Albion Women will make the long trip up to Middlesbrough for their final FAWNL Northern Premier match of the 2025/26 season on Sunday afternoon (ko 2pm).
Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s team have produced some impressive victories across the campaign, and hope to add one more to their record as they vie to bolster their league position with one match remaining.
They’ll need results to go their way to achieve a fourth-place finish, but can overtake rivals Middlesbrough should they beat them in Sunday’s encounter at the MAP Group UK Stadium.
Last time out
It was defeat for the Baggies in their last match. Strikes from Yasmin Mason and Rebecca May helped Derby County to a 2-0 win at The Hawthorns.
The opposition
Hosts Middlesbrough have the same number of points on the board as the Baggies, but sit a place above on goal difference - especially impressive considering this is their first stint back in the third-tier for five years.
And their positive form during the second half of the campaign has been largely down to the appointment of Joe Lillie as Women’s Head Coach, which came back in January 2026.
He went unbeaten during his opening five matches as interim boss, winning the first three of those to earn a permanent stay in the Boro dugout. The Teesside club have reaped the rewards since - picking up milestone league victories over Halifax, Derby County, Loughborough Lightning and Sporting Khalsa along the way - leading them to be in contention for a fifth, or even fourth-placed finish.
Lillie will be grateful for the goalscoring efforts of forward Rebecca Ferguson, who sits amongst the division’s poachers with 12 league goals so far this season, with partner Armani Maxwell not too far behind her, having scored eight - including one against Albion back in November 2025.
With the prospect of bolstering their FAWNL Northern Premier record with the Baggies’ final day visit, and more so with their positive recent record against their opponents, Boro will hope to bag another victory at the MAP Group UK Stadium.
Previous meetings
Albion Women 1-1 Middlesbrough - November 2025
The Baggies came from behind to beat Boro in their most recent meeting. Forward Maxwell’s effort opened the scoring for the visitors, but Hannah George’s well-placed free-kick levelled the scores from 25 yards out.
Middlesbrough 1-0 Albion Women - October 2024
Hodgetts-Still’s team weren’t rewarded for their long trip up north in their last away day in Middlesbrough, as they were knocked out of the FAWNL Cup. Lauren Robson’s strike was the difference between the two sides.
Albion Women 2-3 Middlesbrough - September 2021
Again, Albion were beaten in the FAWNL Cup by Middlesbrough in 2021. Jannelle Straker and Leanne Robinson scored for the hosts, with Maxwell, Rebecca Olley and Eve Marshall notching in reply to secure an extra-time victory.
Pre-match thoughts
Forward Rhianne Oakley was disappointed to miss out on some of the Baggies’ season-defining matches during her month out injured.
The Welsh striker was substituted off during Albion’s 2-1 victory over Hull City Ladies at the Alexander Stadium on March 15, and after playing no part in either flagship match at The Hawthorns, nor their crucial Black Country derby semi-final against Wolves - Oakley is due to return on Sunday.
With the possibility of jumping two places higher in the FAWNL Northern Premier division, there’s no greater incentive for Rhianne and her teammates to win on Teesside in their final league encounter.
The 24-year-old can provide a goalscoring touch when called upon, and after missing key points of the run-in, and with the added lore of a fresh campaign in 2026/27 to look ahead to, she’s got “extra motivation” to get up to speed for another season in navy-blue-and-white.
She said: “It’s been a very frustrating month for me. You want to be part of the team and helping the team, but it comes with the game - it was all about staying focused and doing the necessary work to get myself back out onto the pitch.
“I’ve done a lot of recovery sessions to make sure I could get back out there as quickly as I could. I had the goal of coming back before the end of the season, and it seems like I might get there. Being around the girls has really helped, too.
“It was a hard one to take, especially being a few days before the cup semi-final against Wolves. You live for those types of games, and especially with us being the defending champions, we wanted to recreate that, but sadly, it wasn’t to be.
“Not to be able to play in that one, and the two matches at The Hawthorns was really gutting. Everyone loves those big occasions, and it’s always nice to play at our home.
“You always miss being involved with the group, it lifts your mood, and when you can’t play with them - it’s tough. Training with them again has really helped. I’ve managed to get back up to speed, and I feel much better now.
“Overall, we’ve had a really positive season. We’ve got ourselves in a great position going into the last game, with a lot riding on getting to the position that we want to be in.
“There’s a touch of frustration when we look back on some of the results that we’ve got this season, and where we’d like to have picked up more points. Those points could be massive for us in terms of getting up the table.
“The Adobe Women’s FA Cup run against Everton stands out as a particular highlight. That run was amazing and we were lucky enough to get a WSL side in the draw two years in a row. You learn so much from playing those games against better teams.
“Beating Wolves in the cup was special, it’s a huge game for us and a massive derby, we really enjoyed that one, but our full focus is now on that trip to Middlesbrough. It’s not going to be easy but it’s all about getting the win to finish on a high.
“On a personal note, it’ll be really good to get back on the pitch again. Being injured close to the end of the season gives you that extra motivation to go out again next season, stay fit, and play a big part in our ambitions.”
How to follow
Tickets are only available for purchase at the Stockton Town FC turnstiles on Sunday (from 1pm).
They are priced at £5 for general admission, while U16s are go free. These can be purchased by card payment only.
The stadium is dog-friendly, while refreshments are also available in the food cabin to the right of the main stand during the game.
For those unable to attend, coverage will be provided across Albion Women’s social media channels, as always.
Reaction, the match report and match highlights will be available on the club website over the coming days.
