We caught up with Emma Hopkins, our Head of Women & Girl’s Football, to review the 2025/26 season, here’s what she had to say.
Another season at Tier 5 complete, with a bit more stability under your belt, how do you reflect on that as Head of Women & Girl’s Football?
Although this season feels like a tale of two halves, I think my overall reflection is an incredibly positive one. Following the turbulence of the last couple of years and the transition to Tier 5, I was keen for this season to be the beginning of the ‘rebuild’ chapter.
Following Ed’s appointment in July, a very busy pre-season began with significant recruitment being undertaken. With such wholesale changes across both the staff and playing squad, the early months of the season were naturally transitional while everyone settled into the environment. Performances were overwhelmingly positive, but this didn’t always translate in the results, as our goalscoring output wasn’t reflective of the chances being created. However, the second half of the season saw considerable progress in consistency, ending the season with the second-best defensive record and six points off top spot.
I think we have laid some remarkably strong foundations this season and I am hugely optimistic that we can continue to build on these ahead of 2026-27.
The pathway has seen its own share of success, is that a signal of intention for where the female section of the club is at?
The pathway is something we are incredibly proud of; we continue to uphold this club’s reputation for player development and give opportunities for young players to thrive. This is reinforced by the fact that four of our U16 players have gone on to make their First Team debuts throughout the 2025-26 season. This included Jess Webb, who made her debut in our Women’s FA Cup fixture against Brentford back in October. Ellie Szekeres solidified a spot in the First Team, going on to make 11 appearances, contributing one goal and four assists.
Our U16’s made it to the Invitational County Cup Final and secured their highest ever finish (3rd) in the boys’ Junior Premier League. With the U14’s winning their Invitational County Cup final 3-0 against MK Dons.
Do you have any moments that felt particularly standout for you?
There are two moments that have stood out for me this season. Firstly, hosting our Community Day at Arbour Park in April at the game against Woodley United. We were blessed by lovely weather, we raised a significant amount for Breast Cancer Now, had our biggest crowd of the season and wrapped it up with a 5-0 victory. The other moment was the 1-0 home win against Wycombe Wanderers, which was their first defeat in over a year. I think the result reinforced our belief that we can compete with any team on our day.
Is there anything fans should be looking out for over the summer?
With a settled managerial structure and core squad, I am looking forward to a summer of far less changes on the footballing side. Off the field, we are hoping there will be some progressive developments to assist us with the continued rebuild.
Looking ahead, what does success in the 2026/27 season look like for you?
2025-26 has marked a notable shift in rediscovering our identity and we are focused on continuing the momentum into next season, with the aim being competing for promotion to the Women’s National League. We hope to enable more players from the pathway the opportunity to stretch and challenge themselves in women’s football too.
