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EDITORIAL This has been a good season for many of the local Women’s football teams; maybe not promotion-wise, but certainly in terms of establishing themselves as competitive squads in their leagues, and building for the future.

Harrogate Town Reserves have impressed with their free-flowing attacking football this season, but unfortunately, promotion looks just one step too far due to the superb form of Halifax Friendly and Pontefract.

At the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign, I thought that Harrogate Railway’s first team would be competing for that top spot in the WRCWFL Premier Division, and although that hasn’t quite been the case, they haven’t been far off in what has been a very strong league.

A 3-1 win against Leeds City this last weekend in the League Shield means that they too have a trophy still to play for and I for one, would see them as one of the favourites to win it.

Similarly for Harrogate Railway Reserves, manager Alan Swales has the team playing some great football, and their 4-2 win last time out in the league against top of the table Brighouse confirms that.

They still have an outside chance of grabbing one of those top two promotion spots this season - keep an eye out for their results!

Harrogate Town Women Firsts have undergone a transformation this season, as the new manager has put in place the foundations for a very bright future - one to watch in 2025/26.

The first team still have an interest in the County Cup, with their home tie against Silsden coming up on the 16th March. So something to play for in the remaining couple of months of the season.

Knaresborough Town Women have probably been the overall best performing local women’s team this season.

Tucked in just behind Division One league leader Thackley, promotion is in their hands without having to worry about results elsewhere.

Adding to a fabulous league season so far, Town remain in both the County Cup and League Cup. With favourable draws from the hat and a slice of good luck, who knows how far they can go.

Boro’s Under 18s continue to surprise at just how good they really are. With a number of players about to become eligible for senior team football, there’s the exciting prospect of seeing some extremely talented young women competing against older players and being the stars of the future.

First Team

H

AILWAY R E T A WO G O M R E R N A

FIRSTS

Harrogate Railway Firsts go into March sitting in sixth place in the West Riding County Women’s Football League Premier Division having played between one and three games lass than some of the teams above them. With only four games remaining and a nine point difference between them and top of the table Leeds Medics & Dentists, promotion is realistically out of their reach.

With upcoming fixtures including a home game against Skipton Firsts and an away fixture against Sherburn White Rose Firsts, Railway could finish the season in third place and cap what has been a solid season in the WRCWFL top league.

RESERVES

Harrogate Railway Reserves play in the WRCWFL Division Three and are currently in fourth place having played ten games out of the possible 16, with 21 points.

Brighouse Town and Eccleshill United sit in the top two spots having 39 and 33 points respectively, but having played more games than the Reserves.

Over the past few seasons, this team has come alive after the festive break and if this is repeated, then they can realistically grab one of the two promotion spots on offer.

Standing in their way are some formidable

teams including Wortley, and their last six games will have to be almost flawless... earning near maximum points and hoping that Eccleshill and Wortley slip up.

DEVS

Railway’s Development team are in fourth spot of the Harrogate Beginners League, having earned 11 points from their three wins, two draws, and three losses. This league is tight with only a couple of games separating the Devs from top spot, and with seven games still to play...there is a good chance that they can climb to the top of the league.

Their first fixture in March saw them edged out narrowly when they lost 1-0 to Scotton Scorchers, but upcoming games against Horsforth St. Margaret’s, Killinghall Nomads, and Kirkstall Crusaders could see them move up several places in the table.

OPINION

Railway remain a gold standard for how to develop grassroots football in the community, and all their teams continue to be a force that cannot be taken for granted in the various leagues and cups that they take part.

Reserve Team

Development Team

First Team

FIRSTS

It has been a tough few years for Harrogate Town Women’s First team, with them avoiding relegation from the North East Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division at the end of last season.

Over the summer, the club appointed Kate Donnan as the manager, and she has overseen the rebuilding of the squad and a change in fortunes.

The benefits of those changes are starting to show in the style of football they are playing, and more importantly, the results they are getting.

The Firsts currently sit in eighth spot in the league on 14 points and with five games remaining, they are comfortably above the relegation spot occupied by Hull United..

Three more points will confirm their Premier League status for the 2025/26 season.

U23S

Harrogate Town U23S play in the WRCWFL Division Four and are currently third in the table. Their tally of 31 points means they are nine away from the team above them; but with only four games remaining, it will be a tough

ask to finish in those top two promotion spots.

Halifax Friendly currently sit top and only need two points to confirm their promotion, and Pontefract Collieries need four to make certain of their top two finish.

The U23s have already amassed the same number of points that Harrogate Town Reserves did in last year’s campaign, so with four games remaining, this can already be regarded as a great season - with the only fly in the ointment being that they will just miss out on promotion by finishing third.

OPINION

Town Women are in transition and the first team is building for next season. They’ve had a solid campaign so far, but I anticipate them pushing for the top spot in 2025/26.

The Under 23s will just miss out on promotion this season, but they will be among the favourites to occupy one of those top two places come April 2026.

HARROGATE TOWN WOMEN

U23s Team

This is Knaresborough Town Women’s third season in existence; a short history that has seen them crowned Champions and promoted in their previous two.

This season they have been playing in the WRCWFL Division One and with five games remaining, they are second in the league and occupy one of the two promotion places.

A single loss this term, at home to tabletopping Thackley, means that their rivals are favourites to win the Division One title...but the real prize is a third successive promotion and a place in the Premier Division.

Town sit seven points above third placed Golcar United having played a game more...but Golcar and Thackley still have to play each other.

U18S

Knaresborough Town’s newest team is the Under 18s, although they played as Knaresborough Celtic last season.

They play in the West Riding Girl’s Football League, Under 18 Division One

and are, at the time of writing, in third place, just a point below Woodkirk Valley Girls in second and with a game in hand.

Wigton Moor Wolves are top of the league having won all their games - 27 points from their nine fixtures.

With six rounds of fixtures remaining, it is likely that the U18s will finish in second spot this season.

OPINION

The first team have had a remarkable first two seasons, achieving back-to-back promotions, and it is looking like they will do the same this season.

In the best part of three seasons, this team have only lost twice and drawn three times in the league; and in their first season they won all of their games.

The U18s feature a crop of extremely talented young players that will be finding their way into senior football in the coming years, when they do...those teams are going to be extremely fortunate to have them.

KNARESBOROUGH TOWN WOMEN

FIRSTS

U18s Team

Action from the County Cup local derby between Harrogate Railway Firsts and Knaresborough Town Women.

© Caught Light Photography Limited