Tottenham Hotspur Ladies -

First Team reports 2003-04

From the first whistle, it was obvious that this was going to be a tough tie.  Spurs confidently passed the ball around and produced the first shot that went wide.  The ball was then worked to Kat Spencer and although she was pressed by players trying to get the ball from her, she determinedly ran through to finish in an accomplished fashion to see Spurs go one up with her first goal for the club.

With a quick break down the wing, Edgware made strides into the Spurs area and with confusion in the Spurs line up, they levelled the score by beating Tina Hills with a shot at the the near post.

The play swung to the other end and a ball is crossed into the Edgware goalmouth and Lorraine Sparrow gets her head to it, but her effort is ruled out because of an offside decision.  Despite the terrible conditions the pace of the game was very quick, with chances going wide and hitting the post until Kenne Ogunneye gives Spurs a 2-1 half-time lead with a good solid shot into the back of the net.

The pitch is now even heavier in the rain that has fallen and Edgware take advantage of this by getting a quick goal after the break to bring the scores back level.  The home side know that they are still in the match and when the chance presents itself to take a long shot, the ball lobs over Tina to give Edgware a 3-2 lead.   The players were jubilant, but the Tottenham caretaker manager and bench urge their team on.

A sterling performance by captain Jackie Fearon was capped with a goal that pegged the home side back at 3-3.  A tackle on Kerry Daniels meant that a substitution was required and on came Mel Berry to fill in at left back.

Spurs were now pushing forward, with the conditions ever deteriorating.  Lorraine Sparrow took a shot but ball stopped on the line in the muddy goalmouth,  Kenne ran past and realised that the ball had not gone in,  as does the keeper.  Then both Kenne and the keeper race for the ball, with the Spurs striker getting there first and she finishes making it 4-3.

Both sides battled until the end, but it was Spurs who have the final attack.  The ball was crossed towards three Spurs players, who miss the chance to finish the game, but Lorraine shots and scores to seal the match and make the final score 5-3.

JUNE CLARKE

It didn't take long for Spurs to edge in front with Flintham's 50th goal of the season and with the bulk of the possession it promised to be a good day for the ladies.  However, a breakaway goal by the Raiders against the run of play made the score one a piece at the break.

The second half featured the most amazing strong winds that started blowing up and basically turned what was a close and hotly contested match into a farce.

The Spurs defence could barely clear their lines and every time the ball was soundly hoofed back by Redbridge, who, to give them their due, took full advantage of the conditions by shooting at every opportunity from some most unlikely positions and putting Munro in the Spurs goal under constant pressure.  With goal kicks, instead of making at least the halfway line as normal, barely clearing the penalty area, Spurs were constantly defending.

This presented Redbridge with many more shooting chances than they would normally be afforded and inevitably they netted on three further occasions to give them the three points.

PETE SKINNER

Although Panthers play their football in Division 3, we know they have already taken a Premier League scalp in this Cup and looking at their results this season they look like an up and coming side and deserved our full respect.

With a full strength Tottenham side it was always going to be tough for Panthers and very early on a superb flick, turn and an unstoppable volley from Kehinde put the Spurs in front and from there the Ladies controlled the game.

It didn't take long for captain Jackie Fearon to put Flintham through for Spurs second and Leah had a chance to make it three when the referee pointed to the spot following the upending of a Spurs forward.  However, Leah chose to power the ball straight down the middle for Fogg in the Panthers goal to save well.

On 30 minutes, Andrea McGrady grabbed her first goal for Spurs and the score remained at 3-0 going into the half time break.

Spurs brought on Alice Oake and Di Gardiner at half time for Samrawit Bereket and the injured Kelly Herrett and continued their domination of possession without really threatening the Panthers goal.  On the occasions they did hit the target, the Panthers keeper was in inspired form, showing a very safe pair of hands and only making one real mistake all day - failing to hold onto a fierce Flintham drive for Spurs fourth.

Leah's hat trick came when a ball dropped to her feet and was buried by the Spurs striker.  That goal completed the scoring with the game at 5-0 and saw Spurs safely into the cup semi finals.

PETE SKINNER

It was a fine performance from the Spurs team, who made it an easy afternoon for Louise Cooper in goal by protecting from the Orient attackers.  The main reason for that was the superb forward moving play that the team produced that prevented the O's playing their normal game and forced them into numerous unforced errors, which led to some disputes within their ranks.

Spurs pressed on the Orient goal from the start and Kenne Ogunneye went close in the fourth minute with a drive that rose over the bar, when she broke through on the left of the area.  And it was Kenne who gave Spurs the lead ten minutes later, when she rose highest in a packed penalty box to head home Lucy Auguste's corner.

With Tottenham proving more determined in most areas of the pitch, Orient were reduced to long range efforts, which were off target as the rain and the wind battered the big crowd gathered for the match, including members of many of the Spurs ladies teams.  They were treated to a second goal on 29 minutes, when Kat Spencer slung in a low, curling cross to the near post and as the keeper waited for the ball to arrive, Kenne nipped in front of her and lifted it over her for her second of the match.  The Spurs striker could have had her hat-trick in the first half, but although she got a far post header on Lucy's long corner, she could not direct it on target just two minutes before the break.  With time running out before the interval, an Orient player was booked for a foul and from the resulting free-kick on the left side of the area, Kelly Herrett fired in a free-kick that only just cleared the crossbar.

With John Abbott taking the team, his half-time team-talk obviously included the fact that he wanted Spurs to keep it tight for the first fifteen minutes of the half, as there was the threat that Orient would try to get back into the game early in the second period.  Gill Blackmore was having a storming game in an unfamiliar role at the back, but Kelly was booked for a foul just outside the box and from the resulting free-kick, Louise had the shot covered, even though it cleared the goal.  With attack being the best form of defence, Spurs moved the ball wide and won a corner on the right wing, after Kenne's shot was beaten away by the Orient goalie.  From Lucy's long cross, Kenne was not to be denied this time, when, stationed at the far post, her header found the back of the net to rack up her treble. 

Orient's best chance came on 70 minutes, when a free-kick dropped kindly for their centre forward, who snatched at the ball directly in front of goal, but ended up putting the effort four yards wide.  Three minutes later and the game was over, as Lucy Auguste swung in another vicious left footed corner and it needed nobody's head this time, as it found it's way in at the far post to make it 4-0.

The game was played out in improving weather, but the Tottenham ladies kept moving the ball well, while frustrating Orient with some solid work in midfield and at the back.  It was a happy Spurs team that greeted the final whistle and the ladies will face Dagenham & Redbridge in the final.

The game started brightly for Spurs with some good early exchanges and some superb passing football but a few strong tackles from Luton made the us aware they were not just there to make up the numbers and set the game up as a real test prior to this weekend's Cup Final.

Spurs probably just shaded the possession in the first half, with Gill Blackmore's move to the back an inspired move, but ended up a goal down due to fantastic strike from a Luton player just before the break.

The second half saw a more determined Spurs matching Luton's physicality and it didn't take long for Kehinde Ogunneye to equalise with a headed effort from an Auguste corner.

It was Spurs turn then to take the lead, with a well struck long range shot from Sarah Green that the Luton keeper found too strong to hold onto.

Almost immediately Luton brought it back to 2-2 from again from a set piece corner to tie up a hard fought game with the score emulating the men's fantastic fight back against the champions at the weekend !

PETE SKINNER

The first scare was at Tottenham's end, when a short back pass held up on the long turf and a D&R striker latched onto it, but Gill Blackmore got in the way and Louise Cooper picked up the loose ball.  Spurs had the bulk of the possession in the mach, but found difficulty in finding their targets with the passing on a hard and bumpy pitch.  In the early stages, both Kat Spencer and Leah Flintham were unable to get on the end of through passes.

The 20th minute saw Spurs create the best chance of scoring up until that point, when Kat's cross from the right found Lorraine Sparrow stealing in at the far post and her low shot was smuggled past the post somehow by a defender, who knew little about it.  From the resulting corner, Jackie Fearon's shot on the turn was saved by the goalie, who also was called into action by Lucy Auguste's long range bobbling shot in the next attack.

Some determined chasing down on the right wing saw Leah take the ball off a defender and move forward with it to pull it back to Kenne Ogunneye, who chipped the ball goalwards, but the keeper just grabbed it under the bar.  Leah then produced a firm cross from the right that flew just too far in front of Lorraine and Kenne, but in the next attack, Spurs fell behind.  A long ball broke for the Dagenham forward, who ran down the right wing and passed inside for a low shot that got past Louise's dive in the 28th minute.  However, Kenne almost equalised straight away, with a great run in the left hand channel to meet a through ball, lift if over the keeper, but it was hacked away from in front of the goal.

Andrea McGrady had the next shot and the keeper touched her 18 yard drive onto the bar on the half hour.  The game got a bit scrappy, with a number of injuries needing treatment, but just before half-time a neat piece of skill opened up the Daggers left flank and Kenne crossed for Leah to fire in a shot that was deflected over the top.  From the resulting corner, Leah met Lucy's deep kick at the far post and her header was straight at the goalie.  In added time, some good fortune allowed D&R to take a 2-0 lead into the dressing room.  A right wing cross looked like harmlessly going through the box, but the ball hit a forward on the knee and it just crept inside the post to extend the score-line in Dagenham and Redbridge's favour.

The second half was to be a possession filled 45 minutes for Tottenham, who forced the play, but suffered the slings of outrageous fortune as they tried to get back into the match.  They found particular joy down their right flank and an early cross by Alice Oake was just too far in front of Lorraine to convert it.  It was Mutley's last involvement as she was soon subbed by right sided midfielder Samrawit Bereket, which prompted a tactical change in the side, with Kat Spencer switching to the left wing.  Unfortunately, Leah aggravated her knee injury and she was replaced by Crissy Oshodi.

The manager's changes almost paid of in the 56th minute, when Kat cut in from the left wing to hit a shot from 20 yards that once more hit the frame of the goal and as the ball dropped Crissy could only get enough on the ball to take it over the bar.  With quarter of an hour of the second half past, a long ball forward from Jackie Fearon saw Kenne outpace the defence and get a shot in which the keeper managed to push aside and Louise was called into a rare piece of action for her from a route one move that saw a Dagenham forward run through, but she smartly dived at her feet to smother any danger.

Kenne again dispossessed a Redbridge defender and was only denied as she bore down on goal by a  last ditch tackle with three quarters of the game gone.  As time went on, Spurs kept pushing forwards, with Dagenham tiring and their players collapsing with cramp.  A long left wing cross fro deep by Lucy Auguste caught the keeper back pedaling and the ball bounced back off the goal-post to once more deny Spurs with no defender alert to the danger.  Kenne was peppering the goal and a firm drive saw the keeper dive too early for it in the 78th minute, but she recovered well to grab the ball as it was in the air behind her and ready to drop into the goal.

Within a minute however, Spurs finally managed to avoid the woodwork to get a goal back.  Good work on the right wing between Samrawit Bereket and Alice Oake, saw the latter swing a good cross into the box and with tired legs missing the ball, captain Jackie Fearon turned to hit the ball low into the net to give Spurs something to chase in the remaining ten minutes.

Although Dagenham had a shot over the bar as a player broke into the box at the far post, that was the only time the ball entered the Spurs box as wave on wave of attack broke on the D&R goal.  Lucy Auguste hit a 40 yard shot that bounced awkwardly for the keeper, but she managed to grasp it and further efforts by Crissy, Jackie and Kat were all off target before the referee brought proceedings to a close.

Congratulations to Dagenham and Redbridge on their victory and well done to the Spurs Ladies on a very creditable performance that on another day might have found the ball going another couple of inches inside the post and bar !!

The sun shone on the Spurs ground for the kick off in front of over 700 enthusiastic fans gathered in the West Stand.  Tottenham started with an attacking attitude that saw an early corner give Lucy Auguste the opportunity to swing the ball in towards the near post in the seventh minute.  As a mass of bodies went for the ball, the keeper and a defender collided and the defender crashed into the goalpost, needing some attention before being able to carry on.  Two minutes later the RAF keeper was brought into action for the first time in the match with a save from a low shot by Jackie Fearon, followed by a 12th minute dive to stop a Lucy Auguste effort.  Lucy then turned provider with a long ball down the middle of the pitch that was flicked on by the head of Leah Flintham, which brought a save low down by the RAF goalie.

A moment of bad luck prevented the RAF side taking the lead, when the ball found it's way into Toni Munro's net, but the linesman's flag ruled it out for offside.  The play quickly switched to the other end and a neat bit of work on the right by Kat Spencer, who caused problems all afternoon for the RAF defence, led to a cross that Leah Flintham hit on the turn at the near post, missing the target by a narrow margin.  Leah was having a sparkling few minutes and the keeper's brave rush from her line stopped her in her tracks, but in the next move, it was her run in the right wing position which provided a tempting low cross that missed out Andrea McGrady at the near post and was hit just wide by Kenne Ogunneye at the far post.

Spurs were not having it all their own way though and a 25 yard drive by a RAF forward forced a good stop by Toni Munro in the 21st minute.  In the blink of an eye, the match switched ends and Tottenham took the lead.  Kenne slipped a perceptive pass through to Leah in the left hand channel and getting the bounce in a tackle, she rounded the keeper to make her good fortune pay with an opening goal by stroking it into an unguarded net.

Leah was enjoying the big game surroundings as she again tested the keeper with a low drive in the 24th minute, then two minutes later took advantage of a goal-kick that went straight to her and hit is fiercely past the keeper to double her total for the day.

Kat was as troublesome to the opposition and drilled in a low shot that the keeper got behind after a good run from halfway on the right wing.  A magical left wing run by Kenne produced a low ball across the face of goal without anyone there to apply the finishing touch, then, on the half hour, she was at the far post, but narrowly missed after Lucy's corner had eluded a bunch of players in the goalmouth.  Our Nigerian striker was not finished though, as she threatened once more with a 25 yard looping shot and in the 34th minute brought an agile save from the RAF goalkeeper.  As Kerry Daniells played the ball into her inside the penalty area, she threw out a leg and back-heeled the airborne pass onto the top of the bar.

Tottenham's pressure was relentless at this stage of the match and Leah was the provider for Lucy in the 37th minute goal that gave Spurs Ladies a 3-0 lead.  She slipped the ball out to the left of the area as Lucy overlapped and she calmly took the ball around the advancing keeper and placed her shot deliberately into goal before setting off on a celebration that was lauded by the junior section of the "I Love Lucy" fan club !!

Skipper Jackie Fearon struck a dipping 30-yarder just over the bar and Leah's dangerous cross was cut out by the keeper, with Andrea poised to strike.  A break at the other end brought Kelly Herrett into action and she had to be quick to deny the forward a chance to shoot.  The half finished with a RAF defender showing great courage as Lucy unleashed a rocket shot from 35 yards that smacked into the head of the Air Force lady and she needed to be tended to by a physio before she got up and carried on playing.

The half-time penalty shoot-out between the Under-11s and the Under-12s kept the crowd entertained and there was also a presentation of a cheque for the Breast Cancer Campaign, a cancer charity that the Ladies wanted to donate their winnings from their FA Cup campaign to.

After the interval, Spurs made a number of substitutions to allow their players to have a part of the game on the pitch, but this did little to change the pattern of their play.  Within six minutes of the restart Leah had claimed her hat-trick as she fired home a low shot after seizing on a ball that bobbled around the box before falling at her feet.

With free-kicks a speciality, no matter the distance, Lucy Auguste fired in a 35 yarder that hit the side netting on the hour, with Sarah Green getting a set piece over the top from 25 yards a minute later.  The Tottenham Ladies were closing down the RAF girls and not allowing them to play, with Kat Spencer working hard as well as showing a great bit of skill down the left wing to hit a low cross into Crissy Oshodi, who turned it over the top at the near post.  It would not have counted anyway, as Crissy was in an offside position.  Shortly after, Kat cut in on the next two attacks to bring fine low saves from the Air Force goalie and just after 75 minutes, Gill Blackmore made a nippy run past a couple of players to fire in a shot that just cleared the bar from a narrow angle.

Only an agile stretch from the lady in the RAF goal prevented Crissy Oshodi's deflected shot creeping in under the bar, but the fingertips took it onto the woodwork and over.  From that dead ball kick, Leah Flintham got a header in at the far post and the defender on the line kicked the ball away.  The resulting corner was flicked on at the near post by Andrea and with Kenne and Jackie rushing in at the far post, the ball was knocked over the top.  Spurs were almost caught out when Louise Copper had to rush from her goal to stop a burst into the box by a RAF striker and took the ball at her feet.

There were just four minutes left on the clock when a move stretching the full length of the pitch showed exactly what Tottenham Hotspur Ladies football is all about.  Louise Cooper picked up a through ball and rolled it out to Alice Oake in the right back slot.  Taking the ball on, Alice knocked it into Kenne in the inside right channel, where she turned with it and came inside before rolling the ball inside for captain Jackie Fearon to smash the ball past the keeper from outside the box and into the net off the inside of the goalpost to make it 5-0.

With Tottenham on top, they pushed forward until the end and Kat was alert to intercept a back-pass to the RAF goalie and with the goal in front of her she bent the ball around the keeper, but agonisingly just wide of the far post too.  There was just time for Gill to take the ball past a couple of defenders and lob the ball towards goal, but it ended up just wide.

So, Tottenham won the match, but it was another excellent ladies game at the Lane and the skill and determination from both sides provided a thrilling game for the big crowd gathered at the ground.  It just remained for David Lammy MP to present the commemorative medals to the players, hand over the prize draw winners goodies and to have some photos taken with the teams, who both thoroughly enjoyed their day at the Premier League stadium.

A big thank you to all those who had a hand in arranging today's match and for all those who helped out on the day in the many ways that most people would not have noticed.  Everyone's efforts and the money raised from collections at the gate helped the club on the day and for the future.