Langford Ladies FC 
v 
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies FC

Fielding a similar side to the previous week, Spurs took the attack to Langford in the first minute, with Samrawit Bereket feeding Zoella Freeman, who tried a chip, but was foiled by the keeper.

The home side then applied a period of pressure on the Tottenham penalty area, which ended with a shot which Tina Hills dealt with comfortably.  Hills also saved a shot in the 14th minute, before the game went into a spell where neither side was in charge.

With 29 minutes gone, Freeman passed through to Gill Blackmore, who scored at the second attempt to give Tottenham the lead.  However, seven minutes after, a shot into the corner of the net by the home side brought parity to the scoreline.

Spurs tried to gain the upper hand again, when Kelly Herrett hit a wide position and her shot was saved low down by the goalie.  It was a well taken shot in the very next minute that gave Langford a half-time lead despite Jackie Fearon hitting back straight away with a 20 yard lob that sailed close to the goal.

Just five minutes into the second half, Langford struck the post, which shook Spurs up, leading to Freeman dinking the ball past the keeper, but she recovered in time to stop the ball on the line.  At the other end , Herrett was blocking a shot from going in.

With a quarter of an hour to go, La Toyah Johnson took on two defenders and rode their tackles, before drawing the goalkeeper out and slotting the ball home.  It looked like a goal that would earn Spurs a draw as they were holding the home side comfortably, but fate dealt them an unkind hand in the 85th minute.

Katie Jackson made clear contact with the ball, but the referee awarded a free kick for studs up, while the linesman indicated a two footed challenge.   The Langford sub hit the ball from the edge of the area into the bottom corner and gave them a 3-2 lead.  Even then, Spurs attacked and Lucy Auguste had a drive go flashing across the face of goal before the end.

It was a very good performance against a physical and more experienced side, with Tottenham fielding nine players of 18 or under.  Having played this well and deserving more than the result records, the team should be confident in their build-up to their league programme.

Team : - Tina Hills; Handan Djoshkoun, Kelley Herrett, Lucy Auguste, Jenny Curtis; Samrawit Bereket, Jackie Fearon, Gill Blackmore, Samantha Farnum; La Toyah Johnson, Zoella Freeman
Subs : - (all came on) Christine Oshodi, Selina Brigitte, Meroulla Lazarou, Katie Jackson

Rushden and Diamonds Ladies FC 
v 
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies FC

On a hot humid day, Tottenham travelled to an impressive Nene Park stadium to take on Rushden & Diamonds.

After a slow start, Tottenham settled and started to pressurize the Diamonds goal.  Zoella Freeman, Latoyah Johnson, Gill Blackmore and Sam Farnum all had good efforts well saved by the Diamonds keeper.

16 year old debutant keeper Toni Munro made a couple of good saves before being forced to leave the field after sustaining an injury obtained when bravely clearing a through ball.  Handan Djoshkoun donned the keeper's shirt until half-time.  Tottenham scored the only goal of the game shortly before half-time when skipper Jackie Fearon was brought down in the box, following a fine move started from the back and involving five Tottenham players.  Jackie took the penalty after a long delay sending the keeper the wrong way, but unfortunately the ball cannoned off the inside of the post.  One of the forwards was following up and she coolly slotted home from close range.

Moments later, stand in keeper Handan made a good save to keep the Spurs in front at half time. 

Tottenham started the 2^nd half with a good chance again falling to Jackie, who shot just past the post after some good work by Meroulla Lazarou.

Rushden & Diamonds came back into the game and pressurised the Spurs goal, but the defence superbly marshalled by Kelly Herrett  held firm.  Young keeper Toni, back on after treatment, saved well at her near post and from the resulting corner, then Steph Jones cleared off the line and Rushden hit the bar.

Meroulla Lazarou had a couple of attempts go narrowly wide.  Rusheden & Diamonds then enjoyed a period of pressure before Tottenham hit back with chances for Gill and Jackie.  Ten minutes from time, the Spurs keeper Toni made an excellent save from a shot from eight yards, gathering the ball at the second attempt and then, shortly before end of game, she then pulled off a good save from a cross shot to cap an impressive debut.

Final score : Rushden & Diamonds  0    1    Tottenham Hotspur

Squad (all played): - Toni Munro, Steph Jones, Handan Djoshkoun, Kelly Herrett, Lorraine Sparrow, Sam Farnum, Gill Blackmore, Jackie Fearon, Selina Brigitte, Lucy Auguste, Samrawit Bereket, Katie Jackson, Meroulla Lazarou, Zoella Freeman, Lucy Palmer, Chrissy Oshodi, Sarah McEachern, Jenny Curtis

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies FC 
v 
NorCal Academy U-17s (USA)

Venue : Hertford Town FC
Date : Wednesday 21^st August 2002
Kick off 20.00

A depleted Tottenham Ladies side took to the field to face an Under-17 side from the North California soccer academy, who were in England on tour.

The friendly match turned out to be an interesting clash of styles, with the Americans playing a passing game, while Spurs were unable to do so because of the many changes in the side and the energy of the visitors preventing them from adopting their normal patterns of play.  With a number of first teamers unavailable, Spurs fielded a mix of regulars, reserves and Under-16s and the team work that NorCal showed made a big difference on the way the game progressed.

It had started promisingly for Tottenham, with a second minute shot going just wide, before the tall Jennifer Hall shot over Toni Munro in the Tottenham goal, with the ball just clearing the bar.  Toni was in action shortly after, as a low cross into the box was mis-kicked and fell to a NorCal forward and the keeper saved well from the point blank shot.

There was another scare in front of the Spurs goal when a long throw was lobbed into the middle and a header went inches wide of the far post.  However, just a couple of minutes later, Lucy Auguste tried her luck from long range, but the weak shot was easily saved by Christina Leoni in goal.  From the clearance, the ball broke to Lucy again and standing 25 yards out, sent a left foot shot rifling straight back past the keeper to give Tottenham the lead.

The goal prefaced a lot of pressure from the NorCal girls and the Tottenham side had to call all hands to the pump at times to hold out.  Leslie Salomani was freed through the middle from a free kick and produced a shot, which was grabbed confidently by Munro, but with 18 minutes gone, Toni was finally beaten.  Kara Wilburn took a pass  8 yards out, turned and let fly with a shot that went just inside the near post to equalise.

Straight away, the Spurs goal was under attack with the goalie diving at the feet of an on-rushing forward.  Kelly Herrett blocked a shot in the box and from a following corner on 23 minutes, a shot at the far post went just wide of the goal.  Five minutes after, another corner brought NorCal the lead.  A high ball was swung over and as it dropped near the middle of the six-yard box, Lange Clancy got a volley in that beat the defender on the line.

The Tottenham side battled to keep a grip on the game and there was a period of midfield scrapping, which resulted in little goalmouth action.  With time running out before the half-time break, Hall broke down the left wing and hit a low shot that Munro saved well on the ground.

The interval came and gave Tottenham a chance to re-group and having their options limited by a hamstring injury to Maria Fearon and an injury to the ankles of Auguste and Lawrence, the remaining players had to face the tide of attacks the visiting players threw at them.  Within three minutes of the re-start, NorCal had extended their lead to 3-1.  Hall, had had been denied just before the break, hit a 25 yard screamer into the roof of the net to match Lucy’s goal of the first half.  Meagan Fits nearly scored again shortly after, when she met a low ball in from the right with the outside of her right foot and her effort just cleared the bar.

Tottenham then settled and produced a spell of pressure on the American goal, with some precise passing and good movement, which ended in a Gill Blackmore shot that was half-blocked.  Play switched to the other end and Jaclyn Spence raced in from the left and forced a low save from the Tottenham keeper, while Fitts shot wide form the edge of the area, before Munro made another low diving save.  Wilburn had a free header, which found the keeper and the same player went in with a Spurs defender to challenge for a low cross into the area, which went into the net for 4-1.

With a long ball through the middle of the NorCal defence, Meroulla Lazarou chased it and touched it around a defender, but as she was about to shoot, Leoni rushed from her line to grab the ball.  It was NorCal who were finishing the stronger and Munro pushed one shot wide and made another fine finger-tip save, pushing a shot over, both from Megan Catton.  In between, the scoring was completed when a corner lead to a goalmouth melee, which went in off the post as a defender tried to clear off the line. 

As time ticked away, Blackmore hit a shot that made the keeper scramble to save and at the Spurs end, Kathleen Gardiner headed a corner across the face of goal just before the final whistle was blown.

The American side showed a good touch on the ball on a difficult playing surface and their fitness told as the game wore on.  They all showed good technique and the benefit of having played together more than the Spurs side had.  Tottenham did play more as a unit in the second half, with the last two goals being unfortunate in the way they were conceded.  In the end, a 1-5 score-line was probably a true reflection on the balance of play, but Spurs Ladies will not meet many sides this season as good as these youngsters.

Squads (all players played as there were rolling substitutions):

Tottenham Hotspur : -  41 - Toni Munro, 4 - Handan Djoshkoun, 5 - Kelly Herrett, 35 - Katie Jackson, 7 - Lorraine Sparrow, 21 - Dominique Clark, 10 - Gill Blackmore, 20 - A. Trialist, 28 - Lucy Auguste, 19 - Lucy Palmer, 32 - Maria Fearon, 38 - Ruth Waghorn, 40 - Chloe Lawrence, 29 - Meroulla Lazarou, 25 - Samrawit Bereket.

Nor Cal Academy : - 1 - Christina Leoni, 2 - Kathleen Gardiner, 3 - Leslie Salomani, 4 - Amanda Bertson, 5 - Brandy Hillman-Azevedo, 6 - Rachel Grushkin, 7 - Meagan Fitts, 8 - Camina Gilloti , 9 - Jaclyn Spence, 10 - Megan Catton, 11 - Jennifer Hall, 12 - Sara Malinquest-West, 13 - Lange Clancy, 14 - Kara Brighthopt, 15  - Kara Wilburn
Coach - Vinnie Cortezzo

With thanks to the coaches of NorCal and Chris Ziemer (Academy manager).