VALLEY Rangers Ladies got their hands on the NIWFA Division Five trophy on Monday night following a thumping 9-0 home win over Rathfriland Ladies.
In only their second season back in the NIWFA League after disbanding in 2018, the Bignian Park ladies have swept all before them in Division Five, winning 12 of 14 matches and drawing two.
Neil Ardis’ side sealed their title triumph on Wednesday 7 August, beating rivals Ards Rangers 4-2, who prior to that game were five points behind Valley.
Their success comes off the back of dominating the NIWFA Development League last season to gain promotion to Division Five as champions.
Valley were meant to go into NIWFA Division Six this year, but were moved up a division when a number of clubs in Division Five folded.
Their title win is made even more impressive given the fact the Valley lost some key players before the start of the season.
“We had a few players from last season missing. Our captain, Elaine Patterson, gave birth in July and then Stefanie Ardis, who had taken over the captain’s armband, also announced she was pregnant in May, so we were sort of wondering what way things were going to go for us.
“We’ve also got some players back that were involved before 2018, that’s been a big improvement and really helped the squad.
“The girls have been magnificent and been improving every week in training.
“They’ve been more than ready for it (Division Five),” the head coach explained.
