John Salmon’s time at the helm of Watford Ladies has come to end with his side ending their disappointing Women’s Super League 2 campaign with a goalless draw at home to London Bees.

The Golden Girls announced at the start of this week that the manager and general manager was leaving after the final game of the campaign but he was unable to sign off with a win as his side finished the season with just one league victory to their name.

The home side did have their chances though; Megan Wynne seeing a first-half pushed onto the bar by Sophie Harris before an ambitious long-range attempt from Josie Green was clawed onto the post by the keeper.

The Golden Girls made two changes from the side that suffered an 11th consecutive league defeat when they went down 4-o at Durham Women last time out with captain Wynne and Emily Heaslip coming in for Grace Gillard and Kim Farrow.

Salomon was only able to name four substitutes but they included Chloe Gunn and Renee Hector after both had been sidelined with long-term injuries.

Both sides sought to attack in the first half but clear-cut chances were at a premium, although Shayla Burgess had to make a fine save to tip over a well-struck 30-yard effort from centre-half Jade Dempster.

Soon after the Golden Girls keeper was in the right place to hold a close-range header from Lucy Loomes following a Bees free-kick as the contest livened up in the final thirds in the last ten minutes of the opening period.

The Golden Girls were forced into a change three minutes before the interval when they lost Tricia Gould to injury. But as Farrow was preparing to enter the fray, Wynne almost gave her side the lead, twisting and turning on the right side of the area before standing up a cross-cum-shot that keeper Harris had to tip onto her own bar.

The hosts went close again in first-half stoppage-time when Ellie Mason headed a corner from the left almost out of Harris’ hands but the effort was cleared from close to the line.

Mason turned provider after the restart, playing a fine pass to release Wynne, who closed in on goal but then dragged her shot across the face of the target and wide of the far post.

The hosts continued to have joy down the sides of the London defence and Mason was the next to be played into a shooting position, but she fired high and wide of the near post.

Stacie Donnelly had an effort from distance saved as Watford continued to look for the breakthrough before their opponents started to get into some promising attacking positions themselves, but without threatening Burgess’ goal a great deal.

The Golden Girls continued to look the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock and with 19 minutes remaining a fine ball from Mason picked out Farrow at the far post, but Harris was quickly out to smother at her feet with a good blocking save.

The substitute was to have another opportunity within two minutes but this time she was unable to control her effort on target as she stretched to reach it.

The visitors made a couple of changes as the last ten minutes approached and it took a good save from Burgess to stop them from scoring, the keeper getting down to her left to keep out a Paige Wakefield free-kick from 25 yards.

But it then took a combination of the keeper and the woodwork to come to the Bees’ rescue again when Josie Green tried an ambitious effort from 35 yards that looked to be dipping inside the far corner but Harris got just enough on it to send it clattering off the far post and away to safety.

Wakefield did have an opportunity in the closing stages when she headed wide from a corner before Mason went to close down Harris, only to catch her clearance flush in the face.

Watford Ladies: S Burgess; Pepper, Robe, Heaslip, Tullett; Green, Donnelly; Wynne, Nuttall, Gould (Farrow 42); Mason. Not used: Gunn, Hector, Read.

London Bees: Harris; Brooks, Dempster, Hurley, Huggins, Wakefield, Howells, Fraser, Goddard (Bowers 76), Whitter (Hinchcliffe 79), Loomes. Not used: Howes, Bowers, Anderson, Georgiou, Marcoci, Naprta.

Attendance: 321.

Referee: Michael Richards