New computer. New post. Same BWSL2 chaos. This is actually my first post written on the new Windows 11 computer I got on Monday, and it is amazing. And what a Matchweek 5 to christen it with. Newcastle are perfect. Sunderland are chasing them. Ipswich are flying. Forest still haven't lost. Southampton finally have. Watford nearly had their first win. And we've got a Tyne-Wear derby lurking on 15 November. As Ryder would put it: "PAW Patrol is on a roll!" So, apparently, are half of the teams near the top of BWSL2. Let's get into it. --- DURHAM 0-3 NEWCASTLE UNITED Five games. Five wins. Newcastle United have basically looked at the opening five matches of the season and said: absolutely not, nobody else is having any of these points. Hildur Antonsdottir got things started with her first Newcastle goal after reacting fastest to Cat Sheppard's parry. Then Jordan Nobbs hammered in number two after another save fell invitingly. And, because apparently Newcastle needed the league's leading scorer to join the fun as well, Martha Thomas finished off a breakaway for number three. That's five goals in five league games for Thomas. Newcastle: 15 points from 15. At this point, Chase — "Chase is on the case!" Why Chase? Because Newcastle have been ridiculously methodical. Turn up. Control the game. Get the job done. Move on to the next case. Durham did improve in the second half and forced Anna Tamminen into work, but Newcastle had enough control to finish this comfortably. Durham remain without a point. Newcastle remain without a blemish. Someone might need to tell the rest of the division that the Magpies have already started running. --- BRISTOL CITY 2-1 SOUTHAMPTON Forty-three seconds. That's how long Southampton needed. Freya Jupp scored almost immediately and, for a while, Saints looked capable of protecting another result in what had been an unbeaten start. Then Bristol City emerged for the second half and apparently decided they'd had enough of that. Lotta Lindstrom punished a loose ball to equalise. Then Sophie Ingle produced an excellent touch and finish in the 79th minute to turn the match completely around. Southampton's unbeaten league start: finished. Bristol City: up to sixth. This one belongs to Marshall — "Ready or not, I'm coming in hot!" Why Marshall? Southampton came flying out of the blocks after 43 seconds, but Bristol were the ones who really caught fire after half-time. It was basically two completely different matches. And the funny bit? These two get to do it all again in the Subway Players Cup in a fortnight. Round two, anyone? --- NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2-0 BURNLEY Tuva Espas. Twice. That's basically the summary. Forest controlled the first half, created chance after chance, and eventually Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah did the work inside the box before Espas tapped in. Then Espas tapped in another. So there is really only one pup for this. Rubble — "Rubble on the double!" Why Rubble? Espas scored a double. I refuse to overcomplicate this one. Forest remain unbeaten and sit fourth after an extremely impressive start to the season. Burnley, meanwhile, didn't register a shot on target. --- And a quick clarification because I've seen this mixed up before: Ipswich are NOT newly promoted this season. The newly promoted BWSL2 clubs for 2026/27 are: Wolves. Burnley. Watford. Ipswich came up the previous season and are now in their second BWSL2 campaign. There we go. Sorted. --- SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-2 IPSWICH TOWN Speaking of Ipswich... What on earth has happened here? Three league wins in a row. Third in BWSL2. Still unbeaten. And two rather ridiculous goals at Bramall Lane. Sheffield United actually started strongly. Amy Andrews hit the bar and Lysianne Proulx had saves to make. Then Megan Hornby apparently looked at the distance between herself and the Sheffield United goal and decided that normality was overrated. She drove forward from inside her own half before beating Sian Rogers. Then Princess Ademiluyi, who was already the hero last weekend, produced another long-range finish into the far corner. Connie Scofield pulled one back with her first Sheffield United goal, and United threw everything at Ipswich late on. Ipswich survived. Three straight wins. This feels like Skye — "This pup's gotta fly!" Why Skye? Because Ipswich have absolutely taken off. After everything they went through during their first BWSL2 season, they're now third and unbeaten after five matches. And those two goals weren't exactly staying close to the ground either. Ipswich have lift-off. --- SUNDERLAND 3-1 LEICESTER CITY Now we get to the team sitting immediately behind Newcastle. Sunderland. Five games unbeaten. Four wins. Second place. And the Black Cats are very much refusing to let their neighbours disappear over the horizon. Katie Kitching pounced on a poor Leicester pass and looped Sunderland ahead. Asmita Ale responded with a lovely chipped finish to make it 1-1. Then Sunderland took control after half-time. Elise Hughes tapped home her fourth league goal of the season after excellent work from Katy Watson. Then Kitching turned provider, crossing for Sanni Franssi to score for the second match running. 3-1. And for Sunderland, I'm going slightly outside the actual pups here and into Cat Pack territory. Wild — "This cat always lands on his paws." Why Wild? They're the Black Cats. Come on. I was never leaving that one unused. More importantly, Sunderland keep finding a way. They head into the first international break of the season unbeaten and sitting directly behind their biggest rivals Newcastle United. --- Which brings us to something worth putting in the diary right now: 15 NOVEMBER 2026 SUNDERLAND v NEWCASTLE UNITED STADIUM OF LIGHT The Tyne-Wear derby. There is another BWSL2 matchweek before that derby, so plenty can still change. But right now? First against second. Newcastle perfect. Sunderland unbeaten. North East bragging rights bubbling away nicely in the background. November could be fun. Very fun. --- WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 2-2 WATFORD And finally... What a strange little rollercoaster this was. Georgia Marshall headed newly promoted Wolves in front. Watford kept pushing. Poppy Wilson equalised at the back post. Then Pheobie Poole flicked home her first professional goal to put Watford 2-1 ahead. For seven minutes, Watford could see their first BWSL2 victory right in front of them. Then came the handball. Penalty. Charlotte Greengrass. 2-2. And Watford still nearly nicked it when they hit the crossbar right at the end. For two promoted teams still figuring out life at this level, this was great entertainment. Let's bring Roxi from Rescue Wheels into this one: "Let's Rox and roll!" Why Roxi? Because this match basically was Rescue Wheels. Forward. Backward. Wolves ahead. Watford ahead. Wolves back level. Crossbar. Nobody apparently interested in keeping the thing calm. Watford still have to wait for their first victory, but this was another sign that they can compete. And Wolves already have two wins from their opening five after reaching BWSL2 for the first time this season. Not bad at all. --- SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? Newcastle United: five wins from five. Sunderland: unbeaten and right behind them. Ipswich Town: unbeaten and third. Nottingham Forest: unbeaten and fourth. Bristol City: ending Southampton's unbeaten start. Southampton: beaten for the first time. Wolves: showing they belong at this level. Watford: still hunting that first win. Burnley: work to do. Durham: definitely work to do. And now BWSL2 joins the WSL in heading into the international break. A chance to reset. A chance to recover. A chance for everyone chasing Newcastle to work out how they're going to stop them. Perhaps Rocky — "Green means go!" Why Rocky? Because when league football comes back, nobody near the top can afford to stand still. And don't forget that 15 November Tyne-Wear derby. Sunderland are sitting just behind Newcastle as we enter this first international break. That's a rather tasty little subplot to carry around for the next few weeks. --- ONE MORE THING Since this is also my first post from the new Windows 11 setup, I might as well say this as well. If anyone wants me to get rid of the so-called "AI slop", they are mistaken. I'm not going to stop using AI in posts. This is actually helpful. One genuine reason why? AI helps me organise a large amount of verified match information into a clearer, more readable structure while I still decide what goes into the post, what I think about it and what I actually publish. That's a tool helping me write. It isn't replacing my opinions. It isn't deciding which teams I support. And it certainly isn't responsible for me putting PAW Patrol references into BWSL2 reviews. That bit is entirely me. So, yes. Expect more. As Ryder says, "No job is too big, no pup is too small." And apparently no BWSL2 roundup is safe from PAW Patrol either. Enjoy the international break. We'll be back for Matchweek 6.   submitted by   /u/MonthRemarkable9919 [link]   [comments]