With the 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Championship lineup now confirmed, we take a look at the sides Durham will be facing this season…
There’s a host of old foes as well as a two sides making their tier two debuts in what is sure to be another exciting year.
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All details are correct as of 3rd June 2024 and remain subject to change.
Last Season’s Finish:
Birmingham finished 5th in the Barclays Women’s Championship last season with a return of 36 points from 22 games.
Stadium:
Birmingham play at the 29,000-capacity St Andrew’s Stadium, which also plays host to their men’s team.
Head Coach:
Amy Merricks took charge of the Blues towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign and the former England U19 boss is set to lead the side into the new campaign.
Last Time We Met:
Our last meeting came on the final day of the 2023/24 season, as Durham ran-out 1-0 winners at Maiden Castle – Sarah Wilson’s second half header proving the difference.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
Blackburn recorded their highest-ever place in the second tier last term, finishing 6th in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
Stadium:
The Lancashire FA County Ground and Ewood Park played host to Blackburn fixtures last term.
Head Coach:
Appointed prior to the start of the 2023/24 season, former Lewes chief Simon Parker made a quick impression during his debut season in the North West.
Last Time We Met:
The two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Lancashire County FA in our last meeting.
Danielle Maxwell put Rovers ahead before a Beth Hepple strike and a Hannah Silcock own goal turned the game on its head.
But Blackburn would strike back through Lucy Shepherd to ensure the spoils were shared.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
Bristol City suffered relegation last season after finishing 12th in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Stadium:
The Robins moved to the 27,000-capacity Ashton Gate last season, and have already confirmed they will continue to play there in the 2024/25 campaign.
Head Coach:
Lauren Smith has been in charge of Bristol City since June 2021 and led the side to the Championship title in the 2022/23 season.
Last Time We Met:
Our last clash with Bristol City came on 12 March 2023, when the table-topping Robins recorded a 3-0 victory at their former home of the Robins High Performance Centre.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
Charlton remained in promotion contention for the entirety of last season and finished 2nd in the Barclays Women’s Championship – just one point behind winners Crystal Palace.
Stadium:
The Addicks are set to move to The Valley for the 2024/25 season.
Head Coach:
Formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, Karen Hills took charge of Charlton in March 2021.
Last Time We Met:
Charlton visited Maiden Castle on 17 March 2024 and secured the three points courtesy of Elisha N’Dow’s early header in a 1-0 win.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
After a strong finish to the campaign, London City Lionesses sealed 8th spot in the Barclays Women’s Championship after securing 25 points from 22 games.
Stadium:
London City play at Princes Park, the home of Dartford FC.
Head Coach:
London City are currently searching for a new Head Coach.
Last Time We Met:
Our trip to London City in February 2024 beat the rain to go ahead – and it ended in a draw after a dramatic finale.
An own-goal put the Lionesses ahead only for Amy Andrews to level.
Lotta Lindstrom’s strike looked to have handed London City maximum points, but Sarah Robson headed home in injury time for the Blues.
Official Website:
http://www.londoncitylionesses.com
Last Season’s Finish:
Newcastle finished 1st in the FA Women’s National League North to secure promotion to the Championship for the first time.
Stadium:
Last season saw the Magpies played the majority of their games at Kingston Park, the home of Newcastle Falcons, while also playing select games at St James’ Park.
Head Coach:
Becky Langley is currently in charge of Newcastle United and has led them to back-to-back promotions over the last two seasons.
Last Time We Met:
We have never met Newcastle United in a competitive fixture – although the two sides have met in pre-season fixtures in seasons gone by.
The last one of those was the first game played in front of supporters at our new home of Maiden Castle. Durham were 8-0 winners ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Official Website:
http://www.newcastleunited.com
Last Season’s Finish:
The second of the newly-promoted teams, Portsmouth gained their spot in the Championship after finishing 1st in the FA Women’s National League South.
Stadium:
Pompey play at Westleigh Park, the home of Havant & Waterlooville – while also playing some games at Fratton Park.
Head Coach:
Portsmouth are led by Jay Sadler, who became the club’s first full-time member of staff in 2022. The club are set to move towards a full-time professional model ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Last Time We Met:
We’ve met Portsmouth just once – in an FA Cup Fifth Round tie ahead of our debut FA WSL 2 season in 2014.
Pompey were 2-1 winners on home soil to seal their spot in the last eight.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
A tally of 22 points from 22 games saw the Royals finish 10th in the Barclays Women’s Championship last season.
Stadium:
The 24,000-capacity Select Car Leasing Stadium hosts Reading’s home games.
Head Coach:
Former Oxford United boss Liam Gilbert is in charge of the Royals having taken the reigns ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Last Time We Met:
Our last clash with Reading came in the penultimate game of last season.
The Royals were 1-0 winners thanks to Jesse Stapleton’s goal in a game with no shortage of talking points.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
The Blades secured a finish of 7th in the Barclays Women’s Championship in 2023/24 season, after securing 29 points from 22 games.
Stadium:
Sheffield United’s home of Bramall Lane hosts all the club’s senior mens and women’s fixtures.
Head Coach:
Sheffield United are currently searching for a new Head Coach.
Last Time We Met:
The Blades were victors at Maiden Castle on February 4 2024 – despite Beth Hepple and Amy Andrews putting Durham 2-0 up early on.
Sheffield rallied and netted five goals to secure a vital three points via a 5-2 win.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
Southampton were once again battling at the top of the league, and finished 4th in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
Stadium:
St Mary’s Stadium hosts the Saints’ home games – with the club regularly attracting four-figure crowds.
Head Coach:
Southampton are currently searching for a new Head Coach.
Last Time We Met:
Southampton visited Maiden Castle in December in what was our final fixture of 2023.
And it was a game to remember as Amy Andrews’ injury time goal saw Durham claim a 1-0 triumph.
Official Website:
Last Season’s Finish:
Sunderland were promotion contenders until the penultimate weekend and finished 3rd in the Barclays Women’s Championship with 41 points.
Stadium:
The Black Cats play their home fixtures at Eppleton CW.
Head Coach:
Long-serving head coach Mel Reay leads the Sunderland side, having been involved with the club for over a decade.
Last Time We Met:
There were eight goals in total during the most recent River Wear Derby at Eppleton CW.
Mollie Lambert’s brace and Beth Hepple’s stunning free-kick weren’t enough for Durham, with Sunderland 5-3 victors.
Official Website:
