2008–09 Arsenal L.F.C. season

Arsenal Ladies
2008-09 season
ChairmanPeter Hill-Wood
ManagerVic Akers
StadiumMeadow Park
Premier LeagueChampions
FA CupWinners
Premier League CupWinners
UEFA CupQuarter-finals
Community ShieldWinners
London County CupWinners

The 2008–09 season was Arsenal Ladies Football Club's 22nd season since forming in 1987. The club participated in the National Division of the FA Women's Premier League, winning the title for a 6th consecutive season, this time on goal difference, defeating second-placed Everton on the final day at Widnes.[1] However, they saw their five-year, 108-match unbeaten league run come to an end, after losing 3-0 at home to Everton.[2] They completed a domestic treble by winning Premier League Cup and FA Women's Cup, defeating Doncaster Rovers Belles and Sunderland in the Finals respectively.[3][4] They also competed in the UEFA Women's Cup, but lost at the Quarter-final stage to Umeå, the side they had defeated in the Final two seasons ago.[5]

This was Arsenal's final season under the management of Vic Akers, who stood down at the end of the season to take up the position of general manager at the club. He ended his time the club having won 32 major honours, including the UEFA Cup, making him the most successful Arsenal Manager of all time.[6]

Squad Statistics

First team squad

Squad statistics correct as of May 2018[7]

Squad No. Name Date of Birth (Age) Since Signed From
Goalkeepers
1 Republic of Ireland Emma Byrne (1979-06-14) 14 June 1979 (age 45) 2000 Denmark Fortuna Hjørring
13 Jamaica Rebecca Spencer (1991-02-22) 22 February 1991 (age 33) 2006 Homegrown
24 England Sarah Quantrill (1990-07-21) 21 July 1990 (age 34) Homegrown
Defenders
2 England Alex Scott (1984-10-14) 14 October 1984 (age 40) 2005 England Birmingham City
3 Republic of Ireland Yvonne Tracy (1981-02-27) 27 February 1981 (age 43) 2000 Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic
6 England Faye White (captain) (1978-02-02) 2 February 1978 (age 46) 1996 England Horsham Ladies
5 England Gilly Flaherty (1991-08-24) 24 August 1991 (age 33) 2003 England Millwall Lionesses
15 England Laura Bassett (1983-08-02) 2 August 1983 (age 41) 2008 England Birmingham City
19 Republic of Ireland Niamh Fahey (1987-10-13) 13 October 1987 (age 37) 2008 Republic of Ireland Salthill Devon
21 Saint Lucia Eartha Pond (1983-09-04) 4 September 1983 (age 41) 2008 England Leeds United
27 Republic of Ireland Seana Cooke (1989-07-06) 6 July 1989 (age 35) Homegrown
Midfielders
4 Wales Jayne Ludlow (1979-01-07) 7 January 1979 (age 45) 2000 England Southampton Saints
7 Republic of Ireland Ciara Grant (1978-05-17) 17 May 1978 (age 46) 1998 Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic
8 England Kelly Smith (1978-10-29) 29 October 1978 (age 46) 2005 United States New Jersey Wildcats
16 Scotland Kim Little (1990-09-26) 26 September 1990 (age 34) 2008 Scotland Hibernian
17 England Katie Chapman (1982-06-15) 15 June 1982 (age 42) 2006 England Charlton Athletic
18 Scotland Natalie Ross (1989-09-14) 14 September 1989 (age 35) 2008 Scotland Hibernian
22 England Laura Coombs (1991-01-29) 29 January 1991 (age 33) 2007 Homegrown
23 England Abbie Prosser (1991-09-04) 4 September 1991 (age 33) Homegrown
Forwards
9 Scotland Suzanne Grant (1984-04-17) 17 April 1984 (age 40) 2009 Scotland Hibernian
10 Scotland Julie Fleeting (1980-12-18) 18 December 1980 (age 44) 2004 Scotland Ross County
11 England Rachel Yankey (1979-11-01) 1 November 1979 (age 45) 2005 United States New Jersey Wildcats
12 England Gemma Davison (1987-04-17) 17 April 1987 (age 37) 2001 England Watford
14 England Karen Carney (1987-08-01) 1 August 1987 (age 37) 2006 England Birmingham City
20 Wales Helen Lander (1986-04-26) 26 April 1986 (age 38) 2009 England Watford
25 England Lauren Bruton (1992-11-22) 22 November 1992 (age 32) 2008 Homegrown

Appearances and goals

No. Name Premier League FA Cup PL Cup UEFA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 Republic of Ireland Emma Byrne 19 0 5 0 4 0 5 0 33+3 0
13 Jamaica Rebecca Spencer 3+1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4+1 0
24 England Sarah Quantrill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Defenders
2 England Alex Scott 12+1 2 1 0 4+1 1 5 0 22+2 3
3 Republic of Ireland Yvonne Tracy 8 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 12 2
6 England Faye White (captain) 5 1 2+1 0 2 0 3+1 0 12+2 1
5 England Gilly Flaherty 16 0 3+1 1 1+1 1 0+1 0 20+3 2
15 England Laura Bassett 19+1 0 4+1 1 4+1 0 0 0 27+3 1
19 Republic of Ireland Niamh Fahey 15+3 2 5 0 4 0 5 0 29+3 2
21 Saint Lucia Eartha Pond 2+5 0 0+1 0 1 0 0 0 3+6 0
27 Republic of Ireland Seana Cooke 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Midfielders
4 Wales Jayne Ludlow 20+1 7 5 2 4+1 1 4+1 3 33+3 13
7 Republic of Ireland Ciara Grant 17 1 5 0 3 1 3+1 0 28+1 2
8 England Kelly Smith 12 25 1 0 4 4 4 1 21 30
16 Scotland Kim Little 20+1 10 5 5 4+1 4 5 5 34+2 24
17 England Katie Chapman 16+4 6 5 3 5 0 5 0 31+5 9
18 Scotland Natalie Ross 2+3 0 0+2 0 1 0 0+1 0 3+6 0
22 England Laura Coombs 0 0 0 0 0+1 0 0 0 0+1 0
23 England Abbie Prosser 0+2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+2 0
Forwards
9 Scotland Suzanne Grant 3+5 3 1+1 0 0+1 1 0 0 4+7 4
10 Scotland Julie Fleeting 5+2 7 0 0 3 5 2+2 2 10+4 14
11 England Rachel Yankey 10+7 4 5 1 3+1 4 0+4 0 18+12 9
12 England Gemma Davison 19+3 7 5 1 4+1 0 5 2 33+4 10
14 England Karen Carney 13 8 0+1 1 2 1 5 2 20+1 12
20 Wales Helen Lander 6+4 1 3+1 3 0 0 0 0 9+5 4
25 England Lauren Bruton 0+1 0 0 0 0+1 0 0 0 0+2 0

Goalscorers

Rank No. Position Name Premier League FA Cup PL Cup LC Cup Total
1 8 MF England Kelly Smith 25 0 4 1 30
2 16 MF Scotland Kim Little 10 5 4 5 24
3 10 FW Scotland Julie Fleeting 7 0 5 2 14
4 4 MF Wales Jayne Ludlow 7 2 1 3 13
5 14 FW England Karen Carney 8 1 1 2 12
6 12 FW England Gemma Davison 7 1 0 2 10
7 17 MF England Katie Chapman 6 3 0 0 9
11 FW England Rachel Yankey 4 1 4 0 9
8 9 FW Scotland Suzanne Grant 3 0 1 0 4
20 FW Wales Helen Lander 1 3 0 0 4
9 2 DF England Alex Scott 2 0 1 0 3
10 3 DF Republic of Ireland Yvonne Tracy 1 0 0 1 2
5 DF England Gilly Flaherty 0 1 1 0 2
19 DF Republic of Ireland Niamh Fahey 2 0 0 0 2
7 MF Republic of Ireland Ciara Grant 1 0 1 0 2
11 6 DF England Faye White (captain) 1 0 0 0 1
15 DF England Laura Bassett 0 1 0 0 1
Total 85 18 23 16 142

Transfers, loans and other signings

Transfers in

Announcement date No. Position Player From club
6 August 2008[8] 15 DF England Laura Bassett England Birmingham City
28 July 2008[9] 19 DF Republic of Ireland Niamh Fahey Republic of Ireland Salthill Devon
28 July 2008[10] 18 MF Scotland Natalie Ross Scotland Hibernian
1 August 2008[11] 21 DF Saint Lucia Eartha Pond EnglandLeeds United
3 January 2009[12] 20 FW Wales Helen Lander England Watford
20 February 2009[13] 9 FW Scotland Suzanne Grant Scotland Hibernian

Transfers out

Announcement date No. Position Player To club
3 July 2008[14] 18 DF England Anita Asante England Chelsea
3 July 2008[14] 9 FW England Lianne Sanderson England Chelsea
2008 23 DF England Mary Phillip England Chelsea
2008 FW Wales Sarah Wiltshire EnglandWatford
2008 DF Netherlands Felicienne Minaar Netherlands FC Twente
6 February 2009[15] 2 DF England Alex Scott United States Boston Breakers
18 February 2009[16][17] 8 MF England Kelly Smith United States Boston Breakers
28 January 2009[18] 14 FW England Karen Carney United States Chicago Red Stars

Competitions

FA Women's Community Shield

7 August 2009 Final Everton 0–1 Arsenal Macclesfield
Report Smith 72' Stadium: Moss Rose
Attendance: 1,494

FA Women's Premier League

17 August 2008 1 Arsenal 4–0 Blackburn Rovers Borehamwood
13:00 BST
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
Attendance: 276
24 August 2008 2 Liverpool 2–11 Arsenal Skelmersdale
14:00 BST Foster 45', 37' Report
Stadium: Skelmersdale Ormskirk Stadium
28 August 2008 3 Arsenal 6–1 Watford Borehamwood
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Meadow Park
Attendance: 334
31 August 2008 4 Leeds Carnegie 1–6 Arsenal Tadcaster
14:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Ings Lane
7 September 2008 5 Arsenal 6–1 Doncaster Rovers Belles Borehamwood
14:00 BST
Report Hansen 74' Stadium: Meadow Park
18 September 2008 6 Nottingham Forest 1–5 Arsenal Gedling
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Bill Stokeld Stadium
Attendance: 677
21 September 2008 7 Arsenal 6–2 Birmingham City Borehamwood
14:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Meadow Park
19 October 2008 8 Arsenal 4–0 Leeds Carnegie Borehamwood
14:00 BST
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
16 November 2008 9 Arsenal 5–0 Nottingham Forest Borehamwood
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
23 November 2008 10 Arsenal 2–0 Liverpool Borehamwood
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
30 November 2008 11 Bristol Academy 1–4 Arsenal Almondsbury
14:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Oaklands Park
18 December 2008 12 Arsenal 7–0 Fulham Borehamwood
19:45 GMT
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
18 January 2009 13 Arsenal 4–1 Chelsea Borehamwood
14:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Meadow Park
15 February 2009 14 Blackburn Rovers 0–4 Arsenal Clitheroe
13:00 GMT Report
Stadium: Shawbride
19 March 2009 15 Fulham 0–5 Arsenal
19:45 GMT Report
26 March 2009 16 Watford 0–1 Arsenal Northwood
19:30 GMT Report
Stadium: The Skyline Stadium
29 March 2009 17 Arsenal 0–3 Everton Borehamwood
14:00 GMT Report Stadium: Meadow Park
2 April 2009 18 Birmingham City 1–3 Arsenal Redditch
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Valley Stadium
5 April 2009 19 Arsenal 3–0 Bristol Academy Borehamwood
14:00 BST
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
30 April 2009 21 Chelsea 0–2 Arsenal East Molesey
19:30 BST Report
Stadium: Imber Court
10 May 2009 22 Everton 0–1 Arsenal Widnes
14:00 BST Report Grant 13' Stadium: Halton Stadium
Attendance: 2,135

Partial league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Arsenal 22 20 1 1 89 14 +75 61 2009–10 UEFA Women's Champions League Round of 32
2 Everton 22 20 1 1 68 10 +58 61 2009–10 UEFA Women's Champions League Qualifying round
3 Chelsea 22 16 2 4 55 23 +32 50
4 Doncaster Rovers 22 9 6 7 43 36 +7 33
5 Birmingham City 22 10 3 9 39 43 −4 33

Results Summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
22 20 1 1 89 14  +75 61 10 0 1 42 6  +36 10 1 0 47 8  +39

Results by matchday

Matchday12345678910111213141516171819202122
GroundHAHAHAHHHHAHHAAAHAHAAA
ResultWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLWWDWW
Position1111111111111111111111
Updated to match(es) played on 20 May 2018. Source: FA WSL
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Women's Cup

11 January 2009 Fourth Round Arsenal 7–0 Colchester United Borehamwood
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
25 January 2009 Fifth Round Middlesbrough 0–4 Arsenal Stokesley
12:00 GMT Report
Stadium: Bishopton Road West
22 February 2009 Quarter Final Arsenal 3–1 Leeds Carnegie Borehamwood
14:00 GMT
Report Moore 26' Stadium: Meadow Park
22 March 2009 Semi Final Arsenal 3–1 Everton Bishop's Stortford
14:00 GMT
Report Dowie 54' Stadium: Woodside Park
4 May 2009 Final Arsenal 2–1 Sunderland Derby
14:00 BST
Report McDougall 90+7' Stadium: Pride Park Stadium
Attendance: 23,291
Referee: Saša Ihringová

FA Women's Premier League Cup

2 November 2008 Quarter Final Leicester City 0–7 Arsenal Leicester
14:00 GMT Report
Stadium: Leicestershire Scouts HQ
7 December 2008 Semi Final Chelsea 0–4 Arsenal East Molesey
14:00 GMT Report
Stadium: Imber Court
25 February 2009 Final Arsenal 5–0 Doncaster Rovers Belles Scunthorpe
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Glanford Park
Attendance: 2,753
Referee: Steve Rowntree

London County Cup

04 March 2009 Quarter Final Arsenal 3–0 West Ham United Colney Heath
19:45 GMT
Report Stadium: Recreation Ground
15 March 2009 Semi Final Arsenal 7–0 Crystal Palace Potters Bar
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: The Lantern Stadium

UEFA Women's Cup

Group Stage

9 October 2008 1 Arsenal England 7–2 Switzerland FC Zürich Limonest
Report
Stadium: Stade Honneur
Referee: Natalia Avdonchenko Russia
11 October 2008 2 Arsenal England 6–0 Austria SV Neulengbach Limonest
Report Stadium: Stade Honneur
Referee: Kirsi Heikkinen Finland
14 October 2008 3 Lyon France 3–0 England Arsenal Lyon
Report
Stadium: Stade de Gerland
Referee: Natalia Avdonchenko Russia

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 France Lyon 3 3 0 0 18 1 +17 9
2 England Arsenal Ladies 3 2 0 1 13 5 +8 6
3 Austria Neulengbach 3 1 0 2 5 17 −12 3
4 Switzerland Zürich 3 0 0 3 6 19 −13 0
Source: [citation needed]

Quarter Final

6 November 2008 First Leg Arsenal Ladies England 3–2 Sweden Umeå Borehamwood
20:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Meadow Park
Attendance: 454
Referee: Floarea Cristina Ionescu Romania
12 November 2008 Second Leg Umeå Sweden 6–0 England Arsenal Ladies Umeå
19:00 (CET)
Report
Stadium: Gammliavallen
Attendance: 2,493
Referee: Christine Beck Germany

References

  1. ^ "Ladies: Everton 0-1 Arsenal - Match Report". Ladies: Everton 0-1 Arsenal - Match Report. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  2. ^ "Everton end Arsenal unbeaten run". 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  3. ^ "League Cup Final: Doncaster 0-5 Arsenal". League Cup Final: Doncaster 0-5 Arsenal. 2009-02-26. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  4. ^ "Arsenal win FA Women's Cup". 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  5. ^ "Umea IK 6-0 Arsenal Ladies - Match report". Umea IK 6-0 Arsenal Ladies - Match report. 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  6. ^ "Akers honoured at FA Women's Awards | Ladies News | News | Arsenal.com". 2009-05-25. Archived from the original on 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. ^ "ARSENAL WFC". Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  8. ^ "15. Laura Bassett | Ladies Players | Ladies | Arsenal.com". 2009-07-03. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  9. ^ "19. Niamh Fahey | Ladies Players | Ladies | Arsenal.com". 2009-08-22. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  10. ^ "18. Natalie Ross | Ladies Players | Ladies | Arsenal.com". 2009-07-02. Archived from the original on 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  11. ^ "21. Eartha Pond | Ladies Players | Ladies | Arsenal.com". 2009-07-03. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  12. ^ "20. Helen Lander | Ladies Players | Ladies | Arsenal.com". 2009-07-02. Archived from the original on 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  13. ^ "Three is the magic number for Grant | Ladies News | News | Arsenal.com". 2009-05-17. Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  14. ^ a b "Chelsea Ladies sign Arsenal pair". 2008-07-03. Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  15. ^ "Alex Scott set to join the Boston Breakers | Ladies News | News | Arsenal.com". 2012-09-10. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  16. ^ "Smith joins US soccer's Boston Breakers | Ladies News | News | Arsenal.com". 2009-04-23. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  17. ^ "Smith quits Arsenal for US league". 2009-02-08. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  18. ^ "Carney agrees move to Chicago Red Stars | Ladies News | News | Arsenal.com". 2012-09-13. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2024-12-01.