'Incredible journey' set to take team to promotion

Ipswich Town Women's manager Joe Sheehan has said his side's near-certain promotion to the Championship will be a "special day".

The Tractor Girls' stunning season culminates on Sunday as they host Cheltenham, with their superior goal difference meaning even a loss would still not stop the party.

It will be the first time the club will compete in the second tier, ending their four-year stint in the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division.

Sheehan, who initially worked in a voluntary role at the Suffolk club, said: "I'm incredibly proud and privileged to have played a part in the growth over so many years."

Sheehan was appointed manager of the women's side in February 2019. The following month, his side drew 1-1 with Leyton Orient in front of 40 spectators in the fourth division.

Their now record goalscorer, Natasha Thomas, was on the bench. In 2025, she went on to represent Jamaica at international level, having scored over 150 goals for Ipswich.

Two Covid-19 curtailed seasons and three heart-breaking title pushes later, the Tractor Girls returned to Portman Road in March 2025 where they broke the league attendance during their 3-1 win against Plymouth Argyle in front of 10,807.

Sheehan himself was unpaid during his first season-and-a-half. The players trained just twice a week, led by voluntary staff.

The dedicated boss once drove a minibus for an U21's friendly match to Sunderland, where he could only pull together a team of just nine players.

Now, they train four times a week, have tailored strength and conditioning training, and are fed nutritionally balanced meals.

Sheehan said: "It's been an incredible journey.

"The growth, the success, the development of the group, the club and the staff.

"The experiences that we've had along the way have been remarkable. "

Captain Maria Boswell will be the player to lift the league title on Sunday.

The 22-year old, who lives with teammates Sophie Peskett and Kyra Robertson, has been part of a rock-solid defence that has only conceded 10 goals in the league this season.

Both her and her teammates are still part-time footballers, but promotion will mean going full-time.

She has dreamt of this moment since coming into the first team four years ago.

"I've spent four years thinking of this day. I've thought about it every single day; what the feeling is going to be like," she said.

"You don't get opportunities like this very often, to celebrate promotion to the Championship.

"I can't put it into words how much it would mean to be with the girls, on the pitch and lift that trophy."

The Tractor Girls have come close to promotion each season at third tier level, but have fallen at the final hurdle. On previous attempts, they finished second, third and fourth.

Until the 2023/24 season, the winner of the Southern Premier Division then had to face off in a promotion-deciding fixture with the Northern division's winners.

Sheehan said previously it gave "little to no room for error", requiring "near-perfect seasons".

He added: "We have had sour experiences, some trauma and some difficult moments. We've been close, but have fallen short.

"On two separate occasions, we have won 10 to 11 games in a row in this division, and still fallen short. It's been tough; lots of low points where you wonder what else you can do".

Within these seasons, the Tractor Girls have had some key moments, including record-breaking FA Cup runs, hosting WSL side West Ham United at their home in Felixstowe, as well as two trips to giants Manchester City.

Ipswich set the standard in the league this year, slipping to defeat only twice and conceding just 10 goals. Their main rivals this season have been Essex side Hashtag United, who are three points behind them going into the final round of fixtures.

A nine-game unbeaten run at the start of the season saw Sheehan's side set the pace, including a 4-0 league cup win over East Anglian rivals Norwich City at Carrow Road.

Hashtag were one of only two teams to beat Town, which didn't come until early March.

Ipswich were the form scorers in the league, and have netted 81 times so far.

Town recorded eye catching results including 11-0 and 13-0 wins over MK Dons, a 7-0 win over Cheltenham and a 6-0 win over Billericay.