Tottenham Hotspur Ladies -

Reserve Team reports

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

3

Spurs Reserves travelled to Hayes to meet Brook House Reserves and four minutes after kick off  Tottenham had taken the lead with a goal by Meroulla Lazarou. Brook House hit back straight away scoring a minute later. Spurs Reserves showed good cohesion in their play seeing as how this was the first time they had played together. This was demonstrated when Dominique Clarke passed to set up Rosi Webb, whose strike left the keeper grasping thin air.

Despite pressure from the home side the defence and midfield kept them at bay, while Meroulla finished off a quick break to give Tottenham a 3-1 half time lead.

However, Brook House came out for the second period playing aggressively, one tackle was certainly outside the laws of the game. The Brook House player manager was shown a yellow card for the challenge on Katie Jackson, which could easily have been red. Katie was not phased by the incident and produced a good clearing tackle when danger threatened.

However, Brook House did pull a goal back and produced a few jitters, but Spurs took the game to the hosts and had two shots cleared off the line before the end.

An excellent result for the side considering the number of new faces in the reserves and one which will give great confidence for the matches to come.

Watford Reserves

4

Spurs faced a strong Watford team and finished the match narrowly defeated, but not unbowed.

Spurs continued to put everything into attack, with Kesha Heaven and Webb both going close to grabbing a late point, but it was not to be.

Charlton Athletic Thirds

6

After ten minutes, Charlton had added another two goals, so Tottenham made a quick sub - Hannilee Fish went off due an asthma attack and on came Maria Fearon. 

Forty minutes into the match Charlton extended their lead, but the Tottenham Ladies were not going to be go into the break without scoring.  A superb goal by Gemma Coots brought the scoreline back to 4-1 at half time.

Spurs come out for the second half looking like they had the rollicking of their life. They come out fighting and putting the pressure on, but they were hit by a lucky break and that allowed Charlton to grab goal number five.  A good cross by Coots found Kirsty Patterson, but her shot did not beat the keeper.  Charlton went up the other end of the pitch, took a shot and their sixth goal hit the back of the net.

Spurs were awarded a penalty for a bad challenge on Rosi Webb by Vicky Moore and our forward had to be carried off the pitch.  Maria Fearon stepped up to take the spot-kick, but failed to hit the target.

Despite the final result, Tottenham Ladies put up a spirited display against an experienced and physical Charlton side.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

3

After the break, Spurs had to face a determined Denham side, who were keen to get back into the match.  Some good combination play between Lazarou and Rosi Webb provides the chance for the number 14 to fire home Tottenham's second goal.  Shortly after this, Webb was substituted with Beth Richards making her first appearance for the Reserves.

The visitors were not to be denied and a firm shot from outside the box had to be well saved by Toni Munro.  Some neat midfield play between Jenny Curtis and Steph Jones sets Kesha Heaven away on a run.  As she moved forward, Kesha lobbed the keeper to execute a very well taken goal.

An ankle injury to Dominique Clarke brought on Nicola Cox for her debut.  

With one last effort, Denham make a good move, but once again, a good combination of midfield play and defence holds them off.

A good performance by the reserves resulted in a well-earned win today and the team-work shown bodes well for the future.

Enfield 3rds

1

Within a minute of the start, Meroulla Lazarou tapped in Latoyah Johnson's cross to give June Clarke's side the perfect start.  Tottenham had a grip on the game despite it being briefly threatened just after the goal, when Kesha Heaven atoned for her own mistake by clearing the danger as two forwards converged on the ball heading towards the goal-line.  Another Enfield effort went just wide of the far post after travelling across the face of the goal, but that was the extent of the worries the Spurs goalkeeper, Claire Bloomfield faced.  This was due to the players in front of her, namely Cooper, Jackson, Heaven and Gardiner, who was imperious in defence.

Despite having the lion's share of the possession, they had to wait until mid-way through the half to double their lead, when Tiffany Ellis latched onto a through ball and outpaced the defence, before coolly selling the keeper and slipping the ball into the opposite corner.

Again, despite the midfield prompting, there was a lull before the third goal, which came on the stroke of half-time.  This time, it was Latoyah Johnson who tricked the defence with some great footwork and sent her shot into the net with some force.

A couple of changes at half-time, with Fish and Coots replacing Southgate and Ellis, gave fresh impetus to the midfield, but the visitors were determined to get a foothold in the match and Bloomfield was forced to make a good save as a shot came in from the right side of the area.  However, her good work was to no avail when, shortly afterwards, the ball fell in the six yard box from a corner and it was scrambled over the line by an Enfield player.  It was only a last ditch tackle by Diane Gardiner, as the ball was just about to be shot home inside the penalty box, that stopped Enfield getting even closer.

Spurs soon got back in the scoring groove, with Gemma Coots rising to head in a corner from Lazarou to make the score 4-1 and then with Tottenham looking to add to their tally, Meroulla broke away herself and hit a long ball powerfully into the top corner of the goal, leaving the goalkeeper no chance.  As the game came to a close, Enfield missed a glorious chance, when a cross was missed on the line by two players and Spurs capitalised at the death, when Latoyah Johnson richly deserved her second goal, when she cut in from the left wing to stroke the ball past the prone keeper.

The win is another good one for the team, who are playing good football as well as working very hard for each other this season.  With the same opponents next week, it is a psychological boost for that match.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

7

Without a game, some first team players were drafted in for this game and Lucy Auguste nearly made the first breakthrough when she broke free early in the game and took a shot that flashed wide of the goal.  However, just two minutes in and a Jenny Curtis corner bends straight into the back of the net to put Tottenham one up. 

Good pressure was exerted by Spurs with shots raining in from Auguste, McGhee and Johnson.  A long clearance from the defence allowed Lucy to make another powerful run forward, but it ended with another near miss.  Shortly after, she got injured as two players went for the same ball and had to make way for Meroulla Lazarou.

With some good passing between the Tottenham Ladies, Jenny Curtis swung in a cross to Kim McGhee, who hit a shot past the keeper to double the lead.

A ball out of defence was played wide to H Djoshkoun.  She passed the ball on to Lazarou, who just managed to keep the ball in, before leaving it to McGhee to cross to the head of Latoyah Johnson.  Her effort is saved by the keeper, but it was a sweet move by Spurs.  It was only a matter of time before Spurs grabbed another and this time it was Kerry Daniells who crossed to Meroulla to lob home the third goal.

Despite turning around with a half time 3-0 lead, the Tottenham Ladies went hunting for more goals and immediately put the pressure on the home side.   Both Lucy Palmer and Latoyah both got headers on target from corners, while Curtis was skillfully turning the opposing defence inside out to set up Kerry Daniells for a shot on goal.  It took a deflection off an Enfield defender and went straight into the back of the net.

Spurs were sweeping forward with good movement and a lovely cross to H saw her header go just over the bar.  A poor Enfield goal kick lead to the fifth goal, as it went straight to substitute Kirsty Patterson, who sent Lazarou away to lob the keeper and score.  Straight after, Meroulla could have had her hat-trick, when a shot clipped the post.

It was scant relief for the Enfield defence, as Spurs seized on another poor kick by the Enfield keeper and this time they paid for the mistake, with Meroulla Lazarou completing her hat-trick.

After some brilliant football by the Spurs defence, the ball was played out wide to Gill Blackmore, who shoots and scores the last goal of the game.

The team continue to press on and take the opportunity to get in a final shot, this time into the keepers hands.  Despite the difficult conditions, the reserves continued their good form and came out worthy winners, with a scoreline their play deserved.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

1

There was a great piece of link up play between Samrawit Bereket and Meroulla Lazarou , which nearly lead to a Tottenham goal.  Then a great block from Lucy Palmer stopped a cross coming in, so it was another corner to Charlton and this time great defensive play by Kelly Herrett  managed to clear the header off the line to keep the score at 0-0 at half time.

The home side attacked Tottenham from the restart and took a shot at goal, which was excellently saved by Toni Munro in the Spurs goal.  A good run by Lazarou set up Yonatan, who fired in a shot, which produced a fine save form the Addicks goalie.

In a moment of madness, the Charlton keeper handballed outside of her area and received just a yellow card.  The free-kick was taken by the clubs dead-ball expert, Kelly Herrett, who struck it hard and it flew in to give Spurs the lead.

In the dying seconds of the game, a controversial free-kick decision was given against Spurs on the edge of the area. Charlton scored from it to draw level with little time left for either team to try and win it.

All in all a good performance from our ladies, in difficult conditions and especially our goalie Toni, who got player of the match because of her performance today.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

2

Tottenham made a fine start with a near miss from defender Diane Gardiner.

A great piece of play by central defender Katie Jackson found Rosi Webb, who moved the ball onto Samrawit Bereket.  Steadying herself, she shot and scored.

West Ham were awarded a free kick just outside the box and Claire Bloomfield made a good save.  Some good teamwork by Webb and Steph Jones, left the latter in a good position and her shot beat the effort of the Irons goalkeeper.

During the first half the team had looked lethargic, even though they were 2-0 up, the game was by no means won and this was drummed into them at half time.  It was a fresher looking Spurs side that came out for the second half and this was typified with a great run and shot by Lazarou who just missed the target.

West Ham tried to hit Tottenham on the break, but the defence held strong.  They even had time for Dominique Clarke to make a run and put through Meroulla Lazarou, who went close with a shot.

The first touch of the ball for substitute Beckie Gagg was a good cross that was well blocked by the West Ham defence.  The home side won a corner at the other end, but this was bravely cleared by Diane Gardiner.

Katie Jackson went fearlessly in for a tackle and took  a bad knock to her back, meaning she had to come off, leaving the team to play out the final five minutes with 10 men.  West Ham tried to make the most of the extra player advantage by making a break on the Spurs goal,  but they held firm and repelled the attack to record another impressive win in what is turning out to be a good season for the second team.

Brook House Reserves

4

Spurs were now playing as they had done in the previous few matches, but Brook House got a lucky break against the run of play and scored their fourth goal.  Still, the ladies were not ready to concede the game and Lucy Palmer made a well timed run  from her own half and made no mistake by tucking the chance away with great aplomb.

Steph Jones was replaced by Hannilee Fish as Spurs pressed for a late equaliser and with her first touch, the substitute produced a delightful chip that the keeper did very well to tip over the crossbar. 

Meroulla went close three times in the dying stages, one just shaving the post and Kirsty Patterson makes the keeper save a shot as time ran out.

At the final whistle it was 4-3 to Brook House, but the Spurs reserves had been gallant in defeat and came so close to salvaging a point form the game.  

Manager June Clarke said that she could not have asked for a more spirited performance from the team and praised man of the match Lucy Palmer, who showed great energy from her defensive position to push the team forward.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

0

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

0

The team started off with a positive, attacking attitude, however with a good interception Denham took the initiative with a fine strike for the first goal.  
Spurs continued to pressure the hosts, but their defence were standing strong. They played a long ball forward, which was picked up by their midfield, who put pressure on the Spurs defence.  They managed to break through to take a shot which Claire Bloomfield got to, but it squirmed away into the net for their second goal.  

The conditions of the pitch were awful and this was not helping the way Tottenham like to play, but obviously suited the home side, who went on to score their third goal.

While Tottenham continued to fight, there was an incident which the ref did not see and the tackle, after being advised by the linesman, was punished by the ref by sending off Steph Cooper.  Spurs lost their composure and tempers started running high on both sides in what was a very physical game.  Meroulla Lazarou was warned and came close to a second sending off for the team. However, the side reshaped and settles for the next fifteen mins to hold the Denham attack.  Then near to the whistle for the end of the first half, Denham got their fourth.

The incident on the pitch has unsettled the girls and the half time talk was to settle and regroup.  Toni Munro came on for Claire Bloomfield as the only change.   

Spurs started to hold their own and although Denham broke away through the Tottenham defence, the shot was saved by Munro.  Spurs hit back, but weren't able to get a shot in on goal.  The play switched to the other end, where a shot was saved by Toni.

The game continued to be physical, with Beckie Gagg shoved to the ground in front of the ref, but no action was taken.  When Spurs did get a free kick, Kesha Heaven hit a beauty, but the effort was saved by the goalie.

Just when it looked like Spurs might have got a consolation goal, Denham make a break, Toni just tipped the ball with her fingers, but it was not quite far enough and Denham followed up to get their fifth.

It was a disappointing result for the reserves, but they will hope that the wet weather soon ends to allow them to play their natural game on decent pitches.

West Ham United Reserves

0

Two early chances for Meroulla Lazarou went begging - one saved and the other kicked off the line and Ruth Waghorn breaking through onto Lucy Palmer's flick on from Katie Jackson's pass, was denied by a good save by the keeper.  Waghorn was looking lively and she was unlucky when she got a knee to a right wing cross from Heaven  which bounced up high.

At the other end, a great saving tackle from Djoshkoun denied the Irons centre-forward a clear run on goal.  A challenge outside the box by keeper Munro earned West Ham a free-kick and to her relief no more than that, but they wasted the opportunity from the dead ball situation. 

Spurs started the brighter after the break, but the game got bogged down in midfield for much of the second half.  Waghorn had a cross shot turned aside by the keeper, Heaven rasped a shot wide and Lazarou had two poachers efforts go narrowly wide before Spurs took the lead.  

Beckie Gagg broke into the right side of the box and hit a shot past the keeper for her first goal of the season.  Just prior to her goal, she had also gone close, when Kesha Heaven set up a shooting chance.

Stephanie Cooper made an important interception as a Hammers forward rushed to meet a cross near the Spurs goal, before Ruth Waghorn gained reward for her energetic display and made sure of the points by sliding in a low cross from Meroulla Lazarou, who worked hard up front.  

With little time left, West Ham threw everything forward and as the tackles flew in, the Tottenham defence, with Katie Jackson outstanding, and aided by the industrious midfield, stood firm to wrap up the win.

Enfield Thirds

-

Match postponed - pitch waterlogged.

Watford Reserves

4

A goal from the Spurs man of the match, Samrawit Bereket could not prevent them losing out to a strong Watford side 1-4.

The team played very well and had to battle against a few injuries picked up in the game, but were eventually undone by the home side.  It was a bitter defeat to take after having a lot of the ball during the 90 minutes of the match.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

2

Two goals from Meroulla Lazarou gave Spurs reserves a deserved win in their away match at Denham United.

It was a  pleasing victory both in style and in the way the team brought three points home against a team that had beaten them earlier in the season.

New signing Clare Halfpenny gave a fine first performance and the whole team were solid and organised in their approach to the game. 

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

Charlton Athletic 3rds

3

The match had started with Tottenham pressing the visiting defence back and Lucy Auguste, who was to trouble the Charlton goal all afternoon, went close twice.  Another effort was wide after the ball took a nasty bobble before she hit it.

It was somewhat against the run of play when Charlton took the lead.  A free kick on the left wing inside their own half was played to the right hand side of the box, where it was met with a fierce cross-shot that left Toni Munro in the Spurs goal helpless.  The reserves were keen to get back to parity and within two minutes they had achieved that.  Kesha Heaven found some space 30 yards out and hit a low shot on goal, which managed to get past the keeper and nestle in the net.

Lucy Palmer broke late into the box to poke a shot wide of the post before Charlton went ahead once more.  A corner on the right was cleared up into the air and as it fell, the Addicks number 4 hit a volley that took a deflection past Munro, leaving her stranded.  With this Athletic started to push forward and a long through ball looked like leading to another goal, until 'H' Djoshkoun raced back to nip the ball away from the player bearing down on goal.  Just when it appeared that the threat of a goal had subsided, a break into the left side of the box saw a challenge from Di Gardiner.  The opponent didn't go down, but the referee pointed to the spot and the penalty was drilled home to give them a 3-1 lead.

Robbing a defender of the ball, Lucy Auguste broke down the left and cleverly set up Rosi Webb with a volley in front of goal, but her effort just cleared the bar.  However, just as the half-time break beckoned, a corner on the right was swung in by Auguste and it flew over the goalkeeper and defenders and in at the far post to bring the scoreline back to 2-3.

After the interval, Auguste and Heaven went close, then Lucy Auguste and Rosi Webb both had shots on goal in close succession.  Auguste was peppering the goal now and was unlucky when a curling effort crept just the wrong side of the upright.  The closest Spurs came to an equaliser was when a long through ball was headed back to her goalkeeper by an Athletic defender, but it went over the goalie and Webb was just unable to capitalise on the error before the ball ran off for a corner.

Despite a flurry of activity in the Charlton area as the game drew to an end, the Spurs girls could not force another goal and Charlton hung on for the win.

Manager June Clarke and assistant Lee Miller said " the girls put in a great effort, but failed to finish off the possession that they had.  It is always a hard game against Charlton, who are one of the top teams in the division, but we were unlucky not to come out of the game with something on the team's performance this afternoon."

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

West Ham United Reserves

2

Despite having to make changes for absences and players being called up into the first team squad, the Reserves put together an impressive performance in taking the three points from West Ham United.  The result was even more pleasing as the match was played with emergency keeper "H" Djoshkoun between the sticks !!  The game was played at Tottenham despite being on the fixture list as an away game.

This was the third meeting with West Ham this season and it was obvious that they were hungry for a win against Spurs, which could have been easier for them with Tottenham players playing in unaccustomed positions.  However, Tottenham settled well and the first shot of the game started with a fantastic run by Rosi Webb.  She saw the opportunity to fire in a shot and the ball found the back of the net with unerring accuracy.   Within five minutes, Spurs were on the break again.  This time it was Lucy Auguste with a shot which doubled Spurs' lead.

West Ham hit back and on the break they put the Tottenham defence under pressure, but they held out well.  Beckie Gagg broke up a move and moved the ball in the opposite direction, pushing West Ham back into their own half.
Spurs midfielder Lucy Auguste ran from the half way line and set up Rosi Webb, whose shot was this time well saved by the Irons keeper.

The defence were having a strong and commanding first half, in particular Beckie Gagg.  A free kick was awarded to West Ham and from it the ball slithered through the stand-in keeper's hands and trickles into the back of the net.  West Ham now had the impetus as half time approached, but Spurs hit back with the midfield and forwards pushing on and Samrawit Bereket scores to give the team a psychological boost with a goal scored at a good time.

Into the second half, Spurs realise that West Ham are not going to give in easily and an early substitution sees Kim McGhee have to go off and Jenny Homer replaces her to make her debut in senior football.  It helps Tottenham settle a little and Rosi Webb went on a good run and seized the opportunity by firing in her second goal.

A corner from West Ham, lead to an amazing save by stand-in keeper H and this inspired Spurs to take the ball to the other end, where a strong run by Lucy Auguste ended with her colliding with the keeper.  Both ended up needed attention after the clash.  

In the dying seconds of the game West Ham get a sloppy goal due to a lack of communication at the back and it was a shame that it left the score Spurs 4  West Ham 2, because it was an impressive showing considering the circumstances Tottenham had been forced into.  Manager June Clarke said, "It good all round team performance and I am pleased that we are getting stronger each week."

Special mention should be made of Beckie Gagg, who was solid at the back, when used to playing in midfield and Rosi Webb, whose two goals made the difference between the two sides in the end.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

Enfield 3rds

1

A wind-blown Frederick Knights Sports ground staged a physical local derby between the Spurs reserves and Enfield 3rds, which ended with the points being taken by the home side.

Tottenham started off well, but they did not make enough of their chances. The match was quite physical from the start of the game and Beckie Gagg was defending well, in particular.

A good run by Samrawit Bereket ended with a shot that just went wide, while a foul on a Spurs player lead to a free kick that was taken by Kesha Heaven.  Her excellent attempt from the dead ball situation was well saved by the Enfield keeper.

Both defences came out on top with the half time score being 0-0 and with the wind being a big factor in the game, Tottenham were playing against it in the second half.  

Not long after coming out for the restart, Enfield broke away and managed to lob the ball over goalkeeper Toni Munro to take the lead.

Centre back 'H' Djoshkoun went on a run and was taken down by an opponent.  A foul was given and up stepped Kesha Heaven, who struck a lovely kick leaving the Enfield keeper with no chance!

Spurs continued to press home, encouraged by the goal and Lucy Palmer hit another great shot, only for it to be saved by Enfield's on form keeper.  A brilliant run by Steph Jones saw a cross into the danger area and Rosi Webb got on the end of it, but just missed the target.

Some great team play set Kesha up for her well deserved second goal of the game.  This rounded off her man-of-the-match performance that gave Tottenham a win over the Enfield 3rds, who featured some of their first team, who were without a game today.  That makes the win all the more pleasing in a bruising encounter.

Manageress June Clarke said that "all the girls played a fantastic game, they did me proud and put a spirited performance together as one unit."

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

Denham United Reserves

1

On a very windy day, Tottenham made things hard for themselves, but Denham provided strong opposition in this Sue Sharples Memorial Cup tie. 

Spurs battled to keep the ball in midfield, but managed to get Rosi Webb making good runs, one of which forced a corner.  Taken by Beckie Gagg, it was well cleared by Denham.  In the next attack, Diane Gardiner was brought down and the resulting free-kick was taken by Kesha, whipping it in to the box where Kirsty Patterson just missed making contact.

As the action got more frantic, Alison Divine was booked for pulling on a opposing players shirt, just before the ref blew his whistle to bring an end to a very slow first half.

Spurs soon took the advantage early in the second half, when Lucy Palmer played a nice ball to Rosi, who ran on and scored with a good shot past the keeper.  Not long after the first, Kirsty played Kesha through on goal and keeping her cool, she slotted home to give Spurs a 2-0 lead.

There was drama when two Denham players became injured and an ambulance was called as one of them couldn't move.  The match had to be stopped for 20 minutes as there was a wait for the ambulance people to move her from the pitch.

When the game restarted, Denham, who only had 10 players after running out of players after all the injuries, scored to get them back into the game.  It was due to a lack of concentration on Spurs' part, but it made the final stages of the match nail-biting.

With there being 10 minutes to play, it became a very passionate cup game with Denham going all out to get the equaliser. That eagerness did overspill into a foul and one Denham player was booked. Spurs had to be very strong in the last ten minutes being put under constant pressure from Denham.

However, there was no more scoring and Tottenham progress to the next round.

All at Tottenham wish the injured Denham girls speedy recoveries.

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

Chiswick Ladies Reserves

0

There were a half a dozen good reasons why Spurs qualified for the Sue Sharples Memorial Trophy final and they all came in the shape of goals.

In the end, it was a comfortable win, but Chiswick battled hard to make it difficult for Tottenham at the start.

It took fourteen minutes for Latoyah Johnson to break the deadlock, when she took a pass and rounded the goalkeeper before slotting home into an empty net.  She went close again shortly afterwards, with Rosi Webb having a shot deflected wide from the resulting goal-kick.

It was 2-0 ten minutes after the first, when Rosi put in Gill Blackmore to fire a high shot over the keeper from out on the right side of the area.  Chiswick hit back straight from the kick-off, when their number 7 hit a shot into the side netting.

Just before the half hour, a Chiswick corner was cleared and Kesha Heaven, who broke form the edge of her own box, got on the end of a Webb pass, but could not keep her shot down.  A couple of minutes later, Gill extended the lead with a carbon copy of her first goal.  At 3-0, the team started to play a bit more confidently and Latoyah failed by inches to get on the end of a low Heaven cross, then hit a dropping ball just wide from 12 yards out.  Kesha then ran through on goal, but the keeper made a good save to maintain the deficit.  At the other end, Toni Munro had little to do, except deal with a couple of long balls, which necessitated her to come out of her area to kick clear or tackle he oncoming forward.

The second half saw Spurs in command.  Within the first minute of the half, both Johnson and Heaven went close, then Rosi Webb forced the keeper to save with her feet from a low shot.  Chiswick did push forward and Munro had to field a long range shot that caused her no worries.

With seven second half minutes past, Dom Clarke flighted in a free-kick from the right wing and Rosi Webb took the ball down, then shot home for a 4-0 lead.  The keeper saved her next effort form outside the box and the Chiswick goalie was in action again, when she touched a Heaven free-kick onto the bar.  From the corner, the keeper saved on the line again in a goalmouth scramble.  

Kirsty Patterson nearly made a dramatic entrance as a substitute, when Rosi Webb found her with a cross from the right wing, but Kirsty had to adjust to get to the ball with her knee and the ball rocketed back off the crossbar.  She forced the keeper to a low save in the next attack, but then half-way through the half, Rosi Webb was sent clear and shot home to make it five.

Again, from the restart, Chiswick broke away on the right wing and the low ball in was not difficult, but Toni let it clip through her hands, but nonchalantly grabbed the ball on the line as a visiting forward closed in.  The chances kept coming for Tottenham and Latoyah made the keeper save with her feet once more, before Clare Halfpenny scored her first goal for the club with a powerful drive from 25 yards that dipped over the keeper.  

It looked like it would be seven when Kesha went through and beat the keeper, but the referee awarded a corner, when it looked like the ball nestled inside the net rather than the side-netting.  With only a few minutes left, Spurs piled on the pressure and the keeper's feet were called into play again, this time denying sub Diane Gardiner, but she was helpless when Heaven's cross was knocked over the bar by Patterson from close range.  In the last minute, another cross from the right was smashed against the bar by Johnson and then with a final flourish, Chiswick had a shot from outside the box, which passed harmlessly over the bar.

The game was won in the first half, with some good movement and passing in gusty conditions, but the game could easily have gone the other way without a solid start.  Chiswick showed that they could compete, but the creativity and finishing of the Tottenham side pleased manager June Clarke and they will meet either Watford reserves or Charlton Athletic 3rds in the final on May 18th.

Charlton Athletic 3rds

Tottenham Hotspur Reserves

1

After going through a traumatic first half, Tottenham fought back to regain some pride with a battling second half performance that saw them unlucky to close the gap.

The final started badly for Tottenham, with Charlton scoring within the first ten minutes with a goal that had a suspicion of offside about it.  Both sides seemed to stop awaiting the ref's whistle, which didn't come, leaving the Charlton forward to stroke the ball past Toni Munro in goal. 

Worse was to follow in the 14th minute, as a long cross caused confusion between Djoshkoun and Munro and the ball was headed past the keeper to a Charlton player, who put the ball across from a narrow angle.  The ball hit the post and as Di Gardiner tried to clear the ball bounced off her into the net.

A change of linesman in the 15th minute, after a pulled muscle, didn't help Spurs, as the 24th minute brought a long ball over the Tottenham defence, leaving Toni exposed and the Charlton striker lobbed her to make it three.

Munro was forced to run out and clear behind her defence on the half hour and from the resulting throw, she made a sharp save low down to her right to stop the ball creeping inside the post.  From the corner though, a shot was stopped on the line by Lucy Palmer and the ref decreed that she had used a hand and awarded a penalty.  However, Lucy escaped without a card.  The penalty was struck into the net for a 4-0 lead for the Charlton side.

Towards the end of the half, Tottenham staged a resurgence and the ball bobbled around the box before hurriedly being cleared by a red shirt.  A Beckie Gagg corner shortly afterwards was half cleared to the edge of the area and Rosi Webb met it with her left foot and it flew into the net just inside the post.  Charlton hit back with a couple of attacks before the half time whistle, but neither unduly troubled the Spurs defence.

The second half was a different story.  Although the pitch was bumpy and had long grass, with a bobbly ball making passing difficult, it was the same for both sides.  But Tottenham's second 45 was more determined and showed they were the equal of the Charlton side.

In the first minute of the second period, Rosi forced a save from the Charlton keeper at her near post, before Toni beat out a fierce drive at the other end.  She also had to be alert when she dived to cover a low shot, but the ball bounced erratically and she had to reach up from the ground to grab the effort.  While Spurs did better in this half, Toni was on her game and made a fine tip over when the centre forward was through on goal and had a bit more fortune than in the first half, when a header from the corner bounced clear off the bar.

With 13 minutes gone, substitute Kesha Heaven fed Latoyah Johnson in the box and she made a neat turn to fire in a shot at the keeper's near post that she saved well.  Halfway through the half, Munro was again called into action, firstly sticking out a foot to stop a firm shot and then getting down to turn away a shot to her right.  Spurs hit back straight away when Kim McGhee had a shot held by the Addicks goalie.

While a passage of play saw the ball stay away from either goal, Tottenham finished strongly and a Charlton back-pass was mis-controlled by the keeper, leading to a scramble in the goalmouth, with Rosi and Kirsty Patterson involved and it all ending with an Athletic defender stopping the ball on the goal-line.

Manager June Clark was disappointed at the outcome, but said "The team have done me and themselves proud this season by getting to the final and doing so well in the League.  They showed that despite a first half when everything went against them, they had the ability and spirit to battle back in the second and show that they were capable of holding Charlton for 45 minutes."