Newcastle United signing makes region sit up as Durham see Chelsea class - women's football notebook
Welcome to our first women's football notebook. A timely introduction when we have three teams battling it out in the Women's Championship and all growing in strength and popularity.
Durham have led the charge for much of the season so far, but their League Cup campaign ended at the quarter-final stage this week. Despite olding the WSL leaders Chelsea to a just one-goal deficit for more than an hour was a fantastic display, but the Blues then ran out comfortable 5-0 winners.
Conceding four in the last half hour showed the difference in depth and quality between the teams and divisions, but the visitors left Kingston-upon-Thames with no embarrassment and a lot of pride for reaching that stage of the competition for only the second time in their 11-year history.
They host Southampton on Sunday (12pm at Maiden Castle) looking to get back to winning ways. A handball on the line, missed by the officials, could have changed things against Charlton last weekend.
History seemed to be repeating itself with the same scoreline and controversy in their fixture earlier in the season, but it became a catalyst for a good run which sees them in the mix at the top of the league.
READ MORE: Women's Football News January Edition: The Year of the Lioness?
Dale can't stop scoring
After a slow start to the season, Sunderland have calmly gone about their business which sees them currently a point above Durham in fourth in the Championship and four points from Birmingham at the top.
Beating Southampton 2-0 on the South Coast was no easy task, but goals from Eleanor Dale and Katie Pitching gave them the points. It is Dale who has stood out this so far this season, simply because she can't stop scoring. Twelve goals in the last nine games is a great return for the summer signing.
Hailing from Billingham and starting at the age of 15 for Middlesbrough, Eleanor moved to Durham at the start of the Covid-hit season, scoring one goal in her three appearances, before moving to America for college. She hit 44 goals in 65 appearances for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, which led to a transfer to the WSL and Everton. Still not quite 23 years old, she is certainly hitting her stride and loving life back home! Sunderland travel to Blackburn on Saturday for a 5.30pm kick-off.
Triple Newcastle signing
The transfer window is in full-swing and Newcastle United have been very active yet again. Freya Gregory and Charlotte Wardlaw have joined permanently from Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively, but it is last weekend's announcement of a loan signing which caused many North East fans to sit up and notice more.
This time last year, Poppy Pritchard signed for Manchester City from Durham. A bright talent and goalscorer at all levels, she was just finding her feet in the Women's Championship.
She spent the first half of the season on loan at Crystal Palace, but Poppy has now returned to the North East until the end of the season. She is reunited with her old manager in Newcastle assistant coach Claire Ditchburn, goalkeeper coach Stevie Brass and fellow striker Amy Andrews.
She could make her home debut in Sunday's game against Portsmouth (2pm kick-off at Kingston Park), having made her first appearance as a substitute in the draw last weekend at Sheffield United.
Lambert takes the award
Last week also saw the announcement of the winners of the North East Football Writers' Player of the Year Awards. Durham's Mollie Lambert will pick up the award at the ceremonial dinner on March 2 at Ramside Hall, Durham, the day of the derby against her former club Sunderland. Like Eleanor Dale, "Lambo" started her career at Middlesbrough before moving to Newcastle, and then Sunderland..
Mollie was certainly one of the stand-out players in the Durham side which has avoided relegation last season and continued her great form into this. creating and scoring goals, using her pace to terrorise the opposition.
Elysia Boddy, of Newcastle United, has scooped the Young Player of the Year award. Just turned 21, the young midfielder has already WSL experience with Leicester, an England Under-23 cap and has won promotion from the Women's Championship with Bristol City.
Yet another graduate of Middlesbrough, Boddy helped her team continue their promotion run last year, enjoying life back in the North East and now in The Women's Championship. Looks like Middlesbrough is the place to source many talented footballers!
Exciting weekend
The transfer window closes at the end of the month, all three of our clubs will be looking to strengthen as they chase the single promotion spot available this season. With eight points separating Southampton in eighth and Birmingham at the top, it really is one of the most exciting leagues in football.
The weekend's fixture looks exciting, Durham then travel to Brighton for their postponed FA Cup tie next Wednesday night. Certainly the best time to take an interest!
