Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	6
Redbridge Ladies U12	1

This friendly match, played as 7-a-side, proved to be an excellent run out for both sides, with Spurs Under-11 Blues taking on Redbridge Ladies Under-12 side.

 

The home team opened the scoring when Shannon Eade’s shot was only partly cleared and Chloe Smith hit the net.  Soon after Chloe again scored when she beat the goalie after some penalty area exchanges.  Spurs kept up the pressure with Louise Fox and Abigail Barrett going close, and Alison Woodward making some constructive forward passes.    

 

Redbridge then got one goal back, but Abbie restored the lead with a knock-in from a shot by Shannon.  Perhaps the best goal of the match came next, with a fluent movement down the right wing, starting with Ally  then onto Pheobe Guiver, for Chloe to finish this fine collection of passes.  Pheobe nearly added to the score line later with a header that just skimmed over the bar. The score was 4-1 at half-time with Loren Humphreys putting in some reliable defensive work and releasing the ball forward.

 

In the second session Georgia Miller came on and quickly made her mark with some determined runs down the left side.  Lou and Shannon also went close. The scoring re-started with a powerful shot by Chloe which Abbie seized on and netted.  Jemma McCarthy was now running forward purposefully, sending passes in and Naomi Coulson  who had early on been called on to make three good saves in goal was not troubled.

 

Finally, Abbie and Chloe renewed their partnership, with Abbie this time the provider, to complete the scoring.  Phoebe was playing energetically in midfield as she has done all season.  Before the match finished Georgia, Shannon and Lou had all notched up further attempts on goal  - a tribute to the renewed energy and spirit of the Blues. 

 

After the match, Lou said that they were determined to win and it had been an aggressive game, but she thought they had played as the best side. 

Watford Ladies U11	0
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	1

Spurs won this away match against Watford Ladies by a narrow margin after giving an exhibition display in the first half. 

 

The visitors had most of the play and it was more than 10 minutes before goalie Naomi Coulson touched the ball.  Spurs peppered the opposing goal with shots, with Louisa Fox in particular keeping the ball down well and going close on several occasions.  Captain Phoebe Guiver was also active near  the penalty area as was Georgia Miller, foraging effectively down the left wing.

 

All this pressure was bound to pay off.  The goal came from a well co-ordinated move down the right wing  - a throw-in, a quick pass to Chloe Smith who centred, despite defensive attention, and Georgia was there to put the ball in the net.  There was more good football to come with Alison Woodward distributing the ball accurately - barely a wasted pass in all the half; Chloe running down the right side and the attackers pushing the skills of the Watford keeper to her limit.   One–nil at half time, after some of the best football played all season by Spurs.

 

The second half was a bit more equal.  Spurs still had the majority of the play, winning a corner tally of 12 to 3.  Abigail Barrett and Shannon Eade came on, testing the home defence, while at the other end, Jemma McCarthy and Loren Humphreys were usually in control.  Watford rallied and did have a few chances but Naomi kept a clean sheet.  There were lots of near misses, inspired by passes forward by Phoebe and Jemma, with Shannon Eade and Abbie Barrett being unlucky with shots.

 

The match ended 1-0, with the Blues pushing forward with three points towards their title claim.  Abbie said afterwards, “Watford played pretty well, but we played better as a team and our passing was fine.”   Paul Fox, manager and coach, commented, “We played it like we had worked on it in training and it all worked out perfectly right.”

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	5
Stevenage Borough Juniors U11	0

The Blues are in tremendous form right now.  For the second week running, they gave a near faultless display, but this time it extended to the whole match and was rewarded with five skilful and deserved goals.  The scoring began after five minutes of this Cup tie with a high ball in by Alison Woodward which the goalie fumbled and Abigail Barrett was well positioned to put into the net.

 

Soon after Phoebe Guiver sent Chloe Smith through with a pin point pass and the winger ran on speedily to put the ball into the corner of the goal.  The third successful strike came from clever play down the right wing.  A throw in by Ally reached Chloe, who again ran on and centred for Abbie to score her second goal.  The left side were not idle either, with Loren Humphreys frequently passing up to Louise Fox, to set up more attacks - only the agile goalkeeper  stopped the score from growing.  It was still 3-0 at half time.

 

The second half saw an exhibition of wall passes down the right side to the opposing penalty area.  From one such expedition, Chloe, getting better every match, passed inside and Lou who had gone close on several occasions previously, side-footed the ball into the net.  Shannon Eade had come on and went close to scoring as did Phoebe.  It was the captain who eventually collected the ball, ran into the penalty area and sent a powerful shot past the despairing keeper.  In the second half she made several forward runs like this, after winning the ball in tackles in midfield.

 

Meanwhile, the Spurs defence held strong.  Ally was back on and playing as a sweeper, Loren sending back the occasional forward pass and Jemma McCarthy, in goal, only touched the ball half a dozen times.  The corners count was six to three.

 

Spurs attackers Shannon and Lou went close with weighted lobs at the goal towards the close. The match ended 5-0.  Spurs, with two missing players, had dominated the second division team who never gave up and tried to play  intelligent football to the end. However possession of the ball told in the end for the Tottenham win.

 

Jemma, stand-in goalie said, “It was a boring match for me.  The team passed well but did not communicate with each other as well as they could have.”  Paul Fox, team manager and coach commented, “ We could win every match 1-0 if it came to it, but this was a pleasing result.”

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	10
Harpenden U11 Blues	0

The Under-11 Blues continued their campaign to retain the League title with a spectacular win, repeating the excellent form of recent weeks.  

 

Georgia Miller opened the scoring after five minutes with a well taken goal and for the rest of the half Spurs kept up persistent pressure.  The passing tradition was maintained with accurate balls forward, back and sideways, nearly always finding their target.  Alison Woodward began several attacks with quick and accurate throw-ins and Loren Humphreys sent several powerful through-balls to the midfield.  These two exercised complete control of the defence and Naomi Coulson was unable to show her undoubted skills in goal.

 

Abigail Barrett ran well down the left wing and made a number of good centres, while Georgia did the same on the right.  Just before half time, Louise Fox doubled the score as she sent in a hard shot that the goalie could not hold.  It was 2-0 at the break.

 

The second half saw a very capable midfield performance by Lou, some fruitful runs down the wing by Chloe Smith,  who had come on and an outstanding hat trick by captain Phoebe Guiver.  As the visitors defence finally cracked, the goals began to mount up.  Chloe ran forward and netted strongly, then repeated her success in a similar way a few minutes later.  

 

Phoebe began her scoring from a corner by Lou.  Number two came from another pass by Chloe and the third came as the same player provided the opportunity for a neat headed goal - a deserved trio.

 

Two more goals came near to  the end, as Georgia benefited from two centres, from Chloe  and Lou, to score twice, once from a rebound.  Lou completed the total with a strong run into space and a powerful shot into the top of the net.

 

The whole team had played well.  Jemma McCarthy came on and proved as reliable as the others, also making a notable run into the penalty area before sending the ball just past the post. 

 

It was 10-0 at the final whistle, and our thanks to Harpenden who kept going despite the adverse circumstances, having to play their striker in goal in the first half and the second half keeper putting in a fine performance despite the end score-line.  Spurs kept possession and made so few mistakes that the visitors had a bare minimum of chances, and were kept penned back in their own half for long periods.

 

Chloe said after the match, "We played really well.  There was lots of calling and if we keep this up, we should have no trouble with the last few matches."  Les Smith, assistant coach/manager commented, "This was the best display for a long time.  In the first half we worked hard to break their defence down and it paid off after the break."

 

Paul Fox manager and coach said, "This superb win was worthy of the champions that we still are.  It was the best game we have played so far in the two seasons the team has existed."

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	P
Denham United U11 Panthers	P

Enfield Town Ladies U11 Blues	1
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	3

Spurs won this top-of-the-table contest, which at the end of the season is very likely to prove to be decisive.  Played in bright sunny conditions on a well maintained pitch, the match showed that a solid performance by the strong home team proved unable to equal to the determination of every Spurs player to get a positive result.

 

Phoebe Guiver opened the scoring after eight minutes when she netted from a clever centre by Chloe Smith.  The home team rallied and put in an equaliser a few minutes later.  Play went from one end to the other but the Spurs passing  was proving superior.  Jemma McCarthy and Loren Humphreys kept a tight hold of the occasional attack.

 

The half ended on a high note.  Louise Fox had intelligently varied the "weight" of some of her dead ball kicks and this  corner went straight to Phoebe, who headed the ball hard into the net - a outstanding goal, perhaps one of the best of the season.  Before the whistle, Spurs won a penalty kick but the Enfield goalie was agile enough to save Lou‘s placed shot.  So it was 2-1 at half time.

 

At the re-start, both teams had bought on substitutes and the home team looked stronger at first.  Naomi Coulson, in goal, was called upon to make a few of her excellent saves but the defence held firm under pressure.  Spurs regained the initiative and consolidated their lead when Chloe neatly finished off - with another accurate header - after Lou had gone  very close. 

 

A series of near misses followed :  Alison Woodward played energetically down the wing and  just put the ball over from another corner by Lou.  Abigail Barrett, who had also just come on, harassed the home defence on several occasions  and could have got a goal.  Lou also went near to scoring from a long shot and Georgia Miller went even closer with an long distance attempt, from well outside the penalty area, that hit the post.

 

In this sustained period of attack. Lou again hit the bar and Phoebe sent in another excellent header.  Georgia and Abbie probed the defence.  The Spurs were co-operating well and their passing came off consistently, whereas the Enfield attack was broken down by Jemma and Loren who intercepted passes and sent the ball forward for the energetic midfield to pick up.  More goals could have come but the match ended 3-1, to the very vocal applause of the Tottenham supporters.  The corner count and ball possession were both recorded in Spurs favour.

 

Phoebe, who had run all over the pitch, said afterwards, “My goals were two of the best of the season.  We all played well and deserved to win.”  Les Smith, assistant coach and manager, commented, “It was not a pretty match, but our strength and above all, team spirit proved the winning feature against a strong team.”

 

Paul Fox, Manager and Coach said, “This was a performance of true champions.  We showed character and came back strongly after they had equalised.”  Spurs stay top and now look odds on favourites to retain the League title, which they  thoroughly deserve on current  presentation.

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	12
Barnet Azzuri U11	0

Spurs won this Quarter Final match of the Home Counties Girls Football League and set up the prospect of an all Tottenham Final, as the Whites also won their tie.  The opposition - Barnet Azzuri - were from a lower league and started badly, conceding three goals in the first ten minutes.  The first two came from centres by Chloe Smith, running well on the wing, which Phoebe Guiver and Abigail Barrett put in the net.  The third came from a poor kick out by the Barnet goalie which went straight to Chloe who returned the ball into the nearly open goal.

 

The Tottenham pressure continued when Alison Woodward threaded a careful ground pass through the penalty area to Chloe at the near post who turned it in.  An individual goal by Georgia Miller followed – she received a throw in, turned and ran forward to score the first of her five goals.

 

5-0 at half time with the Spurs defence of Ally and Jemma McCarthy letting virtually nothing through.  Naomi Coulson in goal was not called upon to make any major saves and had a quieter match than last week.

 

A re-jigged team in the second session carried on as before with Georgia accepting a centre from Phoebe to add to the total of successes.  Louise Fox laid on the next one and Phoebe, playing a captain’s game, got a clever goal from a long shot that evaded the keeper.  After that, Georgia benefited from two excellent passes from Abbie and Chloe to score twice.  Barnet staged a minor revival, causing some action in the Spurs half where Loren Humphreys now partnered Jemma.  Both proved reliable defenders, moving upfield when play permitted.

 

Two corners by Lou confirmed the result.  Ally, now playing in the attack, pushed though the defence to touch in the first and Abbie repeated the action for her second goal a few minutes later.  Just before the final whistle, Lou shot hard from a distance, the goalie could only parry and Georgia scored from the rebound. 

 

Ball possession was mainly balanced in Tottenham's favour, in what was a clean, open game - a credit to both sides. This report has concentrated on goals scored, but there were numerous close shots, mainly from Spurs, and strong performances all round.

 

Naomi commented after the match, “For me this was a boring game as the team was playing so well.  We were the better all round side.“  Paul Fox, manager and coach, said, “This was a good game against a consistent team.  As expected, we won and look forward to the next round in two weeks.“

Cheam Rangers U11	0
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	1

Spurs won this friendly match between the eleven a side teams, fought out on a Sunday afternoon in wilting heat against Cheam Rangers. 

 

The visitors began with a disadvantage from the outset, being one player short as Georgia Miller was taken ill before the kick off.  This meant the formation was 4-3-2, and the first half was end-to-end play, with each side getting about equal ball possession.  There were good shots on goal by Chloe Smith, Phoebe Guiver and Abigail Barrett. 

 

Spurs were struggling to find their rhythm on the large pitch and with the off-side rule in operation.  There were large gaps in the play, and the two forwards of Alison Woodward and Chloe saw little of the ball.  However, the Spurs defence - Nicole Hall, newcomer Morgan Mitchell, Loren Humphreys and Jemma McCarthy stood secure and cut off the Cheam attackers on numerous occasions.  The match was evenly balanced and the score at half time was 0-0.

 

In the second session, Tottenham at last found their form and the familiar passing pattern began to emerge.  Louise  Fox, Abbie and Phoebe imposed some structure on the midfield.  Ally had a good chance  but was intercepted and Chloe made several characteristic ventures down the right wing, past the defenders and worrying the home goal keeper. 

 

Ten minutes before the end, the pressure paid off.  Lou took another corner, which Phoebe gathered and hit a high shot past the goalie.  Cheam increased their efforts and used their experience well.  Ally, now defending, helped Morgan, Loren and Jemma to repulse the attackers and Naomi Coulson in goal looked pretty unbeatable.  Slowly the defenders took control and sent forward a spray of passes, with Morgan, playing her opening match, looking confident and very comfortable on the ball.

 

By the end, the weary Spurs were in the ascendancy.  Chloe ran half the pitch and hit the side netting.  Cheam found Lou difficult to stop and Loren and Jemma were coming further upfield.  Several corners were won.  As in previous matches with the full team, Tottenham found their performance after an average start  to the match, which is a good omen and preparation for next year.

 

After the game, Nicky commented, “We seemed to run more than ever, but got used to the offside eventually.  It was a good win.”  Paul Fox, manager and coach, said, “This was a hard game, an excellent workout and another introduction to the “big” game.“

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies U11 Blues	11
Luton Town U11	0

The Tottenham Hotspur Under-11 Blues confirmed their position as HCGF League Champions for the second year running with this emphatic win over rivals Luton. 

 

The match showed the depth of the quality of the winners with seven players scoring goals – one each for Georgia Miller, Abigail Barrett, Loren  Humphreys, Louisa Fox, Shannon Eade and three each for Chloe Smith, and captain Phoebe Guiver.  A champion performance for the final match  ! 

 

Chloe opened the scoring when she turned in a corner from Lou.  The next goal was classic - ‘keeper Naomi Coulson threw the ball to Loren and it went to Phoebe and Chloe before Georgia netted to make it 2-0.  This was symbolic of the match, accurate passing winning the day.  Chloe had a hand in the next two goals as well, finishing off a passing movement with Phoebe and then running through to place the ball past the goalkeeper.  The final success of the first 25 minutes came when Phoebe blocked a powerful clearance from a defender and the ball went back past the stranded keeper into the net.  

 

5-0 at half time, with the Spurs defence, which had been rock solid with Alison Woodward especially sending numerous  balls forward to start attacks, reasonably untroubled.  Luton rallied a little in the second session and forced some excellent saves from Naomi.  Their players showed some clever skills, but Jemma and Loren kept overall control in the defence.

 

Abbie re-opened the scoring from a long pass and defender Loren came up to fire in a shot from another corner by Lou.  Next, the same player collected a return pass to add to the total.  Shannon, who had just come on, ran onto a through pass to open her account for the match.  Finally, Phoebe rounded off the scoring with two goals - one a long shot and then a run in and shot past the weary Luton goalie.

 

In between the goals, there were several near misses from the goal-scorers like Abbie and others.  Luton showed some excellent individual touches, but the co-operative effort by Spurs in both defence and attack won out in the end.   Tottenham’s trump card was their relentless passing, which seemed to flow automatically.  

Jemma commented, "We played some good passing and when I came on in the second half, I think I played well."  Les Smith, assistant coach and manager, said, "We played a well balanced game and scored some memorable goals.  On this form, we seem unbeatable."  He said that over the season the team had responded well to the new players who replaced those who left and that next season, with the switch to 11-a-side, there would be further challenges to face.

Paul Fox, manager and coach, claimed, "We were champions last year and have kept the same position all this season.  We deserve the title."

 

The team celebrated the winning of the title with champagne sprays, photos and a barbeque.  We were moved out of Fred Knights, but continued the festivities nearby in Costas' yard.  We can look forward to next season with confidence.