The battle between Manchester City and Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League (WSL) might be the main storyline, but it is not the only exciting title race at the moment. With just two full matchdays to go, there are four points between the top four teams in the Women’s Championship.
Only the winner will be promoted to the WSL and all four are set to play each other on the final day of the season on April 28.
Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Charlton Athletic all have deeply varying histories within the women’s game. They are evidence of the range of teams vying to compete at the top level of English women’s football, despite fears that the WSL looks increasingly set to mirror the Premier League.
Sunderland (20 games, 40 points)
Sunderland have not been in the WSL since 2018 (Stephen Pond – The FA via Getty Images)
Sunderland are top, a point clear of second-placed Crystal Palace, who have a game in hand. Top-flight women’s football has eluded the north east of England over the past couple of years, despite Sunderland’s illustrious history of developing a glut of England stars, including Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Jill Scott.
They have struggled in the past to meet the FA’s licensing requirements for participation in the WSL and
