By Georgia Garnett
THIS year has been a rollercoaster one for Crystal Palace Women.
A year after becoming a fully professional outfit, the team secured the Championship title last season to gain promotion to the top flight of women’s football for the first time in the club’s history.
While the Eagles’ start in the Women’s Super League has been mixed, head coach Laura Kaminski highlighted the team’s journey to get to this point.
After a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in their last game of this year, Kaminski said: “Some very tough lessons have been learnt [this season] – I think we’ve learnt almost every moment in the game.
“This group has got belief in their capability.
“Sometimes they should not be so tentative, sometimes they need to start the game as they finish it.”
Palace were a dominant side early in the year as they won eight and lost two of their final eleven matches of the 2023-24 Championship season.
The team scored 20 goals in the second half of the season while conceding just five, in a campaign when they scored 55 goals – an average of 2.5 per game.
A goalless draw against Sunderland on the final day was enough to clinch the title and secure promotion, with a point to spare over second-place Charlton Athletic.
Afterwards, Kaminski said: “It feels amazing, congratulations to everyone involved – all the staff, all the players, everyone’s been outstanding all year.
“We’ve done so well across the season, but we’ve played some beautiful football, which everyone is starting to join in and watch now.”
Ahead of the team’s introduction to the top flight, Kaminski made several additions to the squad.
Nordic talents Katrine Veje and My Cato arrived in South London, striker Katie Stengel returned to the WSL after a year in the United States and forwards Indiah-Paige Riley and Ashleigh Weerden came to the club after time in the Eredivisie in Holland.
The Eagles also took advantage of the loan market, bringing in youngsters Brooke Aspin and Poppy Pritchard.
The club’s maiden season in the WSL has not always been smooth sailing.
With one win, two draws and seven losses after ten games, the team sits in last place during the current winter break.
The season began with a 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Eagles’ first-ever WSL home match was a 7-0 drubbing against Chelsea.
That’s not to say all of it has gone badly.
After those two losses, the club rebounded in their next match to claim their first WSL victory against Leicester City, thanks to two goals from Annabel Blanchard.
“I’m so proud of the group. I’m proud of everyone involved with the club,” Kaminski said after the win.
“We’ve been through a bit of a rough start in the WSL, so I thought the players really deserved that after everything they’ve been through in terms of pre-season and the first few games.”
While Crystal Palace may currently be in last place, they ended 2024 on a positive note.
Despite their loss to United, Kaminski felt her team’s performance, when they were largely able to contain United’s attack, laid the groundwork for what to expect in 2025.
Post-match, she said: “We just need to keep on that positive track forward – we’ve grown a lot and now we need something to show for it.
“Today showed the bare minimum standard in terms of our performance and if we do that week-in, week-out in the new year, no matter who we’re facing, I believe we’ll get points on the table.”
The Eagles return to action against Sheffield United in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the VBS Community Stadium on January 12.
