Players: Pat Firth

Patricia “Pat” Firth: Wunderkind striker and pioneering female coach   Born: c.1957, Leeds Position: Forward Debut: Scotland (H) 23 June 1973 Occupation: Production worker (1976)   A striking prodigy from Leeds who burst on the scene in a flurry of GOALS. She blasted a sensational debut hat-trick – England’s first ever – against Scotland inContinue reading “Players: Pat Firth”

Prenton Park, Birkenhead 27 April 1991 – Doncaster Belles 0–1 Millwall Lionesses

Yvonne Baldeo hits winner as Lionesses stun Belles and seize Cup     Classic match report: Millwall end Belles hoodoo to win their first national Cup   Prenton Park’s first big women’s fixture: this classic Cup final in 1991 between Doncaster Belles and Millwall Lionesses. Odds-on favourites Donny lost out on a fifth win inContinue reading “Prenton Park, Birkenhead 27 April 1991 – Doncaster Belles 0–1 Millwall Lionesses”

Op-ed: ‘Wiki Geeks’ locked in spiral of failure

  Meet the small band of unfortunates who make up ‘Wikiproject Football’ – Wikipedia’s all-male cabal of soccer anoraks.     There is an excellent Wikipedia ‘task force’ specialising in women’s football, with some talented and hard-working contributors. But their aims are frustrated at every turn by the handful of obsessed losers at the mainContinue reading “Op-ed: ‘Wiki Geeks’ locked in spiral of failure”

Match: England 2–0 France, 7 November 1974, Plough Lane

Plough Lane – England 2–0 France England beat France to secure eighth straight win Classic match report: Southampton duo Davies and Lopez score to down Les Bleues at Wimbledon In 1974 the British economy was in the toilet due to crackpot ‘austerity’ measures. Terrorism lurked on the nation’s streets due to disastrous foreign policy failures.Continue reading “Match: England 2–0 France, 7 November 1974, Plough Lane”

Match: England 8–0 Scotland, 23 June 1973, Manor Park

Manor Park 23 June 1973 – England 8–0 Scotland   England thrash Scotland in first ever home match   Classic match report: Lionesses rattle in EIGHT as roof falls in on sweltered Scots     England’s first official home match took place in the rarefied environs of Manor Park, Nuneaton on 23 June 1973. WithContinue reading “Match: England 8–0 Scotland, 23 June 1973, Manor Park”

Report: Scotland’s moral right to the Women’s FA Cup

The real story of Eric Worthington and the Women’s FA Cup   Annual Scotland–England match trophy was repurposed as English WFA Cup   Women’s Football Archive sounds the pibroch for footballing justice     England’s first ‘official’ match on home soil took place in the rarefied environs of Manor Park, Nuneaton on 23 June 1973.Continue reading “Report: Scotland’s moral right to the Women’s FA Cup”

Report: Suffragettes of Football, National Football Museum, Manchester, 7 March 2017

Or, England’s Lost Generation tells us what it was really like   Our special correspondent ‘An Audience Observer’ writes from the front line of women’s football history…     As part of International Women’s Week, the National Football Museum and the BBC teamed up to present a discussion panel with regard to the pioneers ofContinue reading “Report: Suffragettes of Football, National Football Museum, Manchester, 7 March 2017”

Match: England 1–0 Sweden (3–4 PSO), 27 May 1984, Kenilworth Road

Kenilworth Road 27 May 1984 – England 1–0 Sweden (3–4 on penalties)   Linda Curl’s cracker levels the tie but Swedes edge it on penalties   Classic match report: Sweden win the first ever UEFA Women’s Euro, but brave England push them all the way     Women’s Football Archive Exclusive: the definitive account ofContinue reading “Match: England 1–0 Sweden (3–4 PSO), 27 May 1984, Kenilworth Road”

EURO 2017 Blog: Will Scotland be Aye Ready?

Crumbs from the funding table too little, too late for Scots soccer hopefuls   Scotland women face an uphill task at the 2017 Euro Championships in the Netherlands     CARDS ON THE TABLE: we desperately want Scotland’s women to succeed at Euro 17. Okay, almost our entire knowledge of Scotland and Scottish culture comesContinue reading “EURO 2017 Blog: Will Scotland be Aye Ready?”

When Martin Reagan went in to bat for women’s football

Martin Reagan (1924–2016): The man who stepped up to save women’s football in England   Women’s football lost one of our own with Martin Reagan’s recent passing, but his deeds will never be forgotten     In May 1984 the England women’s football team manager Martin Reagan returned from Gothenburg with a creditable 1–0 defeatContinue reading “When Martin Reagan went in to bat for women’s football”