Camden Town celebrate at the Maurice Rebak Stadium after winning the Premier Division of the Greater London Women’s League

IT’S official: Camden Town WFC are the best team in the capital after winning the Premier Division of the Greater London Women’s League at the weekend.

Needing to avoid defeat against rivals Hammersmith, a raucous 150-plus crowd watched Harry Sherman’s side battle out a 1-1 draw at the Maurice Rebak Stadium in North Finchley.

With the title comes promotion to Division One of the London & South East Regional League. But for now any celebrations are short-lived, and the champagne kept on ice, as Town target yet more silverware when they go up against Hammersmith once more on Sunday – this time in the final of the John Greenacre Memorial Trophy at the Bedfont Recreation Ground in Feltham.

“This is our third promotion in four years, and I couldn’t be prouder of what this group has accomplished,” said club chairman Richard Mahoney. “The dedication, the togetherness, the resilience – it’s been incredible.

“Now we go again on Sunday; one more to play for, and the chance to make it a double!”

Town wasted little time settling any nerves on Sunday when striker Shanice Etherington capitalised on a mix-up in the Hammersmith defence to open the scoring with just seven minutes on the clock.

With Maxine Borden running the show in midfield, Camden dominated possession throughout the first half. Borden went agonisingly close to doubling Town’s lead with a fierce free-kick that rattled the crossbar.

Knowing that only a win would keep their slim title hopes alive, Hammersmith tried their best to mount a comeback. But when a golden opportunity did arrive via a swift counterattack, Camden right-back Gemma Clenshaw produced a heroic last-ditch tackle to divert the shot wide and deny a near-certain equaliser.

The visitors were handed a lifeline five minutes from time when the referee controversially pointed to the spot for handball. Ciara John stepped up to convert the penalty, drawing the sides level at 1-1.

Despite the late drama, though, triumphant Town held firm, and the final whistle saw them crowned champions with a game to spare.

Reflecting on the exciting challenges that lie ahead in tier six of the football pyramid, Mahoney added: “The players and staff have worked so hard, and they fully deserve this moment. But as much as we’re enjoying this success, preparations for next season are already underway. We’ve started setting our targets and identifying what we’ll need to be competitive at the next level.

“Me and Harry are in constant dialogue about what those requirements look like and how we go about meeting them.

“We’re confident the squad we have is already strong enough to compete; after all, we’ve gone toe-to-toe with teams from the division above in pre-season and the County Cup this year and come out on top more than once.”

To find out more about supporting Camden Town WFC in this Sunday’s JGMT final, visit the club’s website or find them on Instagram. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.