Birmingham clinch WSL2 title in Final Day Drama

A record crowd of 3,615 for a women’s game at The Valley saw Birmingham City Women secure promotion and the WSL2 title on a dramatic final day, thanks to a 2-0 win against Charlton.

Formula One is back this weekend, and in South East London, it was Charlton who began the day in pole position. The Addicks were a point clear of opponents Birmingham as well as third-place Crystal Palace (who had a home game against already relegated Portsmouth).

Charlton started the brighter, forcing pressure inside the opening 90 seconds before sending a good chance over the bar just after three minutes. Meanwhile, news was coming through from the VBS Community Stadium: Crystal Palace had gone a goal down to bottom-side Portsmouth—a goal certain to keep things interesting. However, Palace would soon be level, returning the table to the status quo.

Birmingham hadn’t really begun to threaten, but when Neve Herron made a brilliant mazy run, the Blues looked like they were finding their rhythm. Her long-range effort, however, was a tame one that didn’t test Whitehouse in the Charlton goal. At this point, Birmingham began to pressure the hosts; when a dangerous ball was played across the face of goal, Wilma Leidhammar was unfortunate not to get on the end of it.

Charlton weren’t willing to sit back and allow the pressure to mount, and they swiftly created a chance of their own when Ellie Mason headed narrowly wide. But minutes later, the home side found themselves forced to defend their own goal again, with Whitehouse forced into a spectacular save.

Just before the half-hour mark, Birmingham’s pressure finally paid off. A delightful cross into the box found Leidhammar, who headed home from close range to put her side a goal up. The 22-year-old came close to doubling her tally ten minutes later when her superb free kick forced Whitehouse into yet another fantastic save, this time tipping the ball onto the crossbar before the rebound was blasted wide.

As referee Sophie Dennington brought the first half to a close, the table had shifted: Birmingham now sat top, while Charlton had dropped to third, with Crystal Palace moving into the second automatic promotion place. Things were made even more complicated when Crystal Palace took the lead two minutes after the restart thanks to Ashleigh Weerden.

It didn’t take long for Birmingham to pick up where they’d left off. Leidhammar scored her second of the day, this time using a lovely first touch to set herself up to turn and place the ball perfectly beyond Whitehouse—an absolutely superb finish.

Meanwhile, Palace had added a third and a fourth; Weerden grabbed her second, and Kirsty Howat scored her eighth of the season. Charlton began to find a way back into the game around the hour mark when an inviting cross was played into the box, although it proved to be a relatively routine catch for Blues keeper Lucy Thomas.

Palace soon had five, with midfielder Annabel Blanchard getting herself on the scoresheet. The pressure was now entirely on Charlton; they needed a goal quickly, but their spirits weren't helped by news of a sixth for Palace via former Addick Elise Hughes. Seemingly, Portsmouth had capitulated while their hosts turned on the style.

Back at The Valley, the hosts were desperate for a goal. They needed to get something from the game but could only manage poor long-range efforts that posed no real danger. Charlton’s afternoon went from bad to worse when Charlotte Newsome was helped off the pitch in tears after what looked like an incredibly painful injury. The defender had gone down in the Birmingham penalty area in clear distress and required lengthy treatment before being substituted.

When play eventually resumed, Charlton looked more threatening. They knew what they needed to do and played another great ball into the box, but the visitors dealt with it comfortably. There was arguably the loudest cheer of the day from the home support when the fourth official held up a board showing 13 minutes of added time.

With Crystal Palace finishing 6-1, the Eagles’ result ensured they were going up, but there was still time for the title to shift. Charlton continued to press, looking for a way back, but it simply felt like "one of those days" as they failed to break through a resilient Blues defence. The last real opportunity came in the final stages of added time when an Addicks free kick was saved well by Thomas.

With the final whistle, Birmingham leapfrogged their hosts to win the title and a place in next season's WSL. There were also celebrations across London as Crystal Palace secured second place, meaning they too will have a place at the top table alongside the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.

As for Charlton, their season ends with just one win from their last six games—a run of form that saw a nine-point gap obliterated and ultimately led to a third-place finish. They will now face WSL bottom-side Leicester City in a play-off match at The Valley later in May to see who takes the final place in the top flight.