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But then, they were never just any old players. Formed from the Shrewsbury Town W.F.C. youth team, they have four players that have been involved at junior international level, and another 14 players who had represented their County, in the process winning many International tournaments. Although very young, (the majority of girls were only 14/15 years old), they had already gained a reputation in the West Midlands Women's League for being the slickest passing team around. With opportunities limited in the Shrewsbury senior team, and an offer from Mike Harris to become TNS LFC, the girls voted 100% in favour of the move. We joined the West Midland North Division for the 2001/2 season and finished runners-up to Crewe by a single point, (maddeningly they scored a last minute goal in their final game to pip us), but we had the distinction of being the league's highest ever goal scorers, averaging over four goals per game. Season 2002/3 saw promotion to the West Midlands Premier League, but only after a highly charged League AGM, where a proposal was made to kick us out of the league because we played our home matches outside England. We won the argument with a unanimous vote in our favour by the member clubs. The season also saw the formation of a TNS Under 16s team. Made up primarily of girls from the highly successful Madeley Girls Club, they include some exceptionally talented youngsters. Although they struggled for consistency in their first season against the big city clubs, they showed enough promise to suggest that the future of the TNS senior team is in safe hands. The ladies had another successful season, again being pipped for the Championship by their arch-rivals, Crewe WFC. However, we did have the pleasure of wresting the Shropshire County Challenge Cup from Shrewsbury Town WFC - the holders for the previous five years in a humdinger of a final played at Gay Meadow.
In the near future we have plans to put in place a “centre-of-excellence” for girls in the Powys/North Shropshire area, coached by the senior players, to supplement the proposed Girls Academy at Walford and North Shropshire College for 2004/5, and to ensure continued success for the senior team and hopefully progression through the women's football league pyramid system. We are, after all, only three below your Arsenal & Fulham Ladies! |
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