Already treble winners, an FA Women’s Premier League Play-Off final victory for Tottenham Hotspur would be the icing on the cake according to manager Karen Hills.
Spurs have so far won The FA WPL Southern Division, The FA WPL Cup for a second year in a row, beating Charlton Athletic on penalties, and the Boux Avenue Cup.
They face Blackburn Rovers on Sunday for the right to call themselves FA WPL champions, with the potential prize of a spot in FA Women’s Super League 2 also on the table.
Hills admits the season of success was not in her plans at the start of the campaign, instead aiming for a top-three spot in the league and the retention of one of their trophies, but is overjoyed to have surpassed her targets.
She said: “We’ve exceeded all those expectations, and gone and won the treble. Winning the league, for us, at the moment, was the pinnacle.
“Doing it at White Hart Lane, against West Ham, in front of a fantastic crowd, has been the highlight so far.
“But there were a lot of highlights around The FA WPL Cup, retaining that against Charlton, going all the way to penalties.
“There’s just one more to focus on, the girls are really keen, eager, and ready to go. So we’re just looking forward to the game.
“The outcome will be tough for one team, but also fantastic for another team. We’ll give a good account of ourselves and hope we can get over the line.
“If we can get another trophy and, hopefully, win a place in FA WSL 2, then it will be the icing on the cake.”
Blackburn go into the game unbeaten in the league, but having gone down 2-1 to Spurs when the teams met in the SSE Women’s FA Cup in February.
Hills, though, is not placing much value on that result, and is expecting there to be plenty of nerves around The Valley ahead of kick-off.
She added: “They’re going to be full of confidence and pretty much the same as us, ready to get the game going.
“For both sides it’s going to be a little bit of an anxious game, with a lot riding on it.
“I think it might be a nervy one, but I just would like it to be a good spectacle of two teams that have done fantastically well this season.
“Giving a good show to the Women’s Premier League and the top two clubs.”
FA Women’s Premier League history
The FA WPL in its current format began in the 2014-15 season. Northern Division Sheffield FC were the first Championship Play-Off Final winners, while Brighton & Hove Albion, from the Southern Division, are the most recent champions, in 2016. Both were promoted to FA WSL 2.
Did you know?
Spurs have been involved in four finals this season. The FA WPL Cup, the Boux Avenue Cup, the Capital Women’s Cup and now the FA WPL Play-Off final. The previous three finals have all been played against Charlton Athletic, with Spurs winning two.
One to watch
We can’t split these two, with Bianca Baptiste and Wendy Martin both scoring 25 goals apiece this season, from an identical 33 appearances. Their goals have fired Spurs to three trophies so far – can they make it four?
The prize
The prestigious title of FA WPL champion is up for grabs, as well as the possibility of promotion for the winner, should they meet all the necessary criteria to become an FA WSL 2 club.
