^*^ Southampton Women win promotion to second tier after victory against Wolves

• National League playoff final: Southampton 1-0 Wolves
• Sophia Pharoah scores only goal; Wolves’ Kelly Darby sent off

Southampton claimed the FA Women’s National League playOff trophy in a tense and highly competitive victory over 10-player Wolves, securing promotion to the FA Championship. Sophia Pharoah’s first-half strike was enough to see them claim the coveted spot and sink a spirited opposition.

In the words of Wolves manager Dan McNamara this week, this was “the game that shouldn’t exist”. The culmination of this season’s FA WNL saw two Premier Division champions go head-to-head. The prize, one singular promotion spot into the second tier of the women’s pyramid. For many, like McNamara, this is an unsatisfactory conclusion to what has been a superb campaign for both with such dominance deserving of reward.

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