All the Women’s National Premier League club pages have been updated to include Football England's appraisal of the good and bad of their season, and here is our very own Women’s Team of the Season.
We‘re going to have to stick with the 4-3-3 formation for the women’s team I‘m afraid because virtually everyone still plays it all the time so the players obviously fit into the system. It would be nice to see a few different ideas and tactics creeping in from our coaching manual managers.
Lindsay Johnson, Kelly Smith and Fara Williams have now featured in all four Football England Team of the Seasons while Rachel Unitt and Karen Carney retain their starting places from last season. Natasha Dowie steps up from the 2007-08 substitutes bench while the Leeds duo of Carly Telford and Sue Smith go the other way.
Special mention this year goes to Doncaster’s Rachel Williams who made such a storming impression during her first season at this level.

Substitutes:
C.Telford (Leeds Carnegie)
C.Weston (Doncaster Belles)
K.Chapman (Arsenal)
S.Smith (Leeds Carnegie)
G.Harries (Bristol Academy)

Manager: Vic Akers (Arsenal)

Gk: Emma Byrne (Arsenal)

Byrne has struggled to get into this side mainly because she has seldom had much to do between the posts in the all conquering Arsenal side. This season has seen her a little more active as Arsenal found themselves in a state of transition and she proved herself reliable in every instance, culminating in an outstanding performance in the league decider at Everton.
Tall and agile she undoubtedly has the best physique for a goalkeeper in the National Premier League.

RB: Casey Stoney (Chelsea)

It was nice to see Stoney back in her best position for Chelsea and she was outstanding all season. Rock solid in the tackle and good in the air Stoney also gets forward well with sound passing and excellent crossing ability. Ended the season as player manager at Chelsea and she certainly has an air of authority in everything she does.

CH: Lindsay Johnson (Everton)

Lindsay Johnson is magnificent. She’s more like a crusader than a centre half, sweeping across the field with majestic power to repel opposition attacks and then starting her own. One of the most single minded players in English football she just keeps going and going, putting everything she has into the Everton cause. Lindsay, we salute you.

CH: Gilly Flaherty (Arsenal)

Arsenal needed a couple of their younger players to step up to the plate during a season of upheaval and nobody grasped the nettle harder than Flaherty. By the end of the season she was established at centre half and has all the basic qualities to be a success in that position.
She does not look like the traditional centre half and looking at her you might wonder whether she really has the stomach for a battle but watching her take a full blooded punch to the head and come back for more in the FA Cup final seemed to answer those doubts.

LB: Rachel Unitt (Everton)

Started the season, surprisingly, at centre half but was soon back in her usual position at left back. Remains a model of consistency and brings a calm assurance to everything she does. Suffered one torrid examination at the hands of Arsenal’s Gemma Davison in the FA Cup but handled her well in the clubs’ other meetings.

CM: Kim Little (Arsenal)

Vic Akers promised us that this girl was a bit special and he wasn’t having us on. This was Little’s first full season with Arsenal after moving down from Scotland and she was a massive success.
A busy midfielder who always wants to get forward and hurt the opposition, Little has the ability to skip past a challenge but is most dangerous slipping passes through to her strikers or darting forward to accept such a pass herself.
Has an instinctive footballing brain and hardly ever chooses the wrong option.

CM: Fara Williams (Everton)

Football England Favourite Fara Williams remains untouchable. Yet another season of magnificent consistency and quality in midfield backed up by another impressive goal return.
Outstanding for club and country. (I left these comments untouched from last year but it’s worth noting that Fara now seems to have taken the Ronaldo toe bunger free kick to a new level of consistency)

AM: Rachel Williams (Doncaster Belles)

The Belles’ made an inspired signing in taking this powerful attacking midfielder from Leicester City in the summer and Williams was instrumental in making this the clubs’ best season in a long time.
Always looking to attack the opposition Williams has a raw power that makes her almost impossible to stop when in full flight and is probably only matched in that department by Kelly Smith in this country. She is no bull in a china shop, however, as she retains excellent control and is an assured finisher when storming forward.
Gave an outstanding performance in the League Cup final when she took on the Arsenal defence almost single-handed and looks capable of providing a threat for England if given the chance in the upcoming European Championships.

RW: Karen Carney (Arsenal)

The wonderfully talented and enthusiastic Carney ended the season in the Pro League and America’s gain is very definitely our loss. Gave further outstanding service to Arsenal before her departure and also continued to become increasingly influential for England.

CF: Natasha Dowie (Everton)

Dowie has done exceptionally well for Everton since moving from Charlton and now looks a more complete player than the likes of Aluko and Sanderson who came to prominence earlier and remain above her in the England pecking order.
Dowie is an excellent target with a good touch and real strength, her movement is good and she is a reliable, and still improving, finisher. Probably lacks a yard of pace but must be close to an international call up.

LW: Kelly Smith (Arsenal)

Simply the best. Kelly has been in the midfield in all our previous teams of the season but this time we’ve slotted her in up front. Despite quitting the Premier League for America in February she ended up the divisions’ top scorer by a comfortable margin and her goals went a long way towards Arsenal retaining their title on goal difference in the end.
Now thrilling everybody in the States with her wonderful combination of raw power and delicate skill. What a shame that this country cannot provide her with the platform she deserves.

Manager: Vic Akers (Arsenal)

We have never bestowed this accolade on Akers before despite the fact that his side has been winning virtually everything ever since we began giving coverage in 2005. Akers, along with the Arsenal club, has made his own job relatively easy over the years with his unflinching efforts and their unceasing support which have long since put the club in a position of real power.
This season was completely different, however. Arsenal were still the team to beat and had an enviable array of talent at their disposal but between last summer and the end of the season they lost Anita Asante, Lianne Sanderson, Mary Phillip, Alex Scott, Karen Carney and Kelly Smith. They also had to do without the services of Faye White (injured) and Julie Fleeting (pregnant) for the majority of the campaign.
That is some loss of personnel but Akers was still able to guide his side to a domestic treble; comfortable wins in both cup competitions being followed up by the narrowest and most dramatic of league titles.
This was certainly a fitting way for Akers to stand down from the managers role with Arsenal Ladies and he certainly leaves both a wonderful legacy and a hard act to follow.