Champions! Huddersfield Town Women win FA WNL Division One North
A brilliant season that saw Town overcome everything thrown at them has ended in glory - sealing the title with a 5-0 victory at York City.
Huddersfield Town Women are champions of FAWNL Division One North.
The 5-0 victory over York City sealed the title with one game to go meaning Glen Preston’s side are promoted to the FAWNL Northern Premier Division.
Goals in the first half strikes from Louise Biggins, Beth Ibbotson, Laura Elford and Tamira Livingston gave Town the two points they needed to secure top spot.
Biggins’ second half penalty miss was the only blot on proceedings as Livingston rounded off the scoring with her second of the game with 15 minutes to go.
The result left the hosts still needing one point to guarantee survival.
How the Terriers emerged triumphant
2024/25 saw Huddersfield Town Women come unstuck in the big moments and they were determined that this year was going to be different.
But it was never going to be easy. A two-point deduction, a spate of long term injuries to key players and the winter weather playing havoc with the schedule, Town needed to keep their cool - and keep their cool they did.
Ultimately, though, Town have won this title at a canter - dropping only ten points all season (two defeats and two draws).
Goals, goals, goals
You’re not going to win many games without scoring goals. Last season, Town scored 31 goals. This season they’ve scored 27 - at home, alone. 59 goals overall in the league.
With a game to go, it’s easy to see one half of what sets the Terriers apart from the rest. Louise Biggins has been a revelation since signing in the summer from Barnsley becoming the ever-present leader of the line for Town. Her 14 goals and many more assists have been vital.
It’s a bit of a ‘what could have been’ for Laura Elford too, who returned to the club in the summer. She’s added 10 league goals from 12 appearances, including a hat trick in the 9-1 win at Blackburn.
Rhema Lord-Mears has chipped in with 8 goals and young Hannah Burgess, who superbly deputised in the absence of more experienced attackers in the early season, bagged 5 goals.
Town have only been denied three times. And if teams can’t stop you, you’re on to a winner.
The old adage - Defences win titles
We can talk about Town averaging nearly three goals a game but how’s this for a stat? In their 21 games so far, Town have only conceded 8 goals. That’s just crazy.
Bethan Davies, Rebecca Beresford, Beth Stanfield, Beth Ibbotson and Autumn Housley have stood firm all season. They love keeping the ball out of the net so much they left the field at Blackburn disappointed with the 1 in a 9-1 victory.
The signing of Davies was massive. At big moments this season she’s come up trumps and won Town points - notably a huge save in the 1-0 win at Wythenshawe from close range in the dying moments. Her experience, nous and leadership has been exceptional.
And with injuries in midfield, the introduction of Neve Birtwistle helped add even more steel to the side as clean sheet followed clean sheet.
Town didn’t concede in the league between 7 December and 4 April, ironically, both times against Blackburn who are also the only team to beat Davies more than once. That was seven clean sheets in a row. 14 overall so far.
The Lord-Mears show
When Glen Preston brought Rhema Lord-Mears to the Terriers, it felt a bit of a coup. In reality, it’s been even bigger than that.
What a player. When Town have needed something from their big players, Lord-Mears comes up with the goods. Winners in key games against Leeds and Wythenshawe as well as two stunners in what ultimately became the title decider against Chorley last week, she’s been a real difference maker.
Along with Biggins and Elford, she’s been integral to how Town set up. Her calmness on the ball sets the tempo, whether they need to find another gear or slow it down. The range of passing is like no other at this level and her anticipation to arrive late into the box has single-handedly won games this season.
You’ll be hard pushed to find a better player in any division at this level.
January signings adding the icing on the cake
Over the winter break, Glen Preston knew he needed additions because of the injuries to key players. With Lauren Griffiths and Serena Fletcher out for the season and Laura Elford finding her way back into the team slowly in her return to fitness, Town needed new blood.
In came Neve Birtwistle from title rivals Cheadle, goalkeeper Kacey Bolton-Woollam and loanees Tamira Livingston and Jess Lightfoot - the latter arriving after also spending time at Cheadle this season.
Birtwistle came as a ready-made holding midfielder and slotted in instantly, supporting the defensive efforts whilst allowing players like Ella Duffield and Lord-Mears to flourish in their more natural roles.
Livingston brought pace and quality down the left, giving Town another outlet and opposition defences another issue to worry about. Her assists in the second half of the season have been important.
And Jess Lightfoot brought added depth. Whilst the majority of her appearances have been off the bench, she slotted home for the important opener in a tight game away at Chester-le-Street as well as goals against Blackburn and Cheadle.
Winning the big moments
When you’re winning 7-1 at home to York and beating bottom of the table Blackburn 9-1 away from home, Town could be forgiven for becoming complacent - but that’s not a word Glen Preston and his team know.
When the weather hit and the pitches turned, along with teams making it as difficult as possible, Town needed to dig in, forget the free flowing football and find a way to win.
In doing so, the squad stepped up. Rhema Lord-Mears’ goals away at then top of the league Wythenshawe and promotion rivals Leeds were the epitome of what this team is about - they don’t take no for an answer and always know they’ve got the quality to find a way.
More 1-0 victories away at Doncaster Rovers Belles and at home to a resurgent Durham Cestria were sealed by top scorer Louise Biggins taking the bull by the horns to give Town more vital points in close games.
And arguably one of the most important results came against Blackburn in December. A game which truly showed the mindset shift at the club. At 2-0 up, Town were cruising. But the bottom side fought back to level and looked certain to pick up their first point of the season.
But Fliss Jones kept her cool in added time to make it 3-2 to keep Town top of the table at Christmas.
When you’re destined to win the title, you have to grab the big moments and that’s exactly what Town have done.
