WSL relegation battle looks more compelling than title race

A relieved Rehanne Skinner best summed up how close this season’s Women’s Super League relegation battle could prove to be.

The West Ham manager had seen her team go 2-0 down at home to bottom side Crystal Palace after just 11 minutes, before five goals – three in the first half and two in the second – turned the game on its head.

“They [Palace] won’t go down,” Skinner said at full-time. “But don’t ask me who I think will because I can’t answer.”

Just five points separates Palace at the foot of the table from Tottenham in sixth. Second-placed Manchester City trail leaders Chelsea by the same margin. There is every reason to believe the relegation scrap will be more entertaining and close than this season’s title race.

That is not usually the case. While Bristol City were not officially relegated until April last season, they finished nine points adrift and looked dead and buried long before their demotion was confirmed.

The mere six points they managed demonstrated how difficult it is for teams to come up from the Championship and maintain WSL status. Palace, who were promoted last season, are at least putting up a credible fight.

The 5-2 scoreline at Victoria Road was not a reflection of the game but a sign that Palace are lacking in top-flight experience. They are a young team with plenty of potential but miss a certain type of leadership and know-how that other teams battling for survival possess.

No one has dropped more points from winning positions than Palace this season. “We do go ahead in a lot of games,” manager Laura Kaminski admitted. “For long periods of the game, I thought we played some lovely football, probably some of the best football I’ve seen us play. Unfortunately we gave it away on the transition and that punished us.”

West Ham have been here before. They know all about fighting relegation and ensuring they do enough to get over the line. This win gives them breathing space, but Skinner knows they cannot afford to rest on their laurels with the gap between the bottom six clubs incredibly tight.

“The investment from the club is crucial,” Skinner said when asked about the need to recruit more players in January. “I’ve only really had two windows to try and evolve the squad. What you’re starting to see now is a direction of travel for the football club. We need another window, we need to keep adding, because we will be competitive in this league.”

Palace are bottom only on goal difference and have the same number of points as Leicester, who were beaten 4-0 by Manchester City yesterday and face unbeaten Chelsea next weekend. Palace’s five points is only one less than Bristol City managed in the entirety of last season.

“The team that went down last year showed how difficult the gap between the Championship and the WSL is,” Kaminski said.

“We’re in and around, before Christmas, the amount of points they got on the board for all of last season. That tells you how difficult the task is.

“I’ve urged the players to remember this is a long-term battle. Nothing has happened today, no one has got relegated today.”

In previous seasons we have seen three mini-leagues develop within the table – the teams competing for the top three, the mid-table clubs and those battling relegation. But the current divide shows a clear gap between the best and the rest.

Everton and Aston Villa only have one point more than Palace and Leicester, while West Ham are three clear of the bottom. Above them, Liverpool are on nine points and Tottenham on 10.

The attacking play from both Palace and West Ham was of a standard higher than their positions in the table suggests, but defending was in short supply.

After Mille Gejl and Indiah-Paige Riley had given Palace a deserved lead, West Ham kicked into life with Viviane Asseyi, Seraina Piubel and Manuela Pavi all scoring before half-time.

There was less chaos about the second half. West Ham managed to frustrate Palace before a fine goal from Anouk Denton and a close-range strike from Katrina Gorry ensured the hosts’ victory.