RELEGATED Doncaster Rovers Belles picked up their first points of the season on the final day with a narrow 1-0 win over Reading Women at Adams Park.
Royals won the reverse fixture 4-1 in September but were beaten this time around by a second half Katrin Omarsdottir strike.
In truth the hosts were indebted to a string of fine saves from Mary Earps for keeping her side in the game while at the other end Emma Follis had a goal disallowed for offside.
The defeat sees Reading miss the chance to jump up above Sunderland, finishing eighth in FA WSL 1.
Kelly Chambers made just one change from the side which lost 3-2 at Chelsea last week with Kayleigh Hines coming in for the injured Molly Bartrip.
Lois Roche returned to the squad to take her place on the bench but there was no Jade Boho Sayo, who returned to Spain upon the expiry of her contract earlier in the week.
Doncaster, already relegated for a few weeks, showed they were determined to try and grab their first points of the campaign, making life difficult for the hosts early on.
But Royals had the game’s first chance when Lauren Bruton, named Players’ Player of the Year prior to kick-off, picked out a brilliant pass for Follis, but the winger slid her effort wide.
It was not all one-way traffic though, with Earps making a nervy start, flapping at a couple of crosses.
Amber Stobbs was lively on the wing for Reading while also doing her defensive duty to cut out a low ball in from the right.
Harriet Scott tried her luck at the other end with an ambitious effort flashing just over before Chambers’ side had a penalty shout waved away when Stobbs went to ground.
Christie Murray almost profited from some sloppy Reading defensive play, swirling an effort over the bar but the ball did soon end up in the net via Follis.
Bruton did brilliantly to charge clear down the right and clip a cross in for Follis, who turned it in, but the linesman’s flag denied her.
The late first half chances fell Doncaster’s way with Leandra Little heading wide before Earps was called into a fabulous flying save to tip Emily Simpkins’ powerful shot over.
Reading started the second half brightly, creating two early openings with Scott firing over the bar before Melissa Fletcher met Becky Jane’s cross only to head wide.
Despite being camped in their half during most of the early stages of the second half, Doncaster threatened an opener out of nothing as Murray found space but her shot flashed wide with the diving Earps beaten.
And that seemed to give the visitors confidence as they enjoyed a good spell of pressure with Earps required to wonderfully tip Kasia Lipka’s effort wide before Omarsdottir saw an effort blocked deep inside the box.
But winger Omarsdottir did not have to wait much longer for her goal, breaking beyond the defence before sliding past Earps with 20 minutes to play.
That lead was so nearly doubled moments later when a cross was met by Omarsdottir again from close range but Earps made an incredible save to somehow tip it over the bar.
Reading penned Belles back for the majority of the closing stages but without ever testing goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse.
The hosts looked to have been handed a late lifeline when Bruton went down in the box, but she was booked for simulation.
Defeat sees Reading end their first FA WSL 1 campaign with nine points but still yet to taste a home victory since moving to Adams Park at the beginning of the season.
After a lengthy break, Royals return for a ‘Spring Series’ early next year before the 2017-18 season kicks off next August.
READING (ratings out of 10): Earps 9; Jane 7.5, McGee (c) 6.5, Hines 6.5, Scott 7.5; Rowe 8, Allen 7; Stobbs 7.5 (Estcourt 76 n/a), Bruton 8, Follis 6.5 (Ward 69 6); Fletcher 7.
Subs not used: Moloney, Roche.
Yellow cards: Allen (68), Bruton (86)
DONCASTER: Moorhouse; Barker, Little, Roberts, Pacheco; Simpkins (Bakowska-Mathews 86), Tierney, Lipka; Humphrey, Omarsdottir, Murray (Sweetman-Kirk 89).
Subs not used: Hobbs, Rayner, Newborough.
Goals: Omarsdottir (69)
Yellow cards: Simpkins (48)
Referee: Steven Bates
Attendance: 885
