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Figure caption,Charlton earn WSL promotion after Whitehouse penalty heroics
ByEmma SandersBBC Sport women’s football news reporter at The Valley- Published1 hour ago
When goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse walked into the media room, wearing glitter, heart-shaped sunglasses with "SW#1" written on them, her manager Karen Hills had one phrase.
"The star of the show".
Charlton's number one was exactly that as her heroics helped secure the club a spot in the Women's Super League for the first time in their history.
It was the first-ever play-off tie, with second-tier side Charlton coming up against the WSL's bottom club Leicester City and it went to the wire, needing a penalty shootout to separate the teams.
Having made stunning saves during the previous 120 minutes, it was no surprise to see Whitehouse produce four stops in the shootout.
When she dived to her bottom left to save Noemie Mouchon's deciding penalty - the area she had marked on her water bottle in preparation - her team-mates sprinted across the pitch in celebration as a roar erupted from The Valley stands.
Charlton had made it and Whitehouse was, as Hills said, the 'star of the show'.
"I don't even know what to say. It was the craziest thing ever. I just thought 'I need to save it' and that's what I did I guess," Whitehouse told BBC Sport.
"We pushed to the last minute and to the end of the game. Those are the moments I've been working for.
"We've been practising penalties for weeks and once it got to that moment, I knew we could do it."
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sophie Whitehouse won the WSL 2 Golden Glove award
'Billy' rescues crucial water bottle
If the previous 120 minutes had felt lacklustre, despite stunning saves from Whitehouse to deny Shannon O'Brien and Ashleigh Neville, the shootout was far from it and turned into a chaotic few moments.
With each Whitehouse save, chants roared from the home fans and manager Hills was jumping in the air, barely able to contain her anxiety.
At one point, Whitehouse's precious bottle - full of instructions drawn onto it - was thrown into the stands, only to be retrieved by a member of Charlton's staff, later revealed to be called Billy.
Whitehouse frantically read over the markings when it was thrown back over as the clock ticked on, and she took a yellow card for time-wasting with Leicester's Olivia McLoughlin made to wait to take her penalty.
Ironically, that was the only spot kick Whitehouse didn't save as McLoughlin's effort squeezed under the crossbar and into the top netting.
"For some reason my bottle disappeared," Whitehouse joked afterwards when asked if opposition goalkeeper Katie Keane had tried to throw it away.
"I don't know where it went... but luckily someone behind the stands scrambled to get it. I might have had information in that moment to help me. I can't tell you my secrets!
"Thanks Billy for getting my bottle back! I had to retrieve the bottle, that's why I got a yellow card, but it was worth it.
"It's safely hidden in the dressing room now. I might actually get it out and put it on my wall."
Whitehouse revealed she had set herself three objectives at the start of the season - to remain consistent, to win the Golden Glove and to help Charlton gain promotion.
As she sat next to her manager, glowing with pride and a bottle of champagne in view, Whitehouse realised she had achieved everything she had hoped.
On Monday, she was awarded the Golden Glove for her eight clean sheets throughout the campaign and this result was the cherry on top.
"That's all I was striving for this season. In every game I wanted to do everything I could to make sure we could do it, and we did. I'm so proud," added Whitehouse.
"The staff prepare us for those moments, so I felt ready. When we got to the shootout I was just in the zone.
"I did what I could do and made some saves. Neil – my goalkeeper coach – really helped me."
The five-year plan pays off
Charlton's thoughts will turn to the WSL in the coming days as they join WSL 2 champions Birmingham City and runners-up Crystal Palace in the top flight.
It is a return for manager Hills, who led Tottenham to the WSL for the first time, alongside Juan Carlos Amoros, in 2019.
This was Hills' fifth season in charge of Charlton and she said all along the plan was to reach the WSL by this stage.
"It was my five-year plan to get into the WSL. I wanted to put Charlton Women back on the map, in terms of our identity and the way we play," she added.
"I wanted to bring that feel for women's football back to the club. When I was playing, that is what we had, and I wanted to bring that back.
"That was always my ambition and dream. Thankfully these players have delivered a world-class performance today for me."
Charlton's season has been a remarkable one.
Competing against other clubs in the WSL 2 with larger budgets, support from higher-ranked men's sides, and splurges in the transfer window, Charlton have by all accounts, defied the odds.
Very few had tipped them to be in promotion contention before the season began but a 27-game unbeaten run and an impressive defensive record helped propel them to the top of the league.
They were in pole position going into the final day before a 2-0 defeat by Birmingham City saw them drop to third, two points behind, and leapfrogged by Crystal Palace.
However, Hills described Saturday's showdown with Leicester as "another bite of the cherry" and her emotions were on full show at full-time after a nervous few weeks.
Having to wait 21 days to play the fixture, a club record crowd of 3,979 celebrated their victory in the sunshine as Hills shed tears with her staff.
"Management is an emotional rollercoaster at the best of times. To do what we've done today makes me so proud - but also exhausted!" she joked afterwards.
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed
