Summer overhaul begins as Newcastle United Women end 2025/26 with a whimper

A really damp squib of a finish from Newcastle United Women on Saturday, as the lasses fell to a 1-0 home defeat to nemesis Durham.

It rounds off a very disappointing season that promised so much. They went into the season as one of the pre-season favourites for promotion, but ended up a place worse than the last campaign.

With five games to go after beating eventual WSL2 champions Birmingham City, they were still easily in the running for automatic promotion. Five games later, three draws and two defeats saw them plummet to an eventual sixth-place finish.

Questions will be asked and indeed, in her post-game interview, manager Tanya Oxtoby said they were already being addressed as she admitted it is going to be a big off-season for the Club. Several will leave, and several will come in, both on and off the pitch.

What went wrong and what next? 

Newcastle clearly did not get their recruitment right in the summer. Ex-Lioness Jordan Nobbs, the fans Player of the Season, possibly being the only exception, although Finnish international Anna Tamminen has been excellent in recent weeks.

Indeed, the cull has already started, although the first three announcements have not been of the Club’s deciding. Promising young forward Molly Pike, who was excellent for Southampton last season, announced her retirement from football in a shock move.

Pike was much heralded when she arrived at Newcastle but it never quite happened for her, despite the odd promising flash here and there. She has retired to protect her own wellbeing, so all we can do is wish her all the very best in whatever the future holds for her.

Striker Shania Hayles, who is out of contract now the season has ended has announced that she will be leaving United for pastures new. Hayles had a mixed time at Newcastle. Last season she finished as top scorer and at times was excellent.

This campaign, the Jamaica international has largely been disappointing and looked a different player from last season. Perhaps it was no surprise that she was not offered a new contract. Femke Llefting and Jorja Fox, on loan from Chelsea, will also return to their parent club. 

So, already four down and more will follow. It's difficult to see Charlotte Potts returning after more than a season and a half out injured. The promising Elysia Boddy has been very injury-prone, and it would be a surprise if she returned. But both could. It just seems unlikely.

Claudia Moan lost not only her place in goal to Tamminen, but also her place on the bench to Hannah Hawkins, so again it would not be a major surprise if she moved on. Then there’s former England regular Demi Stokes. Captain on Saturday and back in the side recently, but rumoured to be moving on.

Malgorzata Grec has often been on the bench but very seldom played or come on. She’s looked okay when she has, but another has failed to meet expectations after arriving. All of those mentioned were already at United when Oxtoby arrived. Four more have arrived since.

Oxtoby's new signings struggling 

Of the four that arrived in January, perhaps only one has enhanced the squad. Kaitlyn Torpey, the Australian defender, looks as if she has something about her. But she was missing for Australia duty during the Asian Cup and has only played a 45 minutes at Sunderland since returning.

American forward Simone Charley was given a contract until the end of the season after leaving Orlando Pride, and has hardly featured at all. No one really knows why, but she certainly has not given any indication that she is worth signing.

Swedish international Emilia Larssen has been in and around the team since signing, but again not necessarily to any effect. I think she will be given a chance next season, possibly. And United also signed promising young Chelsea midfielder Ashanti Akpan, who again has hardly played.

The jury is out on all four, and as signings under Oxtoby, that also puts the manager under pressure and in the spotlight. Have United improved under the Australian coach? I think most people will say definitely not, but there are mitigating circumstances.

Why Oxtoby is yet to make major impact 

This, despite the four signings mentioned above, is not Oxtoby’s team nor players. Oxtoby has her own style and freely admits that some have tried to embrace it, and either got it or almost got. But she is also very honest and forthright in saying a lot of them have been nowhere near.

No names, of course, but ominous words indeed and a clear indication that she wants players that suit her and her style to come in and hit the ground running. You have to, therefore, allow her to show her hand and prove she can find a winning formula in 2026/27. 

Part of that will also be her backroom staff. Oxtoby has had to work with what she inherited. She has not been critical of any of the staff. But she has been very, very clear that she wants her own people, and she must get that moving forward. That means casualties are on the way.

Temporary goalkeeping coach David Stockdale has already left and there is certainly going to be others as Oxtoby builds for next season. With only one automatic promotion place and a play-off place available, it is plain to see why this season’s finish has been costly.

A lot of conjecture, rumours and guesses have been throw about, and in football there are always surprises that no one sees coming. One thing is for sure, though. If, as Shakespeare once said, there’s a ‘winter of discontent’, then perhaps Oxtoby would say ‘the winds of summer bring sweeping changes!’

Lasses lose to Durham again 

Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Durham means that they have now won three and drawn one of the four games played against United. With a budget like that compared to Newcastle’s, that’s a great achievement and one for them to be proud of.

Ironically, in a game where there was only one shot on target, that shot was the difference and came from Amber-Keegan Stobbs. A player who captained Newcastle last season and who many thought should not have been let go.

Her 41-minute volleyed finish over Tamminen from 14 yards gave Durham a lead that they defended superbly in the second half, not allowing a very flat Newcastle side get any head of steam up at all. It was turgid from United and definitely not what the crowd had come to see.

Lessons learned, but perhaps for Oxtoby more than others, who had to watch from the stands after being sent off the previous week late on, following Bristol City’s late winner. 

She has vowed it will not happen again as she looks to move United forward in the summer, ready for next season. The upcoming window will be another big one for Wor Lasses, where they will once again be installed as favourites for promotion.