Doncaster Rovers Belles boss Andy Butler lays down gauntlet to players ahead of new season

Belles have been on a downward spiral since winning the FAWSL2 title as recently as 2018 and, following the loss of their main sponsor, now find themselves in the fourth tier of the women’s game.

Their young team was relegated from the FAWNL Northern Premier Division last year and were positioned in the lower reaches of Division One Midlands when last season ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, performances and results notably picked up following the appointment of former Doncaster Rovers captain Butler in January.

“I want to push for promotion,” Butler told the Free Press.

“There’s no point sitting there saying we want to consolidate.

“I believe if we start our pre-season well and we get our points across about the way we want to play we can match the teams in that division if not hopefully better them.

“That’s up to the players. They’ve got to show the commitment and desire that they want to jump on board with us and go places.

“Everyone wants to be in a higher division so let’s aim for that and see where it goes.”

Playing in Division One Midlands rather than Division One North – against the likes of Barnsley, Leeds and Bradford City – has not been ideal for the club but Butler expects that to continue for the 2020/21 season.

“I think they worked out the difference in the mileage was about 30 miles between the midlands [league] and the north [league],” he said.

“A lot of our players live north of Doncaster so it would really help out if we were in the north division.

“But I think we’ll be staying in the midlands division, which is a bit of a nightmare if I’m being totally honest because it’s two hours to Birmingham, two hours to Burton, most of the teams are in the Birmingham area.

“Whatever happens, happens,” he added.

“We’ve said our bit about where we’d like to play but it’s all about the leagues and what works for them.

“Given the current circumstances there might be teams having to fold, you don’t know, so it might depend on that.”

Belles host Sutton Coldfield Town behind-closed-doors in their opening friendly this weekend.

They will also face Salford Lionesses, Brighouse Town, Sheffield FC, Leek Town and Bradford City over the next few weeks.

*Since this article was first published in print it has been confirmed that Belles will again play in FAWNL Division One Midlands.