PALACE WOMEN v Portsmouth 2526 programme

it’s matchday

Welcome back to the VBS Community Stadium for what could be the final time this season, as Crystal Palace Women take on Portsmouth in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2!

Simply put, Palace will get promoted if they beat Portsmouth today.

The dramatic results in the Barclays Women's Super League 2 last week have put automatic promotion in Palace's hands.

It could get even better for Jo Potter's side though, as three points against Pompey and a draw in the Charlton v Birmingham clash will see Palace crowned WSL2 champions.

There is no better reason to get down to the stadium early and cheer the team on!

Situated just beyond the Collingwood Road Stand at the far side of the stadium, the Fanzone will open at 13:30 BST (90 minutes before kick-off).

There will be giveaways, a raffle, and even an appearance from Phoenix the Eagle!

As part of our ongoing ‘Alcohol in the Bowl’ trial, fans can also enjoy an alcoholic beverage in their seat and watch the match unfold.

For one more time this season, show your support for the team and get behind the Eagles!

jopotter

welcome back to the VBS Community Stadium.

There is a real buzz around the ground today, and it is the culmination of months of relentless hard work. Standing here today, knowing exactly what is at stake, feels like the moment we have all been building towards.

When we travelled to Sunderland last week, we knew we were facing a big hurdle in our season. Watching the team deliver in the way they did was immensely satisfying. To see our fans making that journey up to the North East and witnessing Annabel Blanchard reach 100 appearances was a really special moment. Annabel has been an amazing servant to this club, and her performance, capped with a goal, epitomised the standards we set here.

Our recent run has been outstanding. Beating Ipswich 1-0 required a different kind of mental strength - it was about being clinical and holding firm. Then, going to Sunderland and coming away with a 2-1 win thanks to Annabel and Ashleigh Weerden showed that this squad has the temperament for the big occasion. We didn't get frustrated; we managed the game and stood up to the physical battle.

This group has matured immensely over the season. We’ve learned how to absorb pressure without breaking and how to strike when the opposition loses focus. That tactical discipline will be vital

today as we face a Portsmouth side with nothing to lose.

Those recent wins, combined with results elsewhere, have placed our destiny firmly in our own hands. The stakes are clear: a win today against Portsmouth guarantees us automatic promotion to the WSL.

It is rare in football to have such clarity in the final game of the season. We don't need to look at other scores or rely on favours; we simply need to perform. The journey from the start of the campaign to this point has been a testament to the players' fitness, their ability to learn, and their commitment to the vision that we set out in pre-season.

There is absolutely no room for complacency. While Portsmouth’s season hasn't gone their way, they will arrive today looking to prove a point. We must show the consistency to see this through to the finish line.

My message to the players remains the same: stay clinical, stay brave, and stay composed. We need that same high-press and the same courage in possession that has brought us to this position. We cannot play the occasion; we must play the game. If we focus on our patterns and our intensity, the result will take care of itself.

I am imploring every one of you to bring the noise to the VBS for these final 90 minutes. You have been our twelfth player all season, from the heights of Selhurst to the rainy away days.

You’ve seen what these players can do when the support is rocking - let’s give them that platform one last time and secure promotion together. Every cheer, every clap, and every song helps rattle the opposition and lift our players' spirits. We want this stadium to be a wall of sound from the first whistle.

It has been a long journey to get to this Sunday. We have faced setbacks, injuries, and tough defeats, but we have always bounced back stronger. That resilience is the hallmark of a side deserving of promotion. Today is the day to put all those lessons into practice. Let’s finish the job we started and move this club forward into a new era.

Enjoy the game.

Jo Potter

aimee everett

Welcome back to the VBS.

it's incredible to be back home for what could be the final time this season. I’ve said it before, but there are certain moments in a career that stay with you forever, and honestly, standing here today feels like the biggest one yet.

On behalf of the whole squad, I want to thank every single one of you who travelled up to Sunderland last week. To see the away end celebrate like that when the final whistle blew was a powerful reminder of the journey we are on together.

The last few weeks have been massive for Crystal Palace. Coming off that disciplined 1-0 win against Ipswich where Kirsty Howat showed her class, we knew Sunderland would be a battle. Seeing Annabel Blanchard and Ashleigh Weerden find the net was fantastic, but I have to give a special mention to Annabel.

Making 100 appearances for this club is a monumental achievement; she embodies the heartbeat of this team. To reach that milestone and then score in such a high-stakes game proves the kind of player that she is, and we were all so proud to share that moment with her on the pitch.

Because of those results, and the points dropped by Birmingham and

Charlton, the equation is now simple: a win today means automatic promotion. We have fought tooth and nail for seven months to reach this point.

The momentum we’ve built is not just about tactics or individual brilliance; it’s about the belief that has grown in this dressing room. We look at each other now and see a group of winners. We have earned the right to be in control of our own destiny, and that is a privilege we won't take for granted.

However, the job is not done. Portsmouth may be relegated, but they are a proud side who will want to spoil our day. We cannot afford any drop in intensity. This is our last cup final, and we must treat it with the same respect we showed at Sunderland.

My message to the girls this week has been: ‘we’ve done the hard work to put ourselves in this position, now let’s go out and grab it’. We've shown we can fight for results and we've shown we can win at home; now we just need to be professional one last time.

I am asking all of you to bring the loudest energy you’ve ever produced to the VBS today. This is our last home game, and your support is our secret weapon.

Whether it’s helping us through the final 20 minutes or giving us that

roar after a tackle, we feel your impact on the pitch. When the legs get heavy in the second-half, it is your voices that provide the adrenaline to keep us going.

You are the reason we find that extra five percent. That atmosphere is what makes the VBS home. We are playing for the badge, and for the chance to take this club back to the topflight.

Let’s make this afternoon a celebration and leave everything on the pitch. It’s about more than just three points today; it’s about a community coming together to witness something special.

We want to look back on this game in ten years and remember the noise, the passion, and the moment we secured our future.

Keep the noise up, enjoy the game, and let’s cross the finish line together.

Up the Palace!

Aimee Everett

last time out

Crystal Palace Women took one more step towards promotion, as they managed a 2-1 win at Sunderland in their final away game of the 2025/26 Barclays Women's Super League 2 season.

Early goals from Annabel Blanchard and Ashleigh Weerden saw the Eagles grab a crucial 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light.

It was a perfect first-half for Jo Potter's side up in the North East, as they went into the break two goals to the good.

Kirsty Howat should have grabbed an early opener for the Eagles on the sixth minute after a well worked free-kick routine found her in space, but the Scotland international fired just wide.

Just 14 minutes later and Palace had their lead, with Annabel Blanchard scoring on her 100th appearance for the club.

Abbie Larkin's chipped through-ball bounced fortuitously off the back of a Sunderland centre-back, with Blanchard bringing the ball down and firing beyond Demi Lambourne in the Sunderland net.

Palace's latest centurion wheeled away in celebration as the team in gold went 1-0 up in the Stadium of Light.

The Eagles had their second on 31 minutes, this time from the left boot of Ashleigh Weerden.

Hayley Ladd found Larkin on the right-wing, and the young Ireland star turned her defender and fired a vicious ball across the box.

There waiting at the back post was Weerden, who had the simplest of tasks in tapping home to put Palace 2-0 up.

Palace's number 11 could have put her side 3-0 up before half-time after Larkin played a similar ball just minutes later, but Weerden's header was just over the bar.

It wasn't the ideal start to the second-half however, as Sunderland's Katy Watson pulled one back for her side just three minutes in.

A lax backpass moments after that almost lead to a home equaliser, but goalkeeper Shae Yañez smothered the ball well.

Despite a shaky start to the second 45, Potter's side held firm and finished the game the stronger side, with Larkin and substitute Lola Brown going close to a Palace third.

Palace held on for the win on what proved to be a dramatic penultimate day in the WSL2.

The order of the top three will now come down to today, with Palace taking on Portsmouth at the VBS, whilst Charlton face Birmingham City at home.

If Palace win against Portsmouth, they will guarantee second-place and automatic promotion to the WSL, as a minimum.

Should the game at The Valley end in a draw – Palace will be crowned champions, provided they beat Portsmouth today.

Portsmouth f.c.

Over 100 years of history

Portsmouth Women can trace their history back to 1914, as one of the many women’s teams that played during the First World War. They were immensely popular, drawing a crowd of over 3000 in 1916 and over 5000 in 1914, before the FA banned women’s teams playing at affiliated pitches in 1921. The modern club was officially formed in 1987.

Local hero

Gosport-born Gemma Hillier is a legendary figure for Portsmouth Women, holding the club's all-time record for both goals and appearances and in 2018, she became the first Portsmouth Women player to be inducted into Portsmouth FC's Hall of Fame. seen at games.

Record-breaking crowd

In 2024, Portsmouth Women took on fully professional Newcastle in the semi-final of the FA Women’s National League Cup at St James Park, in front of a bumper crowd of 22,307. Pompey would eventually lose 2-1 on what was a big day for the women’s game.

A professional outfit

Portsmouth announced in May 2024 that their Women’s team would be turning fully professional. The year after, they then announced that the club was launching a Professional Game Academy ahead of the upcoming WSL2 season - creating a professionalised player development pathway for players aged 16–21.

this season, with seven goals and one assist in the WSL2. The 26-year-old joined Portsmouth from Blackburn Rovers in 2024, where she scored nine goals in 58 appearances for the Rovers. She last scored Portsmouth’s most recent goal - bagging in the 2-1 defeat away to Sheffield United.

Manager – Jay Sadler

I’m emotional, it hurts. You can try to prepare yourself for relegation, but I don’t quite think you understand how big it feels.

HOW THE EAGLES SOAR.

Tia-Mai