Spurs started the game brightly with chances falling to Chanel Breen, Kirsty Holmes and Sam Garner all of whom missed the target.  However, Spurs did have the ball in the back of the net with about 20 minutes gone, when good link up play down the left led to Katie Taylor sliding the ball past the keeper, only for it to be ruled out for offside.  Spurs went into the break however 2-0 down, the two goals which were scored in quick succession and in very similar fashion, when Spurs failed to clear there lines. 

Straight from the second half restart, the much changed Spurs team started to gain a foothold in the game and this was rewarded when Fran Hussey superbly reduced the arrears direct from a corner, bending the ball into the far top corner.  Soon after Spurs were level with a fine individual effort from Marit Undheim (M). 

With the Spurs defence looking rather solid dealing with everything the opposition had to offer, Tottenham had a couple of chances to win the game, with the best of those falling to M, who once more fired just wide. 

All in all a good performance from Spurs, with many positives to take from the game.

allen hales

-

paul clark

newham womens  3     kikk  4    
hampstead  0     camden town  4    
garston reserves  5     hackney women reserves  0    

As Spurs Ladies Reserves were robbed of all three points at the end of last week's match, so the tables were turned as KIKK visited Fred Knights for a GLRWFL Division 2 North match.

When the match finally kicked off after the over running of a previous game, the pace was quick with both teams battling for possession and craving an early goal.  However, fresh from a battling display against Katabella last week, Spurs Reserves defended stubbornly against an early onslaught from their opponents, with only one real scare when an opposing player was allowed time and space to get a shot off and subsequently rattled the bar.

During the first half Spurs always looked a threat going forward, with persistent running down the right flank by Stavroulla Panayiotou and strong forward play by Kirsty Holmes and Marit Undheim, with the latter striking the outside of the post from an acute angle just before the break.

The second half began with the score at 0-0, but this was altered early in the half when Kirsty Holmes pounced on a spillage by the KIKK keeper and duly smashed the ball into an empty net.  A great double save from goalkeeper and captain for the day Lisa McCabe preserved the 1-0 lead Spurs had obtained. However soon after, when possession was lost in a midfield tussle, KIKK counter attacked and made it 1-1.  Soon after it was 1-2, after a bouncing ball into the box wasn’t cleared and the KIKK striker hooked the ball over a helpless Lisa McCabe.

The scoring was not finished though, as Spurs responded strongly to going 1-2 down.  With seconds to go a fantastic 30 yard (if not more) free kick from Leesa Shields' menacing left foot stunned the away bench and sent the home dugout into raptures.  It had only been a matter of time coming, as previously Leesa Shields had a free-kick superbly saved by the KIKK keeper, however, this time she could only help the ball on its way into the back of the net !  Final Score 2-2.

allen hales

camden town  3     katabella  1    
newham womens  4     hampstead  0    
hackney women reserves  1     joybabe  6    

garston reserves  2     camden town  5    

With a fine display of passing and movement, Tottenham Hotspur Ladies reserves took all three points for the first time this season with a home win over Garston Reserves.

The match started at quite a frantic pace, with Spurs having plenty of possession and attacking the Garston goal from the off, this can be indicated by a flurry of corners Spurs won within the first 10 minutes.  However the first real goalmouth action had to wait until around the quarter hour mark when Katie Taylor burst down the left flank and centred the ball to Dee Gilbert who calmly slotted home.  However, celebrations were short lived as the linesman had flagged Dee Gilbert offside, so the score was still 0-0.

Spurs didn’t have to wait much longer to break the deadlock though, a clever turn and shot from a tight position inside the box by Dee Gilbert nestled into the bottom corner ... 1-0 to Spurs.  And soon after it was 2-0, from one of the many corners in the first half taken by Fran Hussey, the ball broke lose in the box and there was Dee Gilbert once more to stab the ball home, two for her … two for Spurs !

As the half wore on the pressure on the Garston goal did not subside, continuous attacks from both flanks continued to pepper the opposition box, and subsequently from an attack down the right and superb ball was put across the box and there was Katie Taylor at the back post to make it 3-0 going into the break.  The goal was Katie Taylor’s first for two seasons !

After the restart, with morale within the Spurs camp at a towering level, it was again an attacking approach that was adopted.  And within three or four minutes Katie Taylor grabbed her second and the teams fourth.  After switching wings with Geena Gordon, this time Katie Taylor ghosted to the back post from the right and superbly finished from a pinpoint cross.

With 15 minutes of the second half gone, Fiona Butterfield was introduced for her first appearance of the season and within minutes grabbed the fifth goal.  Good link up play with Stav Panayiotou resulted in Fiona Butterfield rounding the opposition keeper and easily slotting home.  Things got better for Spurs and Fiona Butterfield minutes later, when Sophie Jackson floated in a free kick from the right, Fiona Butterfield was in the right place at the right time to bundle the ball home for her second and make it 6-0.

The goal scoring was then complete towards end of the game when Fran Hussey broke free to the right of the box and cleverly slid the ball past the advancing keeper to make the final score of 7-0 to Spurs.

A very pleasing display was rewarded with plenty of possession, goals and attacking football. It is now vital for Spurs to build on this first win of the season and take confidence from the dominant performance.

allen hales

camden town  2     hackney women reserves  2    
katabella  3     kikk  6    

On a very wet Sunday the Spurs Ladies Reserves travelled to Tufnell Park to face Division Two North newcomers Joybabe.

Last season’s promoted opponents looked organized and keen as they warmed up, but in the weeks leading up to this game, the reserves had shown a good attitude and consistency on the pitch and at training, giving a view that there is still a lot more to come from this squad.

It took Tottenham less than two minutes to score through Stavroulla Panayiotou and then five minutes later Kirsty Holmes made it 2-0 !

An own goal followed on the 17 minute mark before Sophie Jackson scored to make it 0-4 with still 25 minutes to play of the half.

A shell shocked Joybabe shook themselves down and started to take a bit more control of the game but Spurs still threatened with Chanel Breen hitting the side netting and then the post.  Joybabe's occasional threat was dealt with well by the Spurs defence lead by Mary Griffiths, which also saw a rare start at centre back for the Spurs goalkeeper Lisa McCabe, whilst the goal was kept by our trusty young and injured centre back Leesa Shields.  Fran worked so hard fighting for every ball in midfield and was later given a rest when substituted at half time.

This kind of commitment was shown even more in the second half as Dee Gilbert took charge of the centre midfield, also with a change in midfield gave Stav a bit more time on the ball and with this came the composure, and as she did earlier at the start of the first half, she did the same in the start of the second half, but this time she lobbed the Joybabe keeper from 25 yards !

Spurs continued to apply pressure with hard running from Beth Richards and Katie Taylor and substitute Amanda O'Neill gave Spurs another option of the aerial attack.  Katie, who was also carrying a slight injury, held up till the half way stage of the second half before Charlie Archer came on to put in an excellent performance.

Every player gave there all and this was epitomised when Kirsty chased a ball tirelessly for a 45 yards in the 87^th minute, a ball she was not going reach.  But Faust, the Joybabe defender, in trying to put it out for a throw-in deep in the Joybabe’s defending third by sliding across Kirsty (who was going flat out) crashed into the player, falling heavily on her shoulder.  This reduced the team to ten players for the remainder of the game.

The whole Spurs team were just as committed this day and it was a privilege to watch them play with the excitement of knowing there is more to come.

paul clark - reserve manager

camden town  3     newham womens  3    
hampstead  1     kikk  3    
garston reserves  1     katabella  0    

paul clark - reserve team manager

newham womens  -     hackney women reserves  -    
kikk  -     garston reserves  -    
katabella  -     joybabe  -    

The ladies on this day turned in a performance of the highest order, the balance within the team was spot on, as Spurs did not show a weakness in any department and all was calm, focus and positive; surely the best performance to date which stamps an intent that this team is after a promotion spot at the very least.

The opening blows were taken by Camden as Spurs flexed their muscles finding the smallest gaps to move and play not so much round, but through the Camden team.  Free kicks and corners came often for Spurs, but with not the final touch to execute the well worked openings from crosses and central play.

On 29 minutes came a flurry of close attempts, shots on target and even the ball coming off the bar and Spurs even had the ball in the Camden net, but a foul on the keeper was noted by the referee and it stayed at 0-0 by half time.

Into the second half, the wind was behind Spurs and so came the hardest half we have played.  The passers-by stopped walking and started watching as Tottenham started to push for the moment we were all waiting for and it came on the 75^th minute when another well worked move found Katie Taylor playing the ball back across her body, then striking to see the ball find its way home in the bottom corner.

Nerves jangled in the last 15 minutes until the 90^th when Shikiera Richards-Lake headed home from a corner to conclude the day’s work.

Every player in this reserve team is worth their weight in gold and is working to a target we all want to achieve together.

paul clark

joybabe  v  hackney women reserves  -  match postponed

camden town  2     hampstead  0    
hackney women reserves  0     katabella  4    
kikk  6     joybabe  0    

Weather conditions were very good on this winter's day, as the cold snap had ended and the sky was quite bright with no wind, even the pitch looked quite good after all the rain, snow etc.  The Tottenham team had rotated its midfield and forward line for this game against Hackney Womens Reserves and with a very strong bench, Tottenham had prepared for a tough away game in this first meeting of these teams this season.

Hackney set out in a 4-5-1 and early indications showed they were in no mood to let in many goals.  Playing a quite aggressive offside strategy, they prevented the early charges of Spurs, with even the woodwork was being their best friend as the ball crashed off it twice in the first 19 minutes, but the first goal for Spurs came on the 20^th minute followed by another on 24^th.

Hackney did not lie down and crashed into tackles with determination to defend with a few cries for free kicks were waved away and so were two penalty shouts.   Spurs started to put their game together and played some attractive football with cutting edge final balls that only lacked a finish to them.

The one way traffic became more evident as the half went on, the pressure from Spurs was building as they went in search of their third.

The second half started differently to how the first had, because after some stern words at half time, the Spurs ladies came out all guns blazing.  Some early changes saw instant results as Spurs went further ahead, by midway through the second half Spurs lead 0-4 and the ladies were still not finished yet.

The Spurs defence was rock solid and the midfield worked tirelessly from box to box with the forward line grabbing another two goals Spurs as went into the last five minutes in complete control.     

The 0-6 final score, with goals from Dee Gilbert, Amanda O’Neill (2), Natasha Ademakinwa (2) and Stavroulla Panayiotou, did not flatter Spurs as it could have been a lot more.

paul clark

garston reserves  v  newham womens  -  match postponed 
hampstead  1     katabella  1    
joybabe  5     camden town  7    

On a blustery November Remembrance Sunday Spurs Reserves took on a much different Joybabe team to whom they played earlier in the season.

The last encounter brought an emphatic victory of 0-5 to Spurs but today was always going to be different.  Spurs started bright, but could not find the cutting edge, as Joybabe's confidence started to grow Spurs slowly looked like they were running out of ideas.

The game become one of the most testing times for Spurs as they seemed to battle against more than the wind or Joybabe themselves as the second clear penalty shout in as many weeks was ushered away, it was starting to look like one of those days.

Spurs tempo was good and for long periods of the first half Spurs had the ball and Joybabe gave it back to them very easily, but Tottenham had one touch too many on most occasions, letting Joybabe organize themselves and become very effective, but not really a threat until Spurs scored in the 29^th minute.

The ball started from the back, finding it's way from Mary Griffiths to Beth Richards and then played inside to Sam O'Brien and quickly out to Stav Panayiotou, who penetrated the space, then shot over the keeper to make it 1-0 to Spurs.  But straight from the kick off Joybabe suddenly started combination passes and became a threat in Spurs final third.  Leesa Shields dominated her area, but Joybabe were not going to lie down.

Dee Gilbert and Stav were the thorns in Joybabe’s side last time out and this time they dug in deep; Dee working hard in the striker's role, flicking the ball on to Geena, whose silky ball carrying skills continue to take her deep into the final third with Dee always in support.

A very frustrated Spurs team sat in the changing room at half time, but all together, they sorted out the issues and went out looking for their just desserts. As soon as the half started, Spurs took control, this time playing into the wind, that then turn to rain as well !  The white army rolled on, a change of keeper put Shikiera in between the sticks and her confident handling and kicking gave Spurs some great starting attacks, but Joybabe held fast.  Was it going to be our day ?

More changes for Spurs gave fresh legs to the attack and the improvement was instant as Spurs started to go through the gears, the substitutes encouraged and urged their friends and team mates on, the healthy number of parents and supporters encouraged and clapped in joy as Spurs purred with a new found confidence.

Then a step back as Joybabe got a free kick 25 yards out and suddenly Shikiera looked very small in a very big goal.  The wind assisted drive swerved, but was not good enough to beat our trusted keeper, as she parried it away, but the ball fell kindly to a Joybabe player and Shikiera was not able to stop this close range shot, but also was not that far away from it.

1-1 with 25 minutes to play and the team stepped up to the plate and rolled their sleeves up.  Spurs Reserves became a different kind of animal.  Against the worsening weather, Spurs demanded more from themselves and it came at a price.  First Natalie Howard over stretched and twisted her knee, but continued to soldier on.  Beth aggravated an old injury and started to struggle, but with no more subs left, Spurs battered their way through the Joybabe team.  With 15 minutes left Beth ran hard at the heart of Joybabe team, beating players before playing the ball into the danger zone were Stav had got goal side of her marker and we all watched as the low driven shot bounced up of the diving body of the keeper, up and over and just like the Spurs Reserves performance the ball tiredly dragged itself over the goal line teasing us with uncertainty until the cheers erupted from that corner of the ground.

2-1, but Spurs were not home and dry yet.  Natalie had to retire through injury, which brought Spurs down to ten players.  Beth’s injury worsened and she was put into wide midfield, then Katie Taylor got battered in the area and had to come off, which reduced Spurs to nine players and still Spurs battled on and still looked the better team.  Katie returned to play the last five minutes and Spurs had the ball for most of this time, with the game finishing with Spurs Reserves battling for a third goal.

The team captain, Mary had bravely lead this team through the mentally toughest game to date with the full squad drained and tired, the whole squad were fantastic and showed we can get in the ring and fight for a result.  With great leadership from Mary, everyone gave their all today.

A very proud manager said, “The performance was not world class, but the players and subs showed a world class mentality today, we ground out this result and anyone who comes here has to be prepared in every way.  Joybabe tried their best and put us through it with some great defending, but we just don’t know how to lose or draw anymore.  I have a very tough team here at Spurs.” 

paul clark

camden town  6     garston reserves  2    
katabella  8     hackney women reserves  0    
kikk  4     newham womens  2    

Straight from the start Spurs could have scored when Tasha Ademakinwa ran from the kick off past not one, but three Camden players, who were not expecting such an aggressive start, as Tasha bullied her way to the eighteen yard area and looked a bit surprised herself, not shooting.  Possession was lost but not that momentum.

Camden fielded a much different side from our last encounter and looked quite happy to defend, but as the game went on they looked tired and uncreative in the final third.  Spurs on the other hand were full of forward running from Katie Taylor and Sophie Jackson, strong and decisive play from Sam O’Brien and Laura Gardner gave Charlie Archer, Geena Gordon and Fran Hussey plenty of chances to get deep into the Camden defending third.

Keeping the ball away from danger, as our captain Mary Griffiths commanded her troops with Amanda O'Neill beside her, we looked very strong in the middle of the field.  Leesa Shields gave the squad extra confidence in goal as we dealt with all Camden had to offer. 

Again and again, flowing attack followed flowing attack, while defending was also a priority in the middle third, but everyone worked hard and Spurs looked not just the better, but stronger team as we approached half time.

Another penalty was waved away after Charlie was bundled over in the penalty area, but with the ball being cleared only for another Spurs attack to result before the half-time whistle.

The second half mirrored much of the first as Spurs possession increased, the passing got better, the movement was more controlled and entering the attacking third became easier.  Substitutions on 56 minutes gave Sasha Kelly and Dee Gilbert an opportunity to shine and made an instant impact.

Spurs, by this time, were in the flow and were very good all over the pitch.  A last change gave Natalie Howard a chance to show she was over her knee injury and was given the last twenty minutes pushing Katie forward into a more advanced role.  Camden had nothing more to offer and just like Joybabe in Spurs last home fixture, they defended their goal very well, but came away with a point, as Spurs found it hard to convert the chances given.  It was one of those days for that, but not for the performance, as Spurs played better against Camden today than when Spurs beat them 0-2 earlier this season at their ground and Camden with an allegedly weaker squad last time out shows the Spurs team are going the right way with their football.

As manager I thought "we could look at this as two points dropped today, but that would be harsh on Camden who are one of the best teams in the league this season.  I think we deserved more out of the game and if we had got the penalty this game would have been a different story.  But we never deserved to lose it, as the performance was great and all the things we have been working on came out today especially first half.  We do look very good, but at times we look a different class.  We need more phases of movement to our game, but the girls are working so hard we shall achieve more in our own time.  So I look at this game as taking five points from Camden and not conceding a goal to them over three hours of football and walking away with four points; three more than them.”

paul clark

hackney women reserves  0     garston reserves  4