'I'd have bitten your hand off!' - Karen Hills looks ahead to Charlton Athletic's promotion showdown with Birmingham City
Addicks need a point on final day to seal WSL 1 place for first time since 2007
Karen Hills’ Charlton Athletic team are aiming to write their own notable chapter in the club’s history books as they look to seal promotion to WSL 1 tomorrow.
The Addicks are top of the table going into the final match of the season.
It will be the biggest home crowd seen at The Valley in more than 20 years and is set to eclipse the 2,164 in attendance for last month’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool.
Charlton know that a win over second-placed Birmingham City will secure the title. Draw and they will be promoted but can be overtaken by third-placed Crystal Palace, who face bottom side Portsmouth. A defeat would leave the south-east Londoners in the play-offs unless Palace fail to take even a point in their fixture.
The third-placed team in WSL 2 will face Leicester City, bottom of WSL 1, in a one-off match to determine who takes the final spot in the division.
Karen Hills shouts instructions during the FA Cup tie against Liverpool/Picture: Keith Gillard
Charlton, FA Cup winners in 2005 when Hills was part of their team, have not been a top-flight club since the end of the 2006-07 season. They were disbanded in 2007 when the men’s side lost their Premier League status.
Now they have an opportunity to be back at the top table of the women’s game domestically and facing the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Charlton-Birmingham is a 3pm kick off and tickets can be bought here.
South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition joined the pre-Birmingham media call, with Hills and defender Kiera Skeels answering questions.
Would you have taken this scenario before the start of the season?
Hills: “Absolutely. I’d have bitten your hand off.
“When the expansion of the league was put to everyone it was almost a full circle moment. When I was at Tottenham Hotspur it was the same situation. Man United went up as winners and Spurs went up as runners-up.
“It hasn’t happened since then. So the expansion of the WSL is exciting and it is being done at the right time.
“We set our stall out at the start of the season to be progressive at Charlton and we’ve done that over the past five seasons. With only one promotion spot before it has always been tough over the last four or five years - we have got close. Really close.
“I’ve got an unbelievable group of players that have been with me from the first moment. We have grown together and set ourselves up for this.
“We didn’t have a very good pre-season! I was scratching my head a little bit and thinking this is going to be a tough one. But we got that first game under our belt, playing Crystal Palace (winning 1-0 in September) and these players just grabbed the moment. They kept moving through the gears.
“We were playing games and winning games - 27 unbeaten. It puts us in the position that every team in this league would want to be in. It makes for exciting viewing. I believe WSL 2 is one of the most exciting leagues and to have those two promotion spots and that third-placed play-off makes it even more exciting.
“For us to be where we are is an incredible achievement for this group of players. There is no denying or hiding the fact that there are a lot of clubs in WSL 2 that have probably invested a lot more than we have. What we have here is a culture, standard and group of players that have been together from minute one. They have worked so hard and deserve the right to be where we are. We are looking forward to it. We’ll be super proud walking out onto that pitch before the first whistle goes.”
Katie Bradley heads clear against Liverpool/Picture: Keith Gillard
You had a big crowd for Liverpool but this is going to be an even bigger one. Does that bring extra pressure or do you use it as a positive, the amount of support you will have there?
Hills: “You want this pressure. You have got to lean into this pressure. That is what I say to the players. It is about knowing you are going to have that pressure but embracing it.
“You let all the work you have done behind the scenes come to the forefront. We are confident with our preparation. These players need to go out there and not put the blinkers on. They need to open their eyes and look at the crowd. They need to know they are there for them.
“It is a game that is going to have an unbelievable feeling to it and my players, I believe, have got what it takes to embrace that pressure, enjoy those moments and take this challenge head on.”
Nathan Jones said yesterday that the men’s side have offered any help they can to the women in terms of their preparations. Is there anything you’ve been able to particularly use in that regard?
Hills: “We work closely at the training ground. We have good interactions. It is very much a one club approach and we’re really striving for that - myself, Nathan, the academy and the cat programme. We’re trying to create this one club feel.
“We are all willing each other on. Any little thing we can do with our crossovers we really try to excel in those departments. We have conversations about utilising the facility and making sure all the scheduling and timings work. Everyone is at the forefront. Everyone is just as important at this club - there is no hierarchy. We all have each others’ best interests at heart. There is a crossover of staff and a collaboration that we’re trying to instil and are doing on a regular basis. It is really exciting. I’m proud of how we have come together as one club.”
You have played for the club during their successful years. How important is your own experience, given you have won promotion before with Tottenham and also managed in the WSL before?
Hills: “I feel really calm and comfortable in my own skin. I know that I’ve done the job that I need to do with these players. I know the ownership is on me and I’m comfortable with that. These players don’t need to feel any pressure - they just need to go out and do what they’ve been doing all season.
“That has been the message. I’m calm and confident in what we have done and where these players are. I’m drawing on my experience because it is another game. I’ve had some highs and lows in my career, I want these players to embrace it. These moments are special. You need to not get caught up with the fear factor. What will be, will be.
“These players have done everything with their preparation. It’s a 90-98 minute game. I know all the work we’ve done throughout this season and all the work I’ve done in my career leads us to these moments.
“I have full belief and trust in the players, staff and the game-plan. We’re going to go out there and do our absolute best. It is a lot of unseen work behind the scenes that has got us to this moment.”
Kiera Skeels on the ball against Ipswich Town in September/Picture: Keith Gillard
Is it the biggest match of your career so far?
Skeels: “I’d say it is probably one of the biggest of my career. But these are the games that you want to be playing in. You want to test yourself in these kinds of games and see how you react in situations.
“Ultimately you want to do everything you can to win the game.
“For me it will be a massive experience in my career and also as a team - this is the moment we have wanted all season. So we’re just going to relish that and grab it with both hands. Hopefully we can get a result out of the game.”