05 21






A HISTORY
Ilkeston Town Rangers LFC came into being in 1994 when Stanton Rangers LFC moved from Hallam Fields, where they played at The Stute, the home of Stanton Ilkeston FC, on the edge of Ilkeston. Stanton had previously been known as Notts Rangers up until 1992.

Stanton had been inaugural members of the WFA National League Premier Division in 1992/93 and had reached the semi finals of the FA Women's Challenge Cup in 1993/94 before losing narrowly 1-0 to Knowsley United. They finished the 1993/94 season in 7th place out of 10 clubs, equalling their performance from the previous season.

Ilkeston Town Rangers, who played at Ilkeston Town FC's New Manor Ground, changed their name to the simpler Ilkeston Town LFC in 1995 and by now had become affiliated with their male counterparts. They reached the quarter final of the FA Women's Challenge Cup in 1995/96 only to lose narrowly to the powerful Arsenal team but they finished bottom of the National Division a year later and were relegated to the Northern Division. Despite their struggle in league matches they still managed to reach the last eight in both the FA Women's League Cup and the FA Women's Challenge Cup.

1997/98 was a triumphant season for Town Ladies as they won promotion at the first attempt, winning all but one of their league games. On a personal level it was a special season for midfielder Deb White who won the Northern Division player of the year award whilst Annette Wale came second in the category for young players. Yet it could have been a season of turmoil. Wayne Kennedy, local entrepreneur, deejay and the man behind the club, left in a dispute with Ilkeston Town FC and set up a rival club known simply as Ilkeston Ladies.

Town Ladies found their return to the National Division too difficult and were relegated again at the end of their first season back but Ilkeston Ladies began to make strides forward. Despite playing at regional level, step 5 in the Womens Pyramid, they reached the fourth round of the Womens FA Cup, like their local rivals, and claimed the notable scalp of Manchester City along the way. By 2001 they had progressed to the Midland Womens Combination, just one promotion below the Town Ladies who by now could no longer count themselves amonst the top dozen clubs in ladies football. Indeed, Town went into freefall. With several top ladies clubs turning professional they could no longer compete on equal terms and at the end of the 2002/03 season they were relegated from the Northern Division, thus joining their local rivals in the Midlands Womens Combination.

Both Ilkeston ladies clubs were therefore competing against each other for the first time in 2003/04. Town's rivals, who changed their name to Ilkeston Villa Ladies, just failed to finish above Town for the first time ever in a season of struggle for both clubs.


1992/93 WFA NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION FINAL TABLE

  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts  H  A 
1  Arsenal  18 17 0  1 66  8  34     
2 Doncaster Belles 18  16 0  2 80  10  32     
3 Knowsley 18  11  1  6  37  33  23     
4 Wimbledon 18   9 3  6  36  32  21     
5 Red Star Southampton 18   7 3  8  37  41  17     
6 Ipswich Town  18   7 3  8  31  49  17     
7 STANTON RANGERS  18   6 1  11  24  45  13  X  X 
8 Millwall Lionesses  18   3 2  13  16  41  8     
9 Maidstone Tigresses  18   2 4  12 8  43  8     
10 Bronte  18   2 3  13 16  44 7     

WFA NATIONAL LEAGUE CUP
2R v Maidstone Tigresses A D2-2 (L5-6 on pens)

WFA CUP
4R v Sheffield Wednesday H W3-2
5R v Ipswich Town A L2-3

1993/94 WFA NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Doncaster Belles 18 16 1 1 110 16 49 1-5 0-3
2 Arsenal 18 14 3 1 85 15 45 0-4 2-2
3 Knowsley United 18 13 2 3 63 30 41 0-5 2-3
4 Wembley 18 9 2 7 35 34 29 1-3 0-0
5 Millwall Lionesses 18 9 1 8 42 46 28 1-1 2-6
6 Leasowe Pacific 18 7 2 8 42 48 23 3-2 2-2
7 STANTON RANGERS 18 6 5 7 32 38 23 X X
8 Red Star Southampton 18 2 3 13 25 70 6 3-0 2-2
9 Ipswich Town 18 1 3 14 14 86 6 3-0 4-0
10 Wimbledon 18 2 0 16 16 81 3 2-0 4-0

WFA NATIONAL LEAGUE CUP
2R v Millwall Lionesses A L5-6

FA WOMEN'S CHALLENGE CUP
4R v Dunstable H W6-0
5R v Wakefield A W3-1
QF v Preston Rangers A W3-2
SF v Knowsley United H L0-1


1994/95 FA WOMEN'S PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Arsenal 18 17 1 0 60 8 52
2 Liverpool 18 12 3 3 58 17 39
3 Doncaster Belles 18 12 2 4 56 24 38
4 Croydon 18 9 2 7 42 24 29
5 Wembley 18 8 3 7 34 17 27
6 Leasowe Pacific 18 5 3 10 36 47 18
7 ILKESTON TOWN RANGERS 18 4 3 11 20 49 15 X X
8 Millwall Lionesses 18 4 3 11 25 60 15
9 Wolverhampton Wanderers 18 4 1 13 23 66 13
10 Red Star Southampton 18 3 3 12 23 65 12    

FA WOMEN'S CHALLENGE CUP
4R v Brighton & Hove Albion H W5-1
5R v Huddersfield Town A L1-3


1995/96 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Croydon 18 13 5 0 58 17 44
2 Doncaster Belles 18 14 2 2 57 19 44
3 Arsenal 18 11 4 3 54 12 37
4 Everton 18 10 1 7 44 40 31
5 Liverpool 18 9 2 7 36 27 29
6 Wembley 18 7 5 6 43 21 26
7 Millwall Lionesses 18 5 3 10 20 32 18
8 ILKESTON TOWN 18 4 3 11 21 46 15 X X
9 Villa Aztecs 18 4 1 13 22 51 13
10 Wolverhampton Wanderers 18 0 0 18 8 98 0

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
2R v Croydon H L1-2

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP
4R v Highfield Rangers H W5-0
5R v Millwall Lionesses H W2-0
QF v Arsenal H L1-2


1996/97 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Arsenal 18 16 1 1 65 9 49
2 Doncaster Belles 18 13 2 3 44 15 41
3 Croydon 18 9 4 5 39 26 31
4 Liverpool 18 9 3 6 30 16 30
5 Millwall Lionesses 18 7 6 5 25 19 27
6 Everton 18 8 3 7 36 36 27
7 Wembley 18 6 4 8 26 27 22
8 Tranmere Rovers 18 3 3 12 23 48 12
9 Southampton Saints 18 3 0 15 16 61 9
10 ILKESTON TOWN 18 1 4 13 14 56 7 X X

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
1R v Bradford City H W3-1
2R v Three Bridges A W1-0
QF v Aston Villa A L2-5

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP
4R v Garswood Saints A W4-3
5R v Middlesbrough A W3-0
QF v Arsenal H L2-4


1997/98 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 ILKESTON TOWN 18 17 0 1 68 6 51 X X
2 Garswood Saints 18 12 3 3 43 23 39 1-2
3 Aston Villa 18 10 2 6 38 23 32
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 18 8 5 5 33 20 29
5 Blyth Spartans Kestrels 18 8 4 6 40 23 28
6 Sheffield Wednesday 18 8 3 7 39 40 27
7 Huddersfield Town 18 7 3 8 32 31 24
8 Coventry City 18 2 6 10 22 62 12
9 Arnold Town 18 2 4 12 11 36 10
10 Bloxwich Town 18 0 2 16 12 74 2  

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
1R v Garswood Saints A W4-1
2R v Croydon H L2-3

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
2R v Ipswich Town A W5-0
3R v Derby County H W6-0
4R v Bloxwich Town A W2-0
5R v Liverpool A L0-2

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON LADIES)
1R v Canary Racers H L3-6


1998/99 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Croydon 18 14 4 0 53 11 46 1-4 0-5
2 Arsenal 18 13 4 1 59 15 43 0-9 0-6
3 Doncaster Belles 18 9 6 3 32 19 33 1-1 0-1
4 Everton 18 10 2 6 30 20 32 1-0 1-2
5 Tranmere Rovers 18 8 3 7 29 32 27 3-4 1-3
6 Liverpool 18 6 2 10 28 27 20 0-3 1-2
7 Southampton Saints 18 5 3 10 20 35 18 0-2 1-0
8 Millwall Lionesses 18 3 6 9 14 26 15 0-2 1-3
9 Bradford City 18 2 4 12 15 68 10 1-1 2-3
10 ILKESTON TOWN 18 2 2 14 14 51 8 X X

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
1R v Leeds United A L0-3

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
4R v Watford A L1-3

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON LADIES)
1R v Hemsworth A w/o
2R v Kidderminster Harriers H W6-3
3R v Manchester City H W2-1
4R v Sheffield Wednesday H L0-4


1999/00 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Blyth Spartans Kestrels 22 20 1 1 90 21 61 1-2 0-4
2 Bangor City 22 14 6 2 44 19 48 0-1 1-3
3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 22 13 3 6 64 34 42 0-4 2-5
4 Leeds United 22 12 3 7 48 30 39 0-3 0-2
5 Sheffield Wednesday 22 10 5 7 44 42 35 0-2 2-4
6 Garswood Saints 22 9 7 6 45 39 34 1-1 4-2
7 ILKESTON TOWN 22 7 4 11 33 40 25 X X
8 Birmingham City 22 6 5 11 32 47 23 1-0 3-0
9 Coventry City 22 5 4 13 24 48 19 1-1 2-1
10 Huddersfield Town 22 5 4 13 28 56 19 6-0 1-1
11 Bradford City 22 5 2 15 40 69 17 0-0 4-1
12 Arnold Town 22 3 2 17 14 61 11 4-1 0-2

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
PR v Cardiff City H W4-0
1R v Wembley Mill Hill H L0-1

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
3R v Garswood Saints A L1-4

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON LADIES)
PR v Leicester City A L2-3


2000/01 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Leeds United 22 18 2 2 75 18 56 1-2 0-4
2 Oldham Curzon 22 17 2 3 61 25 53 2-2 2-6
3 Aston Villa 22 12 5 5 52 37 41 1-2 2-3
4 Bangor City 22 10 7 5 43 27 37 1-1 3-3
5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 22 12 1 9 47 42 37 1-4 1-2
6 Birmingham City 22 9 5 8 50 42 32 3-3 3-0
7 ILKESTON TOWN 22 8 5 9 39 39 29 X X
8 Garswood Saints 22 8 1 13 41 60 25 3-1 1-2
9 Sheffield Wednesday 22 7 3 12 30 53 24 0-0 3-1
10 Coventry City 22 4 5 13 23 48 17 4-0 2-0
11 Newcastle Town 22 4 3 15 28 62 15 2-1 0-1
12 Huddersfield Town 22 3 1 18 15 51 10 3-1 1-0


FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
PR v Langford A W3-1
1R v Leeds United A L0-6

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
3R v Leeds City Wrens H W1-0
4R v West Ham United A W4-1
5R v Southampton Saints H L1-4

2000/01 MIDLAND WOMENS COMBINATION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Mansfield Town 22 14 2 6 66 37 44
2 Chesterfield 21 11 6 4 47 27 39
3 Parkgate 22 11 3 8 58 43 36
4 Peterborough United 22 10 4 8 40 38 34
5 Shrewsbury Town 21 11 3 7 42 36 33
6 Stafford Rangers 22 8 5 9 41 32 29
7 Derby County 22 7 8 7 35 40 29
8 ILKESTON 22 8 4 10 25 30 28 X X
9 Highfield Rangers 21 8 3 10 41 39 27
10 Arnold Town 21 6 5 10 27 35 23
11 Telford United  22 6 5 11 27 53 23
12 Walsall 18 2 4 12 16 55 10
NB. Walsall failed to complete their fixtures.

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON LADIES)
1R v Parkgate H L1-2


2001/02 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Birmingham City 20 16 3 1 68 21 51
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 20 11 4 5 39 27 37
3 Oldham Curzon 20 10 6 4 39 22 36
4 ILKESTON TOWN 20 9 6 5 43 27 33 X X
5 Liverpool 20 8 6 6 41 27 30
6 Bangor City 20 7 8 5 40 36 29
7 Sheffield Wednesday 20 6 7 7 33 38 25
8 Aston Villa 20 6 6 8 42 39 24
9 Garswood Saints 20 4 6 10 21 47 18
10 Manchester City 20 4 4 12 19 45 16
11 Coventry City 20 0 2 18 8 64 2  

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
1R v Brighton & Hove Albion H W2-0
2R v Sheffield Wednesday A W2-1
QF v Birmingham City H L0-4

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
3R v Oldham Curzon H L1-3

2001/02 MIDLAND WOMENS COMBINATION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Lincoln City 22 15 6 1 54 28 51
2 Parkgate 22 14 4 4 80 38 46
3 Highfield Rangers 22 12 9 1 62 27 45
4 Chesterfield 22 14 2 6 60 30 44
5 Lichfield Diamonds 22 9 3 10 54 50 30
6 Shrewsbury Town 22 6 9 7 44 43 27
7 Peterborough United 22 8 3 11 38 40 27
8 Telford United 22 7 5 10 32 55 26
9 ILKESTON 22 6 4 12 37 47 22 X X
10 Stafford Rangers 22 6 1 15 30 40 19
11 Derby County 22 5 3 14 29 81 15
12 Port Vale 22 3 5 14 19 55 14  

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON LADIES)
1R v Leicester City H L0-1


2002/03 FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Aston Villa 22 16 4 2 59 18 52
2 Sunderland 22 15 4 3 48 25 49
3 Oldham Curzon 22 14 2 6 48 29 44
4 Bangor City 22 11 4 7 46 37 37
5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 22 9 5 8 28 26 32
6 Liverpool 22 7 8 7 37 32 29
7 Lincoln City 22 6 7 9 38 46 25
8 Manchester City 22 5 6 11 31 37 21
9 Middlesbrough 22 6 2 14 25 44 20
10 Sheffield Wednesday 22 5 5 12 15 36 20
11 ILKESTON TOWN 22 5 4 13 24 44 19 X X
12 Garswood Saints 22 4 7 11 26 51 19

FA WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
1R v Manchester City A L2-5

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
3R v Manchester United A L0-3

2002/03 MIDLAND WOMENS COMBINATION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts H A
1 Chesterfield 22 18 1 3 65 24 55
2 Parkgate Ladies 22 18 0 4 91 40 54
3 Bridgnorth Spartans 22 12 3 7 42 37 39
4 Coventry City 22 12 2 8 47 37 38
5 Lichfield Diamonds 22 11 4 7 79 54 37
6 Shrewsbury Town 22 10 5 7 66 41 35
7 Stafford Rangers 22 10 2 10 39 45 32
8 Loughborough Students 22 8 4 10 47 42 28
9 ILKESTON 22 7 5 10 35 48 26 X X
10 Highfield Rangers 22 7 2 13 44 54 23
11 Peterborough United 22 4 2 16 29 67 14
12 Telford United 22 0 0 22 18 114 0  

FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON LADIES)
1R v Kesteven & Grantham H W6-2
2R v Peterborough United A W6-1
3R v Lincoln City A L1-4

2003/04 MIDLAND WOMENS COMBINATION FINAL TABLE
  P W D L F A Pts IVH IVA ITH ITA
1 Coventry City 18 13 3 2 57 25 42
2 Nottingham Forest 18 13 3 2 43 15 42
3 Rotherham United 18 11 2 5 55 25 35
4 Loughborough Students 18 11 1 6 65 32 34
5 Shrewsbury Town 18 8 1 9 50 37 25
6 Crewe Vagrants 18 7 3 8 33 31 24
7 Lichfield Diamonds 18 7 1 10 36 48 22
8 ILKESTON TOWN 18 6 1 11 24 45 19 X X
9 ILKESTON VILLA 18 5 3 10 26 52 18 X X
10 Stafford Rangers 18 0 0 18 18 97 0


FA WOMENS CHALLENGE CUP (ILKESTON TOWN LADIES)
1R v Darwen A Lw/o