London City are CHAMPIONS!

History.

London City Lionesses have become the first independent women’s club to be promoted to the Women’s Super League.

London City Lionesses have become the first independent women’s club to be promoted to the Women’s Super League.

The board goes up, ten minutes added. Ten minutes between London City and history.

You’re running in quicksand, the ball is heavier, the minutes are longer, the noise is louder.

Chasing lost causes, blocking with your shins, no time to think, just playing from instinct. Then the whistle goes for full-time.

Jocelyn Prêcheur traded his usual touchline manner for an outpouring of emotion, the mask slipped, and he was consumed by the history unfolding around him.

London City Lionesses were champions of the Women’s Championship, and were now on their way to the top flight of women’s football in England. Here is how it happened at St Andrews Stadium.

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There were 8,704 fans in attendance at St Andrews on Sunday, with all eyes on the fixture between Birmingham and London City Lionesses.

It was the final day of the season, 1st against 2nd, and the maths was simple. London City needed to win or draw. Birmingham needed to win.

Sofia Jakobsson had the first chance of the game after just three minutes, aiming for the near post but missing the target.

There were also some early scares for London City, as Lee Geum-Min used her tricky feet inside the box to carve out a shooting position, but her shot was blocked by Teyah Goldie in the 8th minute of the game.

Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah also made a crucial goal line clearance in the 14th minute after an Emily van Egmond header.

Birmingham had to make a goal line clearance of their own in the 41st minute, after Boye Hlorkah flicked the ball goalwards from a Kosovare Asllani cross, but it was hooked out by Rebecca Holloway.

Just minutes later, Izzy Goodwin nearly broke the deadlock for the visitors, but Adrianna Franch got down brilliantly to tip it around the post.

Just over a minute into the second half, time paused for Goodwin, as she brushed off three challenges to score the goal of her life. It was a goal that will be replayed for years, a goal worthy of winning the title, buried into the top corner. It was a goal you only score when you are fearless.

Boye-Hlorkah doubled the Pride’s advantage in the 59th minute, rising for the ball – and the moment – to header home Asllani’s perfect corner kick. It wasn’t just a goal, it was insurance. She knew what it meant, wheeling away to the bench with no hesitation before being swarmed by her teammates and staff.

Emily van Egmond got one back for the home side in the 64th minute, followed by So-Hyun Cho’s volley in the 86th minute to draw Birmingham level.

With added time, the home side had 15 minutes to score and ultimately win the title. The tension tightened and crosses rained into the box, but the line never broke, and London City were crowned champions of the Barclay’s Women’s Championship.

In a game where the margins were razor-thin, goals from Goodwin and Boye-Hlorkah stretched the gap wide enough for history to slip through.

London City became the first independent women’s club to earn promotion to the Barclay’s Women’s Super League. No men’s team, no inherited infrastructure, just a vision, belief and resilience from the players, staff and of course, Michele Kang.

Players embraced the fans, Izzy Goodwin sang ‘Pink Pony Club’ with her arms outstretched, Phillipe was forced into singing ‘Pump It Up’ whilst Chaney and María danced all night.

Freya Godfrey screamed ‘Vamosss’ through the content phone, and Miljana Ivanovic still hasn’t taken her sunglasses off.

Jocelyn Prêcheur took care of the media duties: “We have worked so hard since the beginning of the season, to do this in one year, we never stopped.

“We will celebrate now, but this is just the beginning and there is a lot of hard work to do.”

This is just the start for London City.