Royal Wootton Bassett Town are South West Regional Women's Football League Division One North champions!

Knowing that victory away at Paulton Rovers would guarantee top spot, James Lally's side delivered the victory they needed - and then some.

The jitters that had seemed to afflict Bassett in final run in were gone. Instead a confident performance secured an emphatic 5-0 victory and the outcome that Bassett's performances over the past nine months more than deserved.

Despite having won just once in the league all season, Paulton were set to be no pushovers, having been competitive in most of their fixtures this season.

And they held out against Bassett for most of the first half until Kelly Nightingale, scoring her first goal of the season, headed home a Tori Taylor corner at the far post.

Leading scorer Lauren Bulley then put Bassett in charge going into the break, tapping in after a powerful strike from Hannah Gulliver came back out off the post.

Elle Scott's second half hat trick then sealed the deal. Scott had not scored since January, but the midfielder made sure to reach double figures before the end of an impressive campaign.

A fierce strike into the bottom corner made it 3-0 before she reacted quickest to grab the rebound following a penalty that Bulley was unable to convert. A headed goal then made it 5-0 to complete the scoring.

And it was more than fitting too that Bassett kept a clean sheet. It marked the 14th occasion in their 22 league games - and 18th time overall this season - that Bassett had shutout their opponents. Indeed the number of league clean sheets is one greater than the number of goals (13) they conceded.

Those numbers are remarkable - and testament to the outstanding defense Bassett have, as well as the quality of coaching they have received.

As Bassett know all too well from their previous experience in 2017-18 and 2023-24 when narrowly missing out, fine margins are often the difference between earning the title and remaining at tier six.

This year, fortune was in Bassett's favour as they edged out Corsham Town and Bitton in what has been a thrilling title race involving three excellent sides.

But Bassett's defensive record - far and away the best in the division - has arguably been the decisive factor.

After a three year hiatus, Bassett will now return to tier five of the women's football pyramid.

Champions of Division One North - what an achievement that all the players and management team deserve to celebrate.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Sunday 17th May 2026 at 20:43