Tottenham Hotspur Ladies win promotion to WSL with 3-0 win over Blackburn

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies capped off the best season in their history by completing a historic quadruple and promoting to the Women’s Super League by beating Blackburn Rovers 3-0 on Sunday. Bianca Baptiste scored a brace and Wendy Martin added a third goal late to seal the victory, which was played at The Valley, Charlton Athletic’s home ground.

Spurs, winners of the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division, played Blackburn, the winners of the WPA North in a one game playoff to see who would promote to the Women’s Super League 2nd Division, the second tier of English women’s football. While Blackburn was undefeated in their league, it was Spurs’ day. The WPL trophy was added to the WPL North title, and the Boux Avenue Cup and Capital Women’s Cup titles, meaning Spurs won four out of a possible six titles in which they competed.

Baptiste opened the scoring midway through first half by kissing a low shot off the crossbar and past Blackburn keeper Danielle Hill in the 36th minute.

Baptiste, Spurs’ leading scorer this season, added a second goal in the 67th minute after collecting a cross-field pass at the top of the box. Baptiste was able to get a half step on her opponent, turn, and bury a long shot past Hill.

Wendy Martin, who assisted Bianca’s first goal, added the insurance just before time. Spurs keeper Tori-Ann Wayne put a goal kick through the middle that evaded everyone except Martin, who lobbed a long ball past Hill, who was up off her line.

After the win, club captain Jenna Schillaci lifted the trophy and celebrated with her jubliant team.

The win is significant not only because it caps off an absolutely astounding season for Spurs, but also because it sends the club to the Women’s Super League for the first time in their history. As an amateur club, this promotion will probably mean further investment in Spurs Ladies, as the jump from essentially a regional league to the WSL is significant. The closest analogy on the men’s side is probably the promotion from the Conference to the Football League. If Spurs are to be competitive next season, they will likely need additional resources and an influx of talent.

But that’s a problem for the future. Today, it’s worth celebrating a remarkable achievement for these women. Congratulations to Spurs Ladies on the incredible season and for achieving the goal of promotion!