A huge match for Newcastle United Women and Tanya Oxtoby as they prepare for this Sunderland derby.
The Stadium of Light hosting at 2pm on Sunday 15 November.
After seven rounds of league matches Newcastle United Women are unbeaten and top of the second tier on 19 points from a possible 21, three clear of Sunderland.
It might seem a little premature when this derby clash is only the eighth match of the league season BUT a win for Newcastle United Women and they will surely already have one hand on the Title AND most importantly, promotion to the Super League.
It is only a 22 match season in the second tier and a win for Newcastle United Women would see them go six points clear of Sunderland with only 14 rounds of matches remaining, plus a minimum of at least five points clear of any other team, potentially more depending on how other results go on Sunday.
Only top spot guarantees automatic promotion to the Super League, as the teams that finish second and third in Women’s Super League 2 will play off for the right to face the team that finishes second bottom of WSL1 and a chance at promotion.
Tanya Oxtoby is manager of Newcastle United Women and has been talking ahead of facing Sunderland.
First of all, Tanya Oxtoby reflecting on last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Burnley at St James’ Park: “I really enjoyed watching it back. There were a lot of patterns of play and things we’ve been going after that were executed really well and consistently. There are, of course, still some bits to get better at, no doubt about that, but I was really pleased. To walk out at St. James’ Park and see that banner, Tanya Oxtoby’s Black and White Army, was just a real pinch me moment.”
Tanya Oxtoby on Newcastle United Women facing Sunderland: “Two teams in really good form with really good squads. It’s a great challenge for us and that’s what we’ve been talking about; the fact that we want to be pushed and we want to see how good we can be. We should embrace moments like this because it’s a positive thing.”
Tanya Oxtoby on what she wants from her players: “We talk a lot about making sure we’re proactive, and that we’re not being reactive to a certain game or a certain instant. We want to make sure that we’ve got our tools in the toolbox to be able to deal with that, and we’ve been working on that from pre-season, all the way through to now. We are who we are, and we want to go out and play our style of football, but it will be against a really good side. We’re going to have to think outside of the box in terms of solving problems when they appear.”
Photo by Adam Mackman via The Mag
Tanya Oxtoby on the NUFC supporters: “They’re the best and you saw that on the weekend. We have the best fans and I know that they will come out in their numbers. I know that they will bring their voices. For us, our responsibility in that is to make sure that we put on a good performance they can be proud of, like we did last weekend.”
Women's Super League WSL2 Table 2026/27 - 9 November 2026
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United Women | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 16 | 19 |
| 2 | Sunderland Women | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town Women | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest Women | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 13 |
| 5 | Bristol City Women | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 13 |
| 6 | Southampton Women | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 |
| 7 | Watford FC Women | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 9 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers Women | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 16 | -4 | 7 |
| 9 | Leicester City Women | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 |
| 10 | Sheffield United Women | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 6 |
| 11 | Burnley Ladies | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 2 |
| 12 | Durham Women | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 24 | -16 | 0 |
Best of luck to the lasses when they play against the Mackems on Sunday.