Tottenham Hotspur Ladies FC -

First Team  match reports 2005-06

Spurs Ladies continued on their long run of drawing games with their seventh in the league this season against Crowborough Athletic.

Although Spurs dominated possession for long periods, it was Crowborough that produced the better chances in the game and the Spurs defence and particularly Laura May needed to be on their toes to keep Crowborough at bay.

Spurs had some chances in the second half but failed to capitalise on them, but it showed another battling performance from the young Spurs side, who have developed a character that makes them heard to beat.

GLENN WEAVER

Carshalton  2     Gravesend & Northfleet  5     
London Women  P     Woking   P     
Long Lane  1      Lewes  3      
Clapton Orient  3     Hastings United  1       
Whitehawk  11      Hendon  1      

Match postponed.

Gravesend & N  5     London Women  1     
Lewes  P      Whitehawk  P      
Clapton Orient  1     Long Lane  4      
Hastings United  P       Crowborough  P      

Freezing cold conditions and a heavy pitch conspired to deny Spurs of all three points at Fred Knights against London Women.

It was not the best start to 2006 for the first team, as they conceded a goal from inside the penalty area within 51 seconds of the start of the game.  However, the wet and cold conditions did not deter them from trying to play their passing football and they soon were stringing together the passes and pull the London side around the pitch.  

Twenty minutes into the game, a Spurs free-kick into the area was half cleared, falling to Jade Perrin, who had a snap-shot that was half-saved and Samrawit Bereket netted the rebound at the far post.

Jade also had a shot on the turn saved from 18 yards five minutes later and on the half-hour, Sarah Green drilled in a low drove from the left wing to test the goalie, who was happy to grab the ball at the second attempt.  The pressure was building and paid off five minutes before the interval, when Jenny Homer was released down the right wing by Samrawit and her cross picked out Rosi Webb's head, delivering a softly cushioned header out fo the keeper's reach to give Spurs the lead.

Right on half-time, Laura May made a fine save, tipping a free-kick onto the bar and over, when it looked like London Women might get back into the game.  Set-pieces were the main threat from the away side and so it proved shortly after the break, when a skidding effort squirmed out of Laura's grasp and the rebound was put away to make it 2-2.

As the conditions got worse, so the game got bogged down in midfield, with London packing the centre of their defence to make it hard for Tottenham to pass their way through.  Rosi had a shot from 15 yards saved and drove another wide, but the opportunities for both side were drying up with the freezing, torrential rain.  A late through ball called for Laura to race from her line to make a tackle outside her area to prevent London grabbing an undeserved late winner.

Lewes  5      Gravesend & N  0     
Woking 2     Whitehawk  3      
Hendon  3      Clapton Orient  1      
Hastings United  5       Carshalton  2     
Crowborough  4      Long Lane  3      

After a series of six consecutive draws, the First team slipped to a 2-1 defeat to bottom of the table Clapton Orient in the league.

After a bright start with plenty of Spurs possession, it was Clapton Orient who took the lead from a corner where Spurs failed to clear their lines after 15 minutes. Clapton went further ahead after 26 minutes from a defensive
mistake from a strong back-pass.

After the break, Spurs put Clapton Orient under early pressure and were rewarded when Jenny Homer struck home after 52 minutes. Spurs continued to have the majority of the play but with little end result in and around the Clapton last third.

The result leaves Spurs just above the relegation zone.

GLENN WEAVER

London Women  2     Crowborough  2      
Lewes  7      Hastings United  0       

It was another case of so near, so far for the First Team as they slipped to a 3-2 league defeat against Woking.

Spurs went down 1-0 behind as early as the second minute through a Woking penalty, but, as in recent months, battled back through goals from Claire Smith and second half substitute Geena Gordon to take the initiative. However, it was Woking that had the final say with two goals in the last five minutes.

The result leaves Spurs in the relegation zone and with a fight on their hands for Premiership survival.

GLENN WEAVER

Hendon  7      Carshalton  0     
Crowborough  0     Lewes  4      
Clapton Orient  2     Whitehawk  3      
Hastings United  2       London Women  2     
Long Lane  1      Gravesend & N  4     

Spurs celebrated their first league win since 2nd October 2005, with an encouraging 4-2 home victory against Hastings LFC.

Spurs took the lead in the sixth minute when a Geena Gordon shot hit the woodwork and was smartly snapped up by Channelle Breen.  In the 25th minute, some good interchange football saw Rosi Webb slip the ball past the oncoming Hastings keeper to add to the lead.  A minute before the break, Geena Gordon was brought down in the area and Sarah Green slotted home the penalty for Spurs to go 3-0 up.

In the second half, Hastings started to come back into the game and two defensive mistakes brought the game back to 3-2.  In the last four minutes, Sarah Green gave Spurs some breathing space when she scored direct from a corner to make the final score 4-2.

The result lifts Spurs two places up the table.

GLENN WEAVER

Hendon  2      Crowborough  2      
Woking   1     Lewes  3      
Whitehawk  5      Gravesend & N  0     
Long Lane  4      London Women  0     

Postponed - no referee.

Carshalton  0     Woking   2     
London Women  0     Gravesend & N  0     
Lewes  8      Clapton Orient  0     
Hastings United  2       Crowborough  0      
Long Lane  0      Whitehawk  2      

Despite the rain causing the match to be played in trying conditions, Spurs Ladies ran out winners over Clapton Orient in Darren Johnson's first game in charge.

Claire Smith opened the scoring for Spurs, when she hit home a corner from Rosi Webb and when a through ball from midfield set Jade Perrin free, she finished crisply to make it 2-0.

It was Rosi Webb who scored the third, when she converted a penalty awarded for a foul in the area, but Clapton pulled a goal back with a fine strike that gave Laura May in goal no chance.

Indeed, it could have been closer had Laura not made a fine save in the top corner to keep another effort by the visitors out.  However, Jade was alert to a pass through the Clapton defence and reached the ball just before the keeper to slide it into the net to make the final score 4-1 and keep the team's confidence up as they continue their good run of form.

JUNE CLARKE

Woking   5     Hastings United  2       
Whitehawk  P      London Women  P     
Lewes  P      Long Lane  P      
Gravesend & N  P     Hendon  P      
Carshalton  P     Crowborough  P      

Match postponed - waterlogged pitch.

London Women  P     Hendon  P     
Crowborough  P      Gravesend & N  P    
Whitehawk  P     Carshalton  P    
Clapton Orient  P    Woking   P