Charlton earn WSL promotion after Whitehouse penalty heroics

At a glance

  • Charlton goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse saves four penalties in the shootout

  • Charlton's Lucia Lobato nods over and Leicester's Ashleigh Neville has header saved

  • Katie Lockwood hits crossbar in extra-time and Lobago offside on rebound for Charlton

  • First-ever WSL play-off tie as league expands from 12 to 14 teams

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at The Valley

Charlton Athletic have been promoted to the Women's Super League for the first time after beating Leicester City in a penalty shootout in the first ever play-off tie.

Goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse produced several top saves throughout the match to keep her side in it and stopped four penalties in the shootout.

Her team-mates sprinted to celebrate with her when she saved Noemie Mouchon's deciding penalty, while manager Karen Hills was close to tears on the touchline.

Charlton were the better team for large spells and almost won it in extra-time when substitute Katie Lockwood hit the crossbar but the follow-up headed goal was disallowed for offside.

Leicester finished bottom of the WSL after a poor campaign but were given a lifeline in the play-off as the league expands from 12 to 14 teams next season.

But it was a disappointing performance from Rick Passmoor's side, who are relegated after a five-year spell in the top flight.

It is a crushing way for their season to end and compounds the disappointment already felt by fans as their men's team were relegated to League One.

Charlton Athletic finished the WSL 2 season in third place - two points behind champions Birmingham - having been top going into the last day.

Whitehouse, the WSL 2 Golden Glove winner, was in majestic form again though, as she pulled off a stunning save to deny Shannon O'Brien on the stroke of half-time.

She was also called into action in the 93rd minute when she blocked Leicester substitute Ashleigh Neville's header at the back post.

The hosts, in front of a club record home crowd at The Valley of 3979, thought they had won it through Lockwood but the ball bounced off the underside of the crossbar and was deemed to have not crossed the line.

With no goalline technology or video assistant referee (VAR) in play, team-mate Lucia Lobato followed up the rebound to head in but the offside flag went up.

Their wait for promotion eventually paid off as the crowd roared in celebration at the end of a nervy penalty shootout.

Next season there will be one automatic promotion spot for the winner of WSL 2, with the bottom team in the WSL relegated.

In addition, there will be a play-off between second bottom of the WSL and runners-up in WSL 2.

Charlton analysis: Whitehouse the hero as Athletic defy the odds

Charlton Athletic beat Leicester City on penalties

Having not played a game for 21 days, Hills' side prepared for the play-off with in-house friendly matches and high intensity training sessions to keep them match fit.

However, it did give them time to get over the disappointment of their final WSL 2 defeat by Birmingham City, which saw them drop from first to third in the table in the space of 90 minutes.

Very few had tipped Charlton for promotion contention at the start of the season, so they exceeded expectations by keeping up with the pack, but to miss out having led for so long would have knocked them.

It was "another bite at the cherry" in the play-off, manager Hills had said earlier in the week, and Charlton looked like the side with a spring in their step in a dominating first half.

They started brightly and the majority of their threat came down the right-hand side through Karin Muya, who was a standout performer before she was substituted.

But it was the ever-reliable Whitehouse, the Charlton goalkeeper who kept eight clean sheets this season, who kept them in the game on several occasions.

Her stunning save to deny O'Brien meant the teams were still tied 0-0 at half-time, before later reacting well to block Neville's header at the back post and ensured the game went into extra-time.

It was only fitting that she proved to be their hero yet again with four remarkable saves in the shootout, meaning she was swarmed by team-mates at the final whistle.

This is a remarkable achievement for a club who have competed with many others in the WSL 2 on much larger budgets and backing from their higher-ranked men's teams.

It is also a deserved return to the WSL for former Spurs manager Hills, who guided Tottenham to the top-flight for the first time in their history back in 2019.

"I'm excited, nervous and apprehensive because I've done it before. It's tough," said Hills afterwards.

"We have the best league in the world with some of the best players in the world. We have to be realistic and honest.

"We are a very progressive club. I was here as a player when we were a top team so that is my ambition again. Football doesn't stand still so we have to stay with it."

Charlton celebratingGetty Images

Charlton finished third in the WSL 2 while Leicester were bottom of the top tier

Leicester analysis: Bleak future for the Foxes

Leicester have struggled to score goals in the WSL with just 11 in their 22 matches – a large reason why they were the poorest side in the division.

They came up against a resolute Charlton, who boasted an impressive defensive record in the WSL 2, so it was no surprise there was little to separate the teams by the end of 120 minutes.

But it was clear from the opening 10 minutes that Passmoor's side were nervous – fearing for their safety in the WSL - and they gave the ball away too often in a disjointed first half.

They were cautious in their playing style and were hesitant to commit players forward, leading to a lack of goalscoring opportunities and an uneventful opening hour, apart from O'Brien's chance.

Passmoor had experienced players to turn to on the bench and rolled the dice, introducing Ashleigh Neville, Emily Van Egmond and Rachel Williams – with a combined age of 103 – in the second half.

They became more organised and structured but Leicester still struggled to breakdown Charlton's defence and Whitehouse ultimately proved the difference.

They will now have to regroup to take part in the fun World Sevens tournament in Brentford on Thursday but their future looks bleak with WSL 2 football beckoning and several player contract renewal discussions up in the air.

"The fans are fully endorsing what Leicester are doing with the women's team," said manager Passmoor.

"They want to be entertained - of course they do - but I want to tell them that the work the staff do behind the scenes is relentless.

"We don't know what impact [relegation] will have but I'd like to thank the fans."

Player of the match

S. Whitehouse
9.27
1 S. Whitehouse
9.27
2 E. Mason
7.04
22 A. Thestrup
6.85
17 K. Skeels
6.83
23 L. Lobato
6.81
12 J. Hutton
6.76
15 K. Lockwood
6.76
10 G. Kenney
6.62
8 C. Humphrey
6.58
11 L. Fitzgerald
6.55
20 M. McAteer
6.52
16 K. Muya
6.43
7 K. Bradley
6.38
9 E. Bissell
6.38
4 M. Ross
6.32
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