Keep Kicking (Editor’s Letter)

Jen O’Neill thanks readers for raising hundreds of pounds for Breast Cancer Care through October sales, then turns to a WSL 1 finale she calls pretty mental: keeper injuries, a sending off, a stunning penalty save and replica trophies shuttling up and down motorways as the third-placed side leapfrogged both rivals. WSL 2 delivered its own drama with Doncaster pushing Sunderland to the last game. She takes on the league’s critics directly, conceding that fixture scheduling, the season’s timing, an eight-team top flight and the funding gap facing WSL 2 clubs all need addressing, but insisting the competition has been good for the game. She defends the choice of Wembley for England v Germany against complaints of a northern snub, and salutes Anna Signeul’s Scotland after their play-off exit to the Netherlands.