Newly promoted at the start of the season, Wolves took the division by storm to set the pace from the early days of the campaign and to clinch the title with three games of their fixture list remaining.
After seeing his team lift the divisional winner’s trophy following Sunday’s 2-0 home win against Sheffield FC, manager Dan McNamara said: “The players’ attitude and application over the past 12 months have been fantastic.
“They’ve had some tough times in recent years and now they deserve every accolade they’re getting. To see them lift that trophy is my proudest moment in football and something that will stay with me forever.”
After stepping up from Division One Midlands to the third tier, and with eight new signings to integrate into their squad, Wolves hit the ground running with seven wins from their first eight matches.
The victory over Sheffield, with the goals coming from Kelly Darby and Tammy George, confirmed them as champions with a record of 17 wins and only one defeat from their 21 matches to date.
Congratulations, gaffer! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8zOCnHA2iY
— Wolves Women FC (@WolvesWomen) April 10, 2022
Long serving captain Anna Price, who made her first team debut 20 years ago, said: “I never dreamt I’d ever be able to say this, but we are Northern Premier League champions! It’s unbelievable and I’m so, so happy.”
To add to a superb season for Wolves, the club’s second team emphatically won the Midland Division of the reserves league – they completed their 18-match campaign undefeated and with 50 points plus a huge goal difference of 70.
McNamara added: “The reserves have been absolutely outstanding all season. Put that together with an excellent set of youngsters we’ve got coming through the ranks and the future for Wolves Women looks great.”
McNamara’s senior team, after playing the final three games of their Northern Premier campaign, will prepare to face the Southern Premier winners in a play-off for promotion to the Championship.
But before even thinking about what will be the biggest game in the three and a half years that the manager has been in charge at Wolves, there’s a match at the club’s famous Molineux stadium on Wednesday evening to contemplate.
Brighouse will be the visitors for a league fixture which will be the first competitive outing in 20 years that the women’s team have played at Molineux.
McNamara said: “It’s going to be a fabulous occasion and the perfect way to celebrate our successful season in the Northern Premier. Hopefully it will also set us up to finish the season with what would be a massive achievement by winning the League play-off and getting promoted to the Championship.”
By Tony Leighton
