This was exactly what the girls needed following the last game played, a comfortable win, where the girls dominated from start to finish.  Excellent individual performances from each player with a lot of communication throughout the game produced a polished team effort.
 
Hat-trick hero Ruby Marlow had an outstanding goal, increasing her total goals for the season, while Marit Undheim, playing her first start as striker for the season, showed her finishing touch by bagging two goals for herself.
 
Lady of the match this week was Paris James, for her excellent work-rate, communication and ethic to get the players to do what has been learnt in training.
 

Manager’s comments 

This was a good result to have from the set-back the week before and this now gives the girls the belief that if they carry on with this strong will to win they can achieve there aim of winning the league trophy. 

Well done girls on an excellent performance.

paolo di fabrizio

watford development  -    
alexandra park  -    
bushey rangers  -    
wingate & finchley reserves  -    
hackney women reserves  -    
garston 3rds  -    
lea valley united  -    
luton town 3rds  -    
headstone manor  -    
east london  -    
lner  -    

This was always going to be a very tough encounter between Spurs Ladies Thirds and Watford Development, with both teams at the top end of the league and battling it out for that all important first place. 

Both teams started how everybody expected probing each other looking for weaknesses which made the first half very physical, but not many chances for either team. 

The half score was still deadlocked at 0-0. 

The second half was totally different with both teams going for the win and trying to find the openings.  The early pressure was from Spurs, but with some very disappointing refereeing decisions Spurs could not find the breakthrough they needed and with about 25 minutes left Watford broke and had a shot from the edge of the box and it some how beat Chelsea Spurrier in the Tottenham goal to make it 0-1.

This knocked Spurs back a bit, but they still pushed for the equaliser and with a long clearance from the Watford defence the bounce was misjudged by the Spurs defence and allowed the forward to make the score 0-2.

But still Tottenham pushed forward and with a very good goal from our new signing Julia Bariotakis, which was hotly disputed by the Watford players and management, the final minutes were very tense, but unfortunately Spurs could not find the equaliser and suffered their second defeat of the season. 

Manager’s comments
This game was a very tough encounter and I feel a draw would have been a fairer result, but this is the sort of result that makes teams into league winners and now it is how the girls react to this minor set back. 

The girls should be proud of their season so far with 13 games played won 10, drawn 1, lost 2.  As a manager the perfect start still in all cup competitions and challenging for the league title, this is all down to the hard work the girls are putting in on the training pitch. 

Well done girls. 

Lady of the match for the second week running Isabella List.

dave shephard

watford development  -    
alexandra park  -    
bushey rangers  -    
wingate & finchley reserves  -    
hackney women reserves  -    
garston 3rds  -    
lea valley united  -    
luton town 3rds  -    
headstone manor  -    
east london  -    
lner  -    

The long lay off showed in the first half with players looking too tired and not contributing towards the team with their effort, but Ruby Marlow managed to notch two goals to give the girls a 2-0 lead at half time, but it was a hard earned lead. 

The second half was totally different with some tough words at half time from the management, the girls listened and went out and showed why they are top of the table.

The passing and movement was a lot sharper and players started to play in the position they should be and not anywhere on the pitch, which had an impact on possession and influence on the game.  Because the team started to play, the chances were becoming more frequent and Ruby scored another two goals making her total four for the game and her strike partner Becky Shephard scored four goals as well, which rounded of a very satisfying second half performance and making the final score 8-0.

Manager’s comments

The long time off because of the weather showed in the first half and helped the management see what needs to be done in order to continue to stay at the top of this division.  There were some plusses in the match with the two new signings of Isabella List and Yagmur Gurtunca both slotting into the team very well.  Isabella played for the whole game and Yagmur joined in at the start of the second half.

It was three points at the end, but credit needs to go to Garston for their effort and pressure especially in the first half. 

dave shephard

watford development  -    
alexandra park  -    
bushey rangers  -    
wingate & finchley reserves  -    
hackney women reserves  -    
lea valley united  -    
luton town 3rds  -    
headstone manor  -    
east london  -    
lner  -    

After a long delay between games due to the weather, Spurs Ladies Thirds finally got a game before Christmas and it was a Russell Cup Round Two clash between Spurs (who are top of Division 3 North) and AFC Fulham (who are top of Division 3 South).  With both teams only having lost one game each throughout the whole of the season so far, so this was going to be a clash of two teams playing well in there respective leagues.  Spurs were a bit depleted in players having injuries and players away for the festive season, so they could only field a bare eleven against a very tough opposition, but the girls went into the game showing no fear of having a smaller squad.

The game kicked off and both teams played the ball around the field with some good passing and movement.  The visitors started to get stronger as the half grew and soon they were starting to take a bit of domination of the game and with the constant pressure they took the lead to make it 0-1 to Fulham.

This seemed to pull the Spurs team together and they started to get back into the game and about ten minutes after going behind, they pulled level with a lovely floated cross from Becky Shephard, which found her strike partner Ruby Marlow running into the box and with a sweet volley put the ball pass the diving keeper.  Half time came and the score was 1-1.

At the interval, the management team showed the girls what was working and what was causing problems and they could get the result if we corrected these issues.  True to what they have done all season, they listened to the team talk at half time and went out and executed it and were starting to become the stronger of the two teams, but with a lot of physical effort and no substitutes to have ready the girls where getting tired, the game was very close and the final whistle blew and it was still deadlocked at 1-1, despite carving out some good scoring chances towards the end of the match. 

So extra time loomed for both teams and with Tottenham putting in a lot of effort to kill the game of in the ninety minutes they looked very tired.  Extra time started and the visitors started to press again and with minutes left of the first period of extra time Fulham found the Spurs net to take a 1-2 lead.  The first period ended and the referee turned the girls around straight away, so with no time for a quick team talk, the managers shouted the message out to the girls to believe in their own ability and enjoy the game.  With this, the girls got their second wind and did not want to lose this cup game, so they pushed for the equaliser and with about five minutes of the second period gone Tottenham found it with a determined run through the heart of the Fulham defence by Ruby Marlow, who netted her second of the game and Spurs drew level.  Still both teams pressed each other to get the winner, but unfortunately honours were shared after extra time and it was down to the lottery of penalties.  Not a nice way to end a great game of football between two very good sides.

With Becky Shephard, Ruby Marlow, Sam Garner, Marit Undheim and captain Stephanie Le stepping up as the five spot takers, the coin was tossed and Spurs won the choice and decided to go first.  With the crowd watching closely and the managers from both teams unable to help their players, it was now down to nerves and one hero from either team to help put their team through to the next round.  Becky stepped up and slotted the ball home for 1-0.  Fulham stepped up and Chelsea saved to keep it 1-0.  Sam was next and hit a good penalty, but it came back off the woodwork, so it allowed Fulham back in with a chance of levelling, which they took to make it 1-1.  Two goal hero Ruby stepped up and made no mistake to give Spurs the advantage again.  The next Fulham player shot wide and with Marit taking the fourth Spurs penalty, it was calmly slotted home to give Spurs a 3-1 lead.  The pressure was now on Fulham’s next player, who had to score to keep them in otherwise Tottenham advanced through to the Third Round.  The player stepped up, shot and the hero was the Spurs keeper Chelsea, who saved the shot making the final result ... Spurs win 3-1 on penalties. The players erupted with joy and run to celebrate with their keeper.

Manager’s comments

This was probably one of the best games to watch all season because it had everything goals, extra time and even the dreaded penalties. The girls battled all the way through and made the management team really proud.  This game was played in the true spirit of football and as a club we would like to thank Fulham Belles for their part in a very exciting game and wish them all the best in their league.  They are a very good team and showed a lot of fighting spirit, but this game was about both sets of players showing each other respect.  Even after the penalties, it was a real shame somebody had to lose as this would have been a very good final between two evenly matched teams. 

The parents commented that they would have paid good money to see a game as good as the one they had just witnessed. 

Well done girls excellent performance 

Lady of the match was goalkeeping hero Chelsea Spurrier.

dave shephard

hampstead  v  hackney women reserves  -  match postponed 
clapham united  5    lea valley united  1    
dagenham & redbridge reserves  3     clapham united reserves  1   
luton town 3rds  1     london united  2    
comets  2     joybabe  0    
bedfont green ladies  0     watford development  3    
regents park rangers  6     alexandra park  1    
east london  1     katabella  2   
hampton & richmond  5     kent magpies reserves  3    
epsom eagles  0     panthers reserves  2    
newham womens  v  lner  -  match awarded to newham womens
bromelian  3    east moore  2    
south london women  0     battersea and wandsworth borough  1   
petts wood  6     garston reserves  2   

other league results :

bushey rangers  10     garston 3rds  0    
headstone manor  0     wingate & finchley reserves  3    

lner  v  bushey rangers  -     match postponed
luton town 3rds  2     wingate & finchley reserves  0    
garston 3rds  v  watford development  -     match postponed
lea valley united  v  hackney women reserves  -     match postponed

wingate & finchley reserves  v  bushey rangers  -     match postponed
luton town 3rds  v  lea valley united  -     match postponed

This was the tenth game of the season for the Spurs Ladies Thirds and they were trying to make it ten games undefeated against Luton Town Thirds, but this was not to be. 

The game was late kicking of due to the ref turning up late, but before the game started a minute's silence was held to remember the fallen war heroes on Remembrance Sunday.

Eventually the girls got under way and it started out as a very good physical battle between two sides at the top end of the table, Luton started to play some good football, but Tottenham were equal to this and showed some good passing movement through the game as well.

A mistake from the Spurs back line allowed Luton to take the lead from a cross that had players falling over on the wet pitch and a Luton player slotting the ball home, 0-1 to the away team. 

About ten minutes from going behind Spurs were awarded a free kick on the left hand corner of the penalty box; Becky Shephard placed the ball and then buried it straight into the right hand corner of the goal making it 1-1.

Still, it was evenly contested on the pitch with the away team coming to beat the team at the top of the table and battling for every ball. 

Spurs had a goal kick, which was poorly taken and the Luton player seized the chance to attack the goal, but with the goalkeeper and defender getting confused with each other, the Luton player was pulled down and Luton were awarded a penalty that they calmly slotted home making it 1-2.  Spurs started to string some passes together and with probably the best goal of the game Marit Undheim linked superbly with Chloe Kraemer with a flurry of one-twos on the edge of the box to put Marit through to score the equalizer, the score remained 2-2 at half time. 

The second half was a different game all together, as Tottenham became very one dimensional and lost a lot of shape and passing within their game.  This pushed the visitors on and they sensed they could get the result against top of the table Spurs, who held out for nearly all of the second half, but with minutes remaining the away team broke through against the keeper Chelsea Spurrier, who saved superbly, but did not have support around to help clear the saved shot and the Luton player latched onto the rebound and slotted home giving the away team three vital points. The final score and first defeat of the season 2-3 to Luton.  

Manager’s comments

Overall this was a lack lustre performance by the girls with a lot of the second half being very one dimensional, every team wants to beat who is at the top of the table and this was the case in this game Luton wanted to win this game and they played very well to get the result.  We could have said a draw would have been a fairer result, but it is a ninety minute game and we got caught at the end.

The big test now is how the girls react to there first defeat and come back next week fighting. We will be working extra hard in training to eliminate this games performance and get back to winning ways.

All I can say is this game has now gone and we can not dwell on the past we have to move forward as a unit and learn from this defeat.

dave shephard

lea valley united  2     lner  3    
east london  0     hackney women reserves  8    

Spurs Ladies Thirds took time out from league fixtures this week to play in their first cup competition of the season and it was a visit from Panthers Reserves from Division Two, so this was going to be a big challenge for the girls, but with confidence high in the team they were ready for it.  The weather was very wet and windy, totally the opposite from that the girls had played in before, so this factor plus a team a league above them was going to be a very big test for the Thirds. 

The game kicked of and it was even for most of the first half, but in the 33^rd minute the visitors were awarded a corner, which was swung into the danger area and with some sloppy defending and confusion in the Spurs team, the ball was stabbed home from about a foot from the line by the away the team, making the score 0-1 to Panthers.

The girls have been behind in games before so they knew how to react and started to play their usual passing, flowing football which eventually found Ruby Marlow out on the left who cut in and lofted the ball over the keeper, who was a long way from her goal line, to make the score 1-1 and this is how it finished at half time. 

After some words from the management team and one change, the girls were ready to go and finish this game in the 90 minutes because they did not want extra time. 

The second half started and the girls came out the blocks flying and were putting the visitors under a lot of pressure, a corner was awarded and Becky Shephard with the outside of her foot curled the ball into the goal directly from the corner making the score 2-1 to Spurs.  Within minutes of the restart, Ruby Marlow got her second of the game and Spurs Ladies' third, which seemed to knock the visitors back and Tottenham felt the game was there for the taking, increasing the pressure on the away team.

The rewards came again with the best goal of the game because of the build up play between the girls right from the back with the defenders, all the way through to Becky finishing in superb style from outside the box.

The final score 4-1 to Spurs.

Manager’s comments

The girls started slowly but with the confidence flowing through the girls’ veins at the moment this was a very good win against a team a league above them.  This team is getting better and better each week and with hard work on the training ground they can improve even more.  The performance in the second half showed why they sit top of there league and caused a cup upset in this match.  The second half performance by the girls was superb, but we still need to be at our best for the whole of the game - not just for one half, but having said that these girls keep on surprising myself and their coach Paolo with their attitude to win games. 

Well done girls lets keep it going with all the hard work and determination at training and matches. 

Player of the match was Becky Shephard

dave shephard

afc fulham  0     camden town  2    
east moore  10     garston 3rds  2    
fulham crompton ob  9     tower hamlets reserves  0    
lea valley united  0     msa ladies  7    
hackney women reserves  1     kent magpies reserves  1     (2-2 a.e.t.; kent magpies reserves win 3-2 on penalties)
fulham deaf  10     hemel hempstead reserves  1    
one wish  0     dagenham & redbridge reserves  14    
battersea & wandsworth borough reserves  v  garston reserves  -    tie awarded to battersea & wandsworth reserves
leyton  v  bedfont green ladies    -    tie awarded to leyton
newham womens  7     bushey rangers  0    
colne valley  8     alexandra park  0     
joybabe  v  british airways reserves    -    tie awarded to joybabe
kikk  5     bromleian  0   
northwood  v  south london women    -    tie awarded to northwood
clapham united  1     battersea & wandsworth borough  5    
fulham crompton ob reserves  0     regents park rangers  1    
hackney women  7     wingate & finchley reserves  0    
westside  0     old actonians reserves  2    
broxton tigers  0     surrey ladies  1    
british airways  0     east barnet  3    
clapham united  1     battersea & wandsworth borough  5    

other league results :

headstone manor  1     watford development  3    
lner  4     east london  1    

The long awaited clash of the top two teams in the league finally arrived and with Watford losing their first game of the season last week, they were really up for this game to get back to winning ways against the Spurs Thirds, who had not tasted defeat yet and were ready for this big game.

The home side started the brightest and were putting the Spurs girls under enormous pressure, but the girls held strong.  It was probably the worst start to a game the girls have had for the whole season, but incredibly the score was 0-0 with Watford not converting the chances they created.  Tottenham know they have the fire-power up front to turn games, which is why they are top scorers in the league and this was the case with the in-form Becky Shephard and Ruby Marlow up front, they only need a chance and with an in-swinging corner from Becky, the keeper fumbled and Ruby was there to prod the ball home for a 0-1 lead.

This did not seem to ignite the girls as it has done in previous games and Watford still continued to pressure the Tottenham back line.  Then, with a superb through ball from midfield, Sam Garner latched onto it and slotted it past the advancing keeper for a 0-2 lead, with minutes remaining of the first half.  As the management team were waiting to have a frank team-talk with the girls about their first half performance, Becky Shephard broke through and rifled home to make the half time score 0-3 to Tottenham. 

After the interval and some strong words from the management the girls started to pick up.  The game was more even in the second half and Spurs started to show that you do not need many chances in a game to score and win matches and with Aimee Rose scoring to make it 0-4, things were looking more comfortable for the league leaders. They then scored another through Sam Garner from the edge of the box which looked from the touchline as if it had gone wide, but the ref gave the goal.

Watford scored a consolation goal through a bit of confusion between the Tottenham players to make the score at this stage 1-5, but Spurs were still not finished and Clare Singh rifled in from the edge of the box to make the final score1-6.

Even though the second half was a better performance, the girls were only firing on about 75% of what they are capable of.

Manager’s comments

From a management point of view this was probably the worst the girls have played all season, but having said that if we can beat our nearest team in the league 6-1 away from home, just imagine what they can do when they are firing on all cylinders.

This was a game of strength and pressure from the home team and a master class in finishing from the away team. As a team the girls are getting stronger and stronger and with more hard work back on the training ground they will improve even more. 

This was not a good performance in passing and movement, but a good performance in the strength the girls have in winning games from nothing. 

Player of the match was Paris James

david shephard

alexandra park  2     wingate & finchley reserves  0    
bushey rangers  2     luton town 3rds  0    
headstone manor  0     hackney women reserves  2    
east london  2     lea valley united  7    

The toughest game of the season so far for the Spurs Ladies Third team was away to Hackney Ladies who were third in the table and like Spurs, undefeated in the league after six fixtures.  But with the confidence running through the team, the girls went out and delivered probably their best performance so far this season.

The first half was probably dominated by Tottenham, with Becky Shephard hitting the crossbar and the post and other chances missed by the girls, with the Hackney Goalkeeper playing very well to keep the score 0-0 at half time. 

But this did not stop the girls, who where keen to stay undefeated in the league and remain at the top of the table. They started to pressure the Hackney back four more and more and when Becky received the ball out on the right side, she cut back in onto her left foot and let rip, which saw the ball nestle into the top corner for a well deserved lead.

This inspired the girls to do what they have been doing all season and push forward to kill the game off which they did with a well taken goal from Ruby Marlow to make the score 0-2 to Spurs, but still the girls were not finished and when a player from Hackney got the ball square in the face and the game should have been stopped the ref played on and the girls have been taught to play to the whistle, so they went on and Marit Undheim made it 0-3.

This was a great team effort and showed they are going to compete all the way to the end of the season, another tough away game next week with second in the table Watford Development.

Manager’s comments 

We have been working very hard in training on our corner set pieces and this week the girls went out and superbly delivered every set play from corners, just as they had at the training ground.

The girls are growing stronger as a team and they have the belief to be title contenders this season.  They are now the only team in their league not to have lost any games yet, which is a great start to any season.  Six wins and one draw.  19 points from a possible 21.

Keep the belief girls, because Paolo and I believe you can get better and better as the season progresses.  Keep working hard at training. 

Well done girls another great performance.

Player of the match was Marit Undheim.

david shephard

wingate & finchley reserves  2     watford development  1    
lea valley united  0     headstone manor  1    
east london  1     luton town 3rds  4    
lner  -     alexandra park  -    

During the interval the management team had a good chat about certain things the girls were not doing in the first half and what was needed to correct this for the second half, which the girls as always took on board and went out for the second half to put into the game.  They started again very quickly of the mark and before the second half had really started Spurs extended their lead, this pushed Tottenham forward even more and apart from a small defensive error which allowed the visitors a consolation goal, the Spurs Ladies went on to add another six goals in the second half which were from Marit Undheim, Aimee Rose, Stephanie Le, another from Marlow and Becky Shephard added two more to her tally.

The girls have kicked off the season with a great start by gaining 16 points out of a possible 18, but the tougher games are still to come, starting next week with a top of the table clash away to Hackney Womens Reserves. 

Manager’s comments 

The girls have started there campaign superbly but it is a long season ahead and the girls have a very big four weeks coming up with some of the other top teams within their league, but I am sure they will rise to the challenge as they have done each week so far. 

Well done girls for a great start keep up the hard work in training and it will help you do well this season

Player of the match was Ruby Marlow.

dave shephard

watford development  8     lner  2    
alexandra park  4     headstone manor  2    
bushey rangers  3     lea valley united  0    
wingate & finchley reserves  7     garston 3rds  2    
luton town 3rds  2     hackney women reserves  2    

It started off a little sloppy in places, but the girls soon started to pick up the pace and put the home team under pressure with some lovely flowing football.  Becky Shephard broke through the defence and slotted home to open the scoring for the away team.  Becky’s in-swinging shot, which a Garston player cleared off the line only to hit her own keeper and the ball bounced back into the empty net.

When the half time whistle was blown Becky had scored three more times and with the own goal, the half time result was reading 0-5 to Spurs. 

The second half started and with the big lead, some changes to the formation was able to be implemented to give the managers the chance to look at some of the players strengths in different areas, while maintaining the discipline in the team.

The home team had a cross-come-shot from the edge of the box which deceived our keeper and ended up in the net to make it 1-5.  This seemed to push the team on and with some good passing around the pitch, Marit Undheim added two more goals, Ruby Marlow added another and Becky finished her days work with a sixth goal to make the final score 1-10 to Tottenham.

Manager’s comments

The girls looked very strong in stages of the game with some good flowing football, but they need to start to make this happen during the whole game and not just in stages.  Apart from that the girls have now moved joint top of the table with Watford and Hackney Ladies, with the only thing separating them all is goal difference with two goals between them. 

Well done girls keep up the good work in training and we can keep the heat on the rest in our division.

Player of the match was Chelsea Orridge-Golding.

dave shepherd

alexandra park  1     luton town 3rds  1    
bushey rangers  v east london  -   match postponed
hackney women reserves  1     watford development  1    
lea valley united  3     wingate & finchley reserves  5    
lner  4     headstone manor  1    

Fourth game of the season for the THLFC Thirds and with a stricken team, hit by injuries and illness, it was time for all available players to come to the front, which they did with a professional team performance.  They showed they are in this league to contend for the title, not to make the numbers up in the league.  The ladies played as a team, which is why there were four different scorers in the shape of Eleanda Taladianou, Ruby Marlow, Aimee Rose and Becky Shephard. 

Manager’s comments

A good professional performance by the girls, they did what was asked and played some great football as a team.

Player of the match was Stephanie Le

dave shephard

watford development  3     bushey rangers  0    
garston 3rds  0     alexandra park  6    
headstone manor  2     luton town 3rds  3    
east london  v  wingate & finchley reserves  -  match abandoned 
lner  2     hackney women reserves  3    

The third game in the season for the Spurs Ladies third team was away to Wingate and Finchley Reserves at the Peel Centre, Hendon.

The girls started the game in a positive manner and played extremely good team football during the first half, as they executed all the pre-match tactics with simple and effective attacking passing, while continuing with good discipline in team shape.

The break through come just before half time with Chelsea Orridge-Golding slotting the ball through to Ruby Marlow, who in turn lobbed the ball over the keeper to make it 0-1 to Spurs. 

The second half started with some changes in the team with Natalie Howard coming off and being replaced by Kate Wilson, which meant Chelsea slotted into the left back position and Kate filled the centre midfield role.  Due to the changes, the girls lost their way for about fifteen minutes of the second half, which allowed the home team to snatch two quick goals and take a 2-1 lead.  The girls' heads dropped a bit until Ruby found her second of the match and the equaliser.  This lifted the fighting spirit within the team and they then started to push for the winner.  With minutes remaining Ruby scored her third of the match and the winning goal to keep the unbeaten record going for the third team. 

Final score 2-3 to Spurs.

Manager’s comments 

A very good all round performance by the girls, who did what was asked of them and they played some great football as a team.  The spirit running through the team at the moment is excellent, although they still have a few things to work on in training but so far so good. 

The result was a good one because it was the way they came back and won as a team.

Player of the match was Chelsea Orridge-Golding

paolo di fabrizio

lea valley united v east london  -  match postponed
bushey rangers  8     lner  1    
hackney women reserves  10     alexandra park  1    
garston 3rds  0     headstone manor  3    
luton town 3rds  2     watford development  3    

The Spurs Ladies Third team were looking to capitalise on their good start to the season, but it started totally wrong and within 10 minutes of kick off Spurs were 0-2 down, but once the girls started to settle and get into stride they showed the week before.  The pressure was mounting on the visiting team and with a clearance up-field from Kate Wilson, an Alexandra Park player sliced the ball and beat her own keeper for an own goal and make the score 1-which was the score at half time.

During the interval the management team made two changes, one for the goalkeeper who had sustained a knee in the head and was unable to continue, the other to change the midfield area and hopefully change the balance of the game back into Tottenham's favour. 

The second half started and Spurs came flying out of the blocks and looked to turn the game around.  Within three minutes of the start Becky Shephard let fly from the right hand side of the box and nestled the ball into the right hand corner of the goal for the equaliser, so the score was even at this stage, but Spurs pressed more and more trying to get the winning goal.  However, the visiting goalkeeper had other ideas and made some very important saves.

Spurs totally dominated the second half with a small handful of break-aways by the visitors, but nothing to worry the replacement keeper Laura Baker, who only touched the ball a few times in the second half, which was due to the constant pressure from the Spurs outfield players.  Unfortunately the girls did everything that was asked of them at half time by the managers, but could not find the winning goal in a game that was definitely a game of two halves.

The final result was Spurs 2 Alexandra Park 2 

Manager’s comments
A very poor first half, which the girls accepted in the half time talk, but they went out in the second half to put things right and was very unlucky not to get the result they probably deserved on reflection of the whole game.  There are things to be worked on in training so to stop performances like the first half happening again, but having said that the girls fighting spirit showed in the second half and should have walked away with all three points.

This is a young team with a good team spirit and they will improve more and more as the season goes on.  Well done girls keep working hard and the rewards will come.

dave shephard

watford development  7     lea valley united  0    
wingate & finchley reserves  1     hackney women reserves  2    
luton town 3rds  6     lner  1    
headstone manor  0     bushey rangers  1    
east london  4     garston 3rds  0    

The start of the new season has arrived and the Spurs Ladies Thirds started with an away game to LNER FC.  The Tottenham team saw some new faces with players coming through the trials in the summer and some Under 16s from last season making the majority of players, but there were still a few experienced players from the senior set up last season to help these players settle in to the new season.

The game started about fifteen minutes late due to another game over running, so the ladies got a bit extra warm up than was planned, but this seemed to help settle any nerves.

The kick off came for the start of the new campaign and Spurs Ladies started up hill and against the wind.  But this did not hinder them as they kept LNER at bay and pinned them back into their half for most of the game, only limiting them to long range efforts and when they did break through, the defence held strong to keep them out.  With about two minutes left of the first half, a through ball from midfield saw Ruby Marlow run through and calmly slot the ball past the keeper to make it 0-1 to the Spurs. 

The half time break came and one change was made which saw Chloe Kraemer come on to replace Charlotte Copeland on the right side of midfield.  This was to now use the hill and wind to our advantage by stretching the game wider and opening it up in the middle a bit more.

The second half started and for the first ten minutes LNER came at us very strongly, but again the defence, with the support of the midfield, held strong.  Tottenham then made a second substitution and brought on Eleanda Taladianou to replace Aimee Rose in the centre midfield position.

There was a scare at one stage when the ball bounced over our keeper's head and just trickled wide of the post.  But this seemed to ignite the girls into action and they started to play some good passes and were moving across the whole of the pitch which seemed to upset the style of LNER.  With this new lease of life, one of the moves of the match came when Becky Shephard released Ruby out onto the right side, who then crossed into the box for Becky to receive again and flick the ball into the path of  the advancing Kate Wilson to hammer home and make it 0-2 to Spurs.

This goal seemed to end LNER's resistance and Tottenham went on to score another two through Becky and another for Ruby. Moment of the match was Eleanda’s excellent drag back and turn move in the middle of midfield from which she then released a superb pass through to Ruby to score her second.

The final score was LNER 0 SPURS 4.  This was a great start to the new campaign.

There was plenty of positives in this game; none more than Geena Gordon completing the whole match due to just having a foot operation and we was unsure whether she would finish the game.  She was also made captain because of her experience with playing at first team level and this showed because her communication with the younger and new players during the game was superb and it helped them settle very quickly to give them the perfect start to the new campaign.  Four goals and a clean sheet - every manager's dream start to a new season.

Lady of the match is Geena Gordon for her great leadership skills and encouragement to her team mates which helped this young team secure their first league points. 

Manager’s comments 

A great start for the girls.  There was plenty of positives and only a few negatives, which we can work on in training apart from that, the spirit in the team was great all the players smiling and enjoying their football which gave them the belief to win this game

Well done girls.  Keep the smiles going and bring on the next match.

dave shephard

watford development  9     alexandra park  2    
bushey rangers  6     wingate & finchley reserves  1    
hackney women reserves  9     garston 3rds  0    
lea valley united  1     luton town 3rds  3    
headstone manor  4     east london  2