Newcastle's financial report referenced 'continued investment' in the women's team
Tanya Oxtoby, Manager of Newcastle United, speaks to the media after the game against Nottingham Forest
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Newcastle United Women's promotion failure would be just a 'bump in the road' for the club despite significant investment in the setup in a bid to reach the WSL1.
The Magpies look set to miss out on a play-off place after another draw at the weekend, this time at home against Nottingham Forest. It leaves Tanya Oxtoby's side five points adrift of third-placed Crystal Palace with two games remaining.
This season, the top two in the Championship (WSL2) gain automatic promotion while the third-placed team go into a play-off with the second-bottom side in the top flight. Previously, only one promotion place has been up for grabs but a restructure of the WSL created extra places.
Missing out on promotion will be a blow for United, despite the strong advances and focus they have put into the women's setup over the last couple of years. Last season was Newcastle's first in the Championship where they finished fifth, and it was hoped that they could push for promotion this season.
However, too many draws have affected the team after a slow start to the season which saw them part company with boss Becky Langley, and replace her with Australian Oxtoby, who left her position as Northern Ireland manager.
The focus on the women's squad was referenced in the club accounts last week with the report stating that 'continued investment has been made in Summer 25 to ensure the team is best placed to mount a challenge for promotion to WSL for the 2026/27 season'.
Newcastle will no doubt be one of the favourites for promotion next season and while the promotion failure this term will be disappointing for a club who is trying to super-charge success, Oxtoby is realistic about the ambitions - and also remains happy that the club's owners and directors are backing the women's team to such an extent.
“We want to be competing for the biggest trophies on the biggest stage and it was the reason I took this job was the alignment," she said before the derby game against Sunderland last month.
“I want to be able to be in an environment where the women's team is supported, where there's ambition and there's drive and we've certainly got alignment with that. From my perspective, I've seen nothing but actions that speak to that so we need to match that in terms of the way we go about things.
“But as I said earlier, we're on a journey too so it's not going to happen overnight. There'll be a few bumps along the way and we just need to navigate those and continue to push on.”
Newcastle needed a 90th-minute equaliser from star player Jordan Nobbs to salvage a point against mid-table Forest on Sunday at the Gateshead International Stadium. It extended their unbeaten run to eight games, but five of those have been draws - including three on the bounce - which has curtailed their push for a play-off spot.
They now take a break from league action until a trip to Bristol City on April 26 before concluding their campaign with a home derby against neighbours Durham on May 2.
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