again.
However, after making a successful comeback in her
mid-twenties, she joined Yeovil Town Ladies eight years ago and led the team
out in their opening fixture at the Madjeski Stadium against Reading. Nevertheless her retirement doesn’t spell the end of her involvement with the Glovers – as she has now become a director of the club and will no doubt be playing a key role in any future progress.
