Tottenham Hotspur Ladies -

Under-11's reports 2005-06

Spurs were a little ring rusty at first, but started to pass the ball around and the Kettering keeper made a good save from Bobbi Cubberley shot within the first five minutes of kick off.  Tottenham continued to push forward and there was some good interplay between Tianna and the rest of the midfield of Charlotte McLucas and Bobbi, with Laura Newby up front.  Shoshana Field in goal was called into action from a long range shot by Kettering, which she comfortably and confidently dealt with. 

The defence of Hollie Watson and Vicki Blake were continuing where they left off last season by working together and marshalling any attackers that came near.  The action moved once again to the Kettering end and Laura managed to scramble the ball into the back of the net from a Charlotte corner to make it 1-0 after 15 minutes.  The goal was thoroughly deserved from the level of play delivered by Spurs. 

Bobbi had a chance a few moments later, but once again the Kettering keeper produced a solid save.  Kettering attacked themselves this time and Shoshana produced a good save, when diving onto the ball just as the Kettering attacker was bearing down. 

Tianna showed excellent individual skill by passing a number of the opposition and drilling the ball up field.  Katie Bell who came on as substitute got stuck into the action straight away and had a shot cleared off the line by a Kettering defender.  Marva Kreel who also came on as substitute was terrier-like as she darted around the midfield, letting the Kettering midfield know she had arrived on the scene. 

Hollie was very solid at the back and cleared some difficult balls, with the attackers bearing down.  Laura had a shot at goal following an exciting move forward which saw the ball hitting the bottom of the left hand post and bouncing out just before half time.

Gerry had a chat with the girls at half time and brought Charlotte and Vicki back on.  It wasn’t long before Charlotte was making some excellent runs down the right hand side of the pitch and crossing the ball brilliantly into the box.  Bobbi was also making some great crosses and the pressure was all on Kettering who were finding harder and harder to come out of their half. 

There was a good move starting from Hollie at the back who drilled the ball to Bobbi, who flicked in on to Laura, who passed it to Katie for a shot which just went over the bar.  Kettering did have one breakaway move which was well marshaled by Charlotte who had been standing goal side and was able to push the player out wide. 

Laura made a great run down the right hand side and her shot was well saved by the keeper.  Tianna then got into the action and after beating a few players also had a shot which just went wide. 

The pressure continued from Spurs and Laura crossed a good ball into the middle which Charlotte got to, but the shot just went wide.  Hollie then took a free kick after Charlotte was brought down about 30 yards out.  The ball was struck firmly but just went right of the target. 

The next attack was just brilliant.  Vicki picked up the ball from deep in her own half and ran at speed the length of the pitch, Laura managed to draw the last defender away and Vicki was one on one with the keeper.  She very coolly slotted the ball passed the Kettering goalie and it was 2-0 after 40 minutes. 

Further good moves were made by Laura with an excellent run down the right, resulting in a firm save and some good passes between Charlotte and Bobbi.  Spurs finished the match well on top and if it wasn’t for the Kettering keeper, cross bar and post the girls would have had a hat full. 

The game was played in a great spirit and the Kettering girls were great sports.  Tianna made a brilliant debut and based on this performance her future looks bright.  Well done to all the girls on a very hot day.

DAVID WATSON

This was to be the first match in which all the new signings played together, alongside the existing members from last season. 

The Tottenham girls were dealt a blow with a penalty given against them in the early encounters, just as it seemed they were starting to find their feet.  The penalty converted, it seemed to give the opposition encouragement and they started pushing forwards.  When a cross was sent over, it went into the net over the head of Lilly Tyrimos it seemed this would not be our day, but all credit to the Tottenham girls as they started taken the game to the opposition, and just before half time up popped new signing Tori Tripp to make it 1-2. 

Second half, the girls again started playing some lovely football and with the introduction of Katie Bell and it was Katie who played a lovely through ball for Bobbi Cubberley to score to make it 2-2 .  

Almost the rest of the second half saw Tottenham put all the pressure on the opposition’s goal, but the Crystal Palace goalkeeper's efforts denied the girls victory. 

The team now has strength and this showed today in very hot conditions.  The girls will now start to work together and improve for another tough season ahead.

GERRY McLUCAS

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Both teams started brightly and Harvesters had the first real attack on goal which was dealt with by the defence of Hollie Watson and Vicki Blake. 

Tottenham started to push forward and Tianna Carrington had a shot on goal following a good through ball by Laura Newby.  The pressure started to be applied and Laura scored after five minutes slotting the ball into the left hand corner after collecting the ball from a 25 yard pass from Hollie at the back. 

Tianna nearly made it two nil, but the Harvester keeper made a good save. Charlotte McLucas who had been busy in midfield also had a long range shot which unfortunately just went wide of the target. 

Harvesters were still dangerous and the game changed some what when Hollie fell on her left arm, clearing the ball under pressure from a Harvester attacker.  Unfortunately Hollie was unable to continue and some rearrangement took place at the back with Tori Tripp coming into the midfield action. 

Spurs suddenly found themselves under constant pressure and were having difficulty in closing the opposition down quickly enough. 

However, Laura took a pass from Bobbi Cubberley was very unlucky when her shot hit the bottom of the left hand post and bounced out. 

Harvesters who attacked down the right hand side, managed to pick up a loose pass and their attacker hammered the ball passed the outstretched hands of the Spurs keeper Lily-Anna Tyrimos to make it 1-1 after 15 minutes. 

The girls started the second period, with the game being a very even contest and neither side really being able to make an inroad into the others half.  Shoshana Field had come on to cover the defence and wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and deliver some line balls when required. 

Tianna had a shot on goal which was blocked by a defender, but still Spurs were under some pressure.  Indeed if it wasn’t for a great save from Lily they would have found themselves a goal behind.  The opposition player shot the ball and Lily just managed to tip the ball onto the bar, it fell down and the Harvesters striker's shot just went over the bar. 

The defence of Vicki and Charlotte who had come on for Shoshana was working hard.  The Tottenham attack were still making their presence felt and Laura had a shot saved, whilst Amy Woff who had come on in the midfield just had a shot go wide. 

Gerry had a word with the girls before the third period begun and the last two substitutes of Katie Bell and Marva Kreel bounded onto the pitch.  Bobbi went up front to give Laura a break.

This period was the best one as far as Tottenham were concerned.  They started to pass the ball around and carve up the opposition.  Bobbi had a shot on goal which just went wide and Amy was pushing up the park more and also had a shot go wide.  Bobbi laid off a great ball to Katie who drilled the ball towards goal and it was well saved by the keeper.  The intensity continued and Katie had three more shots saved by the keeper. 

Marva was snapping at the heels of the opposition and the girls were now certainly closing the Harvesters players down which meant they had a great deal of possession and dominance of the game. 

There were a number of goal mouth scrambles and Harvesters were pinned back in their own half for most of the period. Despite all the pressure and shots at goal, the girls couldn’t quite find the breakthrough. 

It came when Bobbi, who was on the left hand side, drew the opposition away and just when it looked like a pass across the middle was on, she fooled everyone including the opposition keeper and drilled the ball into the bottom left hand side of the goal after 40 minutes. 

The girls continued to push forward but the score stayed 2-1 at the final whistle. 

It was a good work out for both teams, who now face their respective league opposition next week.

DAVID WATSON

Shoshana Field

Both midfields knocked the ball around without any success and the first real attack came when Laura Newby beat a number of players on the left hand side and her shot was deflected for a corner. The corner was well struck by Bobbi Cubberley, but Tori Tripp's shot, who latched on to the ball, just went wide of the post. 

Tottenham started to put on the pressure and a cross from Tori on the left to Katie Bell in the middle saw her shot well saved by the Hoddesdon keeper. 

A long throw by Laura into the box found Katie, who saw her shot this time being kicked off by a defender. 

Spurs were pushing forward constantly and the break through came in the seventh minute when Tori struck an excellent ball from the edge of the area, which flew past the keeper and slammed into the back of the net. 

The Tottenham girls were passing the ball more and there was a good move when Katie passed to Laura who ran on and just couldn’t quite find Bobbi who had pushed on up the right hand side. 

The girls weren’t having it all their own way however, but, to be fair, whilst the Owls broke through midfield on occasion, they then ran into the defence of Vicki Blake and Hollie Watson who calmly dealt with the danger and delivered the ball back up the field or to the side for a throw in. 

After 14 minutes a new face joined the line up and Marva Kreel came on into the midfield.  Tori started to work with her new team mate and there was good pressure courtesy of her and Marva.  Tori had another shot on goal following a good build up and this time the ball flew over the bar. 

Another change came a couple of minutes later and Amy Woff came on for Tori.  Shortly afterwards there was a great one two between Katie and Amy and whilst Amy found herself one on one with the keeper, her shot unfortunately just went wide. 

The action moved to the other end briefly when a Hoddesdon player had a long range shot which was carefully watched by Lily-Anna Tyrimos who gathered it neatly. 

Hoddesdon had a short spell of testing out the Spurs defence of Vicki, who was doing a great sweeping roll at the back and Hollie, who towered over the attackers and marshalled away any danger. 

Tottenham weren’t finished and there a number of scrambled shots saved either by the Hoddesdon keeper or their defenders. 

Laura, following in from a short goal kick, found herself one on one with the Hoddesdon keeper, but couldn’t quite find the back of the net. 

The last move of the first half saw Marva pass to Laura in the box, she swivelled and her shot just clipped the bottom of the left hand post.  This moment probably summed up the first half of 'nearly, but not quite'. 

The second half started with everything still to play for and Hoddesdon nearly equalised when the defence and Spurs keeper were caught napping at the back, but luckily the shot just hit the bottom right hand side corner post and Lily managed to gather it up. 

This seemed to push the girls on once more and they applied the pressure to the Hoddesdon midfield and defence.  Tori, who had come back on after a rest, produced a great run from her own half but couldn’t quite deliver the final knock out blow. 

Bobbi produced a good cross to Tori whose shot just went wide of the mark. 

Tottenham had Hoddesdon pinned back in their own half, but couldn’t quite find the goal they were looking for. They had about four corners in a row, but they couldn’t find a way through, which is all credit to the Hoddesdon defence who were battling hard. 

The Spurs defence was still called on from time to time, but Hollie and Vicki ensured that Hoddesdon didn’t have another chance on goal. 

Laura had a good shot from inside the box which was well saved by the keeper who pushed it over the bar for a corner.  Tianna Carrington had joined the midfield to deliver pace on the left hand side.  There was a good move featuring Tianna, who passed to Tori, who then passed it to Bobbi, whose shot just went wide. 

Tori then made a good run on the left hand side and delivered a good pass to Laura who cut inside and her shot just went wide of the mark. 

Tianna had a blast at goal but her shot went just wide of the left hand post.  Despite a lot of possession and chances, Tottenham couldn’t find the back of the net and it looked like being a very frustrating morning. 

Some consolation came late on however, when Laura managed to scramble the ball past a pack of defenders and keeper to make it 2-0 after 40 minutes and number three arrived a couple of minutes later when Tori delivered a long ball to Laura who, with a defender on her, managed to lift the ball over the keepers head to make it 3-0. 

Hoddesdon had battled throughout the game.  Tottenham had applied a great deal of pressure, but didn’t quite have the clinical finishing which they had at the end of last season.  I am sure this will come back in time and that coupled with a good movement on and off the ball, should see Tottenham improve further. 

Well done to Tori who received player of the match award.         

DAVID WATSON

Shoshana Field

Other results :

Garston Ladies  4      Denham United  3    
Enfield Ladies  5      Hemel Aces  2    
Bushey Rangers  4      Hitchin Town Belles  0    
Luton Town Belles  2      Stevenage Borough Vixens  3      

To view match photos please click here.