Doncaster Rovers Belles FC 2008-09 Season

National Premier League: 4th
League Cup: Runners Up; lost 5-0 to Arsenal
FA Cup: 4th round; Millwall Lionesses h. 0-1

Highlight:
3-1 win over Birmingham City, 26/4/09

Low Spot:
1-0 FA Cup defeat at home to Millwall, 4/1/09

Good:
Rachel Williams
Williams was the Premier League find of the season having been plucked from Leicester City in the summer. Was used in an attacking midfield role for most of their season and her powerful dribbling skills and finishing ability made her a threat to any defence.
When injuries affected the Belles’ forwards she stepped into the strikers role and also performed with distinction, notably in the League Cup final where the Arsenal defence had to use desperate measures to tame her.
Hopefully she will be given the chance to stake a claim for an England place at the European Championships as she could make a real impact their.
Chelsea Weston
Another summer capture, from Birmingham City, Weston was another huge success with a series of stirring displays at full back. Very solid in her defensive play she can get forward to good effect and brings real enthusiasm to everything she does.
An exciting prospect.

In Brief:
This was an excellent season for The Belles who had appeared to be slipping dangerously towards the prospect of relegation trouble during the past couple of seasons. There was a glut of summer signings in an attempt to halt this slide and most of these made a positive contribution as the club enjoyed its best season in a long time.
League form was solid and a 4th placed finish was just reward for their efforts and they also reached the League Cup final. Despite a comprehensive defeat in that final Donny certainly gave a reasonable account of themselves with Rachel Williams giving a fine individual display to confirm her star potential.
More disappointing was their FA Cup exit at home to Millwall and the club might remain vulnerable to setbacks of that nature unless a truly commanding central defender can be added to their ranks.

Doncaster Belles are surely the best known of all England's womens football teams and are perhaps the only surviving team who retain an identity distinctively their own.

Even though the Belles are linked in many ways with Doncaster Rovers, an association confirmed again recently, the womens team has long been recognised for its own achievements and continue to maintain a place among the countries' elite, in itself a fantastic achievement.

Doncaster Belles were formed in 1969 by a group of women who sold Golden Goal tickets for Doncaster Rovers.

The team quickly became successful in various local tournaments and dominated the Notts League for over a decade from the late 1970's.

The Belles dominated the FA Womens Cup for over a decade also, appearing in eleven out of twelve finals between 1983 and 1994, winning the trophy on six occassions (1983,87,88,90,92 and 94).

The first of these victories came at the expense of St Helens 3-2, but perhaps the clubs greatest moment was its last success in 1994.

The Belles' 1-0 victory over Knowsley United made them double winners, alongside their one and only National Premier League title.

This made up for the double disappointment of the previous year when they were runners up to Arsenal Ladies in both competitions.

It is an increasing challenge for Doncaster Belles to retain their place at the forefront of the womens game but so far they have managed to do so even if the winning of trophies now seems increasingly unlikely.

The club did manage to reach the FA Womens Cup finals of 2000 and 2002 but lost on both occassions, putting up an especially fine display in 2002 before going down 2-1 to the professionals of Fulham Ladies.

The Belles have lost several international players during the past few seasons to richer clubs but have one member of the current England squad in their ranks, Vicky Exley, and the Scottish international Pauline Hamill.

The club run flourishing youth teams for all ages from under 10's and provide excellent coverage and information on their own website.