Newcastle Women thrill 24,000 crowd but must be perfect to seal promotion

A t half-time Carly Telford walked on to the pitch, smiled approvingly at the 24,000 fans in the stands and reiterated how “honoured and proud” she was to be there. The recently retired former England, Sunderland, Chelsea and San Diego Wave goalkeeper was born in Newcastle, has always supported the club and was delighted to be Sunday’s guest of honour at St James’ Park.

Telford has watched Newcastle men live countless times but she particularly relished chatting to the club’s co-owner Amanda Staveley as Becky Langley’s women’s side thrashed Bradford 6-1.

Had Aston Villa’s Lucy Staniforth not been playing in a narrow FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea on Sunday, she might well have been there too. Telford’s friend and former England midfield teammate recently told the Guardian her long-term “dream” was to “work for Newcastle women and help turn them into a top WSL club”.

The only problem is that, right now, Langley’s team remain in the fourth tier. Although, as recently as November, Dan Ashworth, the club’s sporting director, said the women’s squad was “an absolute priority” for Newcastle’s majority Saudi Arabian owners and targeted their potential arrival in the WSL for the 2025-26 season, the possibility of promotion this season hangs in the balance.

Durham Cestria are top, six points clear of Langley’s side but they have only one game remaining to Newcastle’s three. A superior goal difference dictates that wins at Leeds, Bradford and Barnsley should secure Newcastle a third-tier place.

The downside is that no margin for error remains. “We’re not here to pretend,” said the impressive Langley on Sunday as she detailed her frustration at Newcastle’s concession of a late equaliser at Hull in their previous game. “I