Last season, the Wolves Women’s side were locked in a fierce battle for promotion to the second tier of the Women’s Super League, and going into the final match they still held a mathematical chance of finishing above league leaders Nottingham Forest. What the squad did not realise, however, was that their hopes were ultimately unattainable.

The reason lay in an administrative oversight: the club’s promotion application, which should have been lodged in February, never left the office. Although the team satisfied every on‑field criterion, the board concluded that the demands of a full‑time programme were too great at that moment. Even head coach Dan McNamara was unaware of the missing paperwork until it was too late.

The news was delivered in the dressing‑room after the team secured second place. Captain Anna Morphet described the moment as a painful memory, saying, "It was a shock, complete disbelief. A lot of emotions. I remember not knowing what to say so I did not say a lot, I was just trying to digest it." The players were left stunned, their hard‑won season suddenly clouded by bureaucratic failure.

In the days that followed, the squad took to social media to voice their frustration. One player spoke of feeling let down, another insisted they deserved better treatment.

The outpouring highlighted anger not only at the lack of transparency but also at the perceived absence of support from the club’s hierarchy. The episode served as a stark wake‑up call for the organisation. Fast forward one year.

Wolves Women are once again on the cusp of promotion, and this time the promotion application has been filed correctly. Morphet reflects on the previous year’s ordeal as both "an incredibly tough moment" and a galvanising experience.

"Those moments bring you closer together. You look around and realise how special this group is and the characters in it. If we didn't have the closeness that we had before finding out that news I don't know if we would have come through as well as we have," she says. She also empathises with McNamara, who bore the burden of delivering the bad news.

"For Macca, who has put in so much work for so many years to have to be the one to tell us – I knew it would not be anyone else, he would never shift responsibility – I cannot imagine how difficult it was," Morphet adds. McNamara, visibly moved when recalling that night, admits it was "one of the toughest things I have ever had to say." A former Royal Air Force serviceman, he drew on his military background to navigate the leadership challenge. "When I was first told the news I was emotional.

Part of me wanted to tell the girls and let the whole thing blow up and hope they did not turn up for the last few games of the season," he confesses. Instead, he chose to keep the information to himself until after the final match, allowing the players to enjoy their hard‑earned moment before the disappointment was introduced.

He explains, "We decided that the girls needed to enjoy the moment together before we brought them back down to earth right away. We did not want to take away that moment they had worked so hard for.

If we had done it, it would have been obviously horrendous." When asked whether he would ever manage Wolves again, McNamara admits he never imagined it. "I just could not walk away from the girls. They said, 'look, shall we give the club a chance? Do we really want to play elsewhere?' The general consensus was that we wanted to stick together," he says, underscoring the loyalty that has kept the team intact.

The question lingered: would the club crumble, or would this episode become a watershed moment? "Thankfully, it has been the latter," McNamara asserts.

One year later, promotion is a single game away, and the organisation appears far better prepared. Wolves have now won 20 of their 22 league fixtures in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, scoring more goals than any other side. Yet even that dominant record was not enough for automatic promotion; they finished a point behind Burnley and missed the title on goal difference.

"We do feel a little hard done by," McNamara acknowledges, but his overriding feeling is pride in how the squad responded to adversity. "They have done unbelievably well. Through disrespect at times, through adversity at times.

They represent this football club and this city impeccably." Chairperson Jenny Wilkes describes the journey as a "rollercoaster." A local radio presenter, Wilkes first became involved with Wolves Women in 1999 at the invitation of club legend and then‑chief executive John Richards. She set up a limited company, secured sponsors with the help of former England cricketer Rachel Heyhoe‑Flint, and witnessed the early struggles of women’s football at the club. She recalls a time when a player’s father would bring heavy road‑working machinery onto the pitch to fill a large divot, turning the surface into sand.

"Players had to pay subs. It was the captain's job to collect the cash on training night.

We had to pay for the coach transport," Wilkes says. Even obtaining kits at cost price required a battle.

Those hardships underline how far the women’s game has come. "It is a much different place. This is the closest we have been.

It has helped the club to see things in a bit of a different light. I am working closely with technical director Matt Jackson and we are in a much better place now that we have better communication," she adds. Wilkes has lived through near‑misses before: a promotion bid halted by the pandemic, a play‑off defeat to Southampton, and the heartbreaking setback of last year. Yet the prospect of promotion to the second tier of the Women’s Super League feels within reach and would be transformative.

It would usher in full‑time professional status for the squad, a dream long pursued. McNamara recognises the logistical challenge such a step would entail.

"If we were to get promoted we have a really, really short time frame to try and completely change the football club," he explains. For many players, the chance to finally play at a fully professional level is the culmination of years of sacrifice. Morphet herself was among the first three women to sign a semi‑professional contract with Wolves, yet she still works several days a week as a physiotherapist.

The possibility of a fully professional contract could free her from juggling two careers. "We know it can be life‑changing," she says. The knowledge that this promotion would be genuine adds a poignant layer to her recollections of the previous year’s disappointment.

"When you look at where we're at now, I think it just seems crazy that it happened but thankfully we have come out in a completely different light," Morphet reflects. After eight years and nearly 200 appearances, the club has become her "home away from home," and the sacrifices she and her teammates have made may finally be rewarded. "I knew deep down that I was never going to give myself the best chance to achieve the dream in football – which is full‑time – without a few sacrifices. The amount of sacrifice we have all put in, you start to feel like something good must be around the corner," she adds.

Now Wolves Women stand at that crossroads. Their next match is against Plymouth on Monday at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton, with a place in WSL 2 on the line for the winner.

After a season of roller‑coaster emotions, Morphet, McNamara, Wilkes and the entire squad deserve a moment to celebrate whatever the outcome may be.