Arsenal to Billericay is 35 miles across London but may as well be another planet. The WSL side played Champions League and FA Cup matches this week, whereas the club from the WNL Southern Premier continue to lick their wounds with an astoundingly bad goal difference.
There is no WSL action until April 25th as teams navigate the Champions League and FA Cup Quarterfinals. Chelsea beat Arsenal 1-0 in the second leg of their Champions League Quarterfinal, falling 3-2 on aggregate. The North Londoners then suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Cup. WSL2's Charlton held Liverpool through 115 minutes before the WSL side broke Valley hearts, through 18-year-old Scouser Zara Shaw.
On Monday, Chelsea faced Spurs, and it took a stunner into the top corner in the 85th minute from Veerle Buurman (her first Chelsea goal) to wrestle the game out of Spurs' hands. There is a shorter break in the WSL2 schedule, meaning WSL2 contenders Birmingham City played out a 1-0 win against Sunderland on Wednesday, prior to hosting WSL leaders Manchester City on Monday in the Cup quarterfinals. Understandably, there was no repeat of the result, with the Manchester team running out winners.
The result sets up two semifinals which are intriguing for different reasons. City v Chelsea sees the top two teams in the country square off in a Double-Off and mid-table WSL side Liverpool face a challenge against the surging seagulls of Brighton on May 9th and 10th.
In WSL2, Crystal Palace beat Ipswich Town 1-0, continuing their progress to the promotion/relegation playoff. Their progress was bolstered by a 2-2 draw between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. Durham tied 2-2 with Bristol City, in the process failing to put more space between them and the relegation spot. Southampton won 5-2 at Sheffield United. There is no break for the semi-professionals; in fact, a multitude of games kicked off at 2 pm local time on Sunday. WNL Southern Premier saw Gwalia United host Watford
🏆 WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!! 🏆 FULL-TIME: Gwalia United 1-3 Watford 🐝 Gwalia pulled one back, but Coral Haines immediately grabbed her second of the game to secure the points and the league title! 🥇 What a team. What a season. The trophy is coming home! 💛❤️🍾 #WatfordFC #GoldenGirls #Champions
— Watford FC Women Supporters Group (@wfcwomenfans.bsky.social) April 5, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Second-placed Plymouth Argyle played fellow promotion hopefuls Oxford United
Full Time. Oxford with a heavy defeat on the road.
🟢 5 - 0 🟡 | 90+4’
OUWFC | #OUFC
Oxford United Women (@ouwfc.bsky.social) April 5, 2026 at 10:22 AM
At the other end of the table, Wimbledon and Bournemouth played
FT: AFC Bournemouth 5 - 1 AFC Wimbledon
A battling defeat.
AFCW
— AFC Wimbledon Women (@afcwwomen.bsky.social) April 5, 2026 at 10:12 AM
Relegation for the hosts in SW London is very much on the radar and a relegation six-pointer in Cheltenham went the way of Hashtag.
A post shared by Cheltenham Town Women FC (@ctwomenfc)
Billericay Town are dropping like a stone back to D1 SE, with zero points and a -129 goal difference. The third tier is the highest level they have ever played. It is realistically down to Wimbledon, Hashtag and Cheltenham to take the final plunge with them.
The slate is lighter in the Northern Premier: Wolves beat Rugby Borough 4-0 on Thursday, and West Bromwich Albion beat Liverpool Feds 3-2 on Sunday.
There was a feast of footy at the fourth tier level, with 17 games at that 2pm kickoff time. In Division 1 North, the WNL Plate-winning Cheadle Town Stingers play Chester-le-Street Town, winning 1-0, to shrink the a four-point gap between them and promotion to the Premier to 1 point. Their visitors continue to be threatened by relegation.
Doncaster Rovers Belles continue their surreal second life as an amateur club, scrapping to avoid the drop after a 2-1 loss to Durham FC's reserve team, Cestria, who are also tantalizingly close to promotion.
Leeds United beat Wythenshawe and York City beat Chorley, both 2-1 in the latest Wars of the Roses. York are fighting to avoid relegation. Blackburn Rovers remain rooted to the basement, two games more played than their fellow relegation fighters. In the D1 SE, relegation is the focus, with Fulham having sealed promotion and Norwich City close behind. Actonians beat AFC Sudbury 4-2, with the visitors facing a seemingly insurmountable safety margin. In the D1 Midlands, happier thoughts are on the horizon as Leafield Athletic played Kidderminster Harriers with a chance to hop over Boldmere St Michaels into a promotion playoff spot.
Instagram Post by Kidderminster Harriers
The highlight of the day in D1 SW was Moneyfields demolition of Bristol Rovers 8-0, with the hosts hovering around automatic promotion to the Premier. Goals by Sophia Pharoah, Amber Howden, a hat trick by Shannon Albuery and a brace from Ali Hall.
Playoffs, Everybody Gets A Playoff!
Cue the Oprah meme, but seriously, there is a playoff to enter the (expanded) WSL next season, and one to avoid dropping out, a playoff for every second-place team in the respective Women's National League Premiers to join the WSL2 and involving every division at the fourth-tier Division 1 level.
The bottom team in WSL will play off against the third team in WSL2, at the latter's home. Saturday 23rd May.
At the moment, that's Leicester (8 points from safety) visiting Crystal Palace. If Palace win their two remaining games, they will guarantee a promotion playoff spot as a minimum.
To catch Birmingham, Palace will need to win both games, and hope the Blues earn no more than two points from their remaining two games.
To catch Charlton, Palace will need to win both games, and hope the Addicks fail to win both of their two remaining games.
It's all set to be a dramatic final day - as Palace host 12th-place Portsmouth, whilst Charlton take on Birmingham at home.
The top two teams in WSL2 will go straight up. The bottom team in WSL2 is relegated. Season ends May 2nd.
At the moment, that's Birmingham and Charlton going up, Portsmouth going down.
The winners of the WNL Premier North and South go straight up. The second-place teams in the WNLPN and PS will play a Playoff to decide a third team to go up.
Watford have sealed their division, Burnley are in position to go straight up. Wolves and Plymouth would be playing off.
The 4 WNL D1 winners will go straight up to their respective Premier (North or South). They will be joined by the winners of two playoffs: the second-place team in the North vs Midlands and the second-place team in the South East v South West. The bottom two teams in the D1s and Premiers go straight down.
At the moment, that's Peterborough and Leeds United to the WNLP North and Leafield Athletic playing off against Huddersfield Town.
In the South, Fulham have sealed automatic promotion, and Moneyfields are on top of a tight race to join them in WNLP South, and Swindon Town have slipped down into a play-off against Norwich City.
As things stand, the teams going down from the Premiers are Loughborough Lightning and Sporting Khalsa from the North, and AFC Wimbledon and Billericay Town from the South. The D1 teams relegated would be Lincoln United and Stourbridge from the Midlands, Blackburn Rovers (4 points from safety) and Donny Belles from the North, Chesham United and AFC Sudbury from the Southeast, and Portishead Town and Worthing from the Southwest.
We'll obviously keep you up to date on who fills those automatic and playoff spots over the next few weeks of play, from the full pros to the doorstep of the full amateurs.
