With four games left to play Charlton Women know that promotion to the Women's Super League is in their own hands.

Their next three games are away (at Bristol, Palace and Southampton) before they end the season at The Valley against Birmingham on May 2nd. If they can win two of those games promotion will be guaranteed even in the unlikely event of  Birmingham and Palace winning all their remaining fixtures. If there is a winner in the Palace v Newcastle game on Sunday, then Charlton would need only one win to see the loser off.

Birmingham seem to have the easiest run-in with home games against Sheffield United, Sunderland and Ipswich before the showdown at The Valley.

Palace are the in-form team with five wins in the last six. Their next two games are away to Newcastle and at home to Charlton so we should know by the end of the month whether they are still contenders.

Newcastle could still catch Charlton but would need to win at least four of their last five games and hope that Charlton collapse in order to do so. They cannot afford to lose to Palace.

Charlton were not exactly convincing winners last weekend against Sunderland. They came within the width of a post to dropping two points and they didn't dominate the game when their opponents were reduced to ten. However, they continued their tradition of being good enough to see the game out and take the points which, particularly at this point of the season, is all that is needed. They will be aiming to do the same at Bristol and, if they can, it will increase the pressure on Newcastle and Palace who, when they kick off at 5pm, would be looking at a daunting thirteen point deficit.

Photo by Danni Fairbairn