Tottenham Hotspur Ladies FC -

Under-13 match reports 2006-07

It was the first time the team actually played 9-a-side match. The U13 squad is now 17 players strong, but was missing four players who were on holiday and one other player off sick.  The pitch was a firm green table and the match was played with some blustery winds and a clear sky.   

Spurs Ladies were without their goalkeeper Daisy O’Sullivan therefore Ayse Mustafa, Renata Inniss, Charlotte Dean and Rosie Kmita took turns in goal. 

Barking went ahead after six minutes with a shot from just inside the penalty area that hit the net.

A minute later Charlotte Dean netted the ball for her first goal.  In the ninth minute, Ayse pumped the ball from the half way line to Renata, who in turn lobbed it over the defender's head from the left of midfield to where Charlotte Dean casually caressed the ball into the net with the outside of her right boot for a 2-1 goal lead.

Spurs Ladies looked a bit laid back in the first half, but managed to hold on to their lead at the end of the first half. 

Goal number three came from the new recruit Laura Smith within one minute of the second half starting, which was followed by two goals from Whitney Tango in the 4^th and 5^th minute of the second period.  Ayse extended the Spurs lead to 6-1 four minutes later before laying off the ball to Renata Inniss for goal number seven. 

Spurs Ladies then went on the rampage with two further goals from Renata Inniss and another two from Whitney Tango for an easy 11-1 victory. 

The second half was a total transformation of the second half when the players applied the short and long passing they practiced in training.  It was good to see all players playing with more confidence when they had a memory jogger from the coach and manager on what they are capable of doing.  They ended last season on a high but have shown a more mature approach so far in their friendly matches.

Well done by all – COME YOU SPURS

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Spurs Ladies were without Harley Keenlyside, but Olivia Keown was back from illness to join the other 14 players for the match.  Denham almost went ahead in the first five minutes by a shot from way outside the penalty area that hit the Spurs crossbar. 

Seven minutes later, it was a goal by Whitney Tango which gave Spurs 1-0 lead.  A through ball was delivered down the left wing from Charlotte Dean to Laura Smith who placed the ball into the far corner of the Denham goal from an acute angle to double the lead.  Barring one or two minor errors where the defence recovered in time to deter the Denham attack, Spurs were in total control.  In the 35^th minute Ayse Mustafa placed the ball into the path of Renata Inniss who drove it high into the Denham net with her left foot for a three-goal cushion and Spurs were unlucky not to end the first half with a bigger lead. 

Goals number four came from Renata Inniss 11 minutes into the second half, then five minutes later Renata fed the ball from midfield down the right wing to Laura and her cross fell to Georgia Bruce who netted goal number five. 

Taylor O’Leary was busy in midfield when she robbed the Denham attacking player and threaded the ball through the defence to Renata.  She squared the ball to Hannah Lyons, who took on a Denham defender and placed the ball into the corner of the Denham goal for a 6-0 lead.  Nikki Hunnable was also enjoying her game as she constantly harassed the Denham defence with her quick burst of speed and high crosses.  In the 21^st minute, she delivered the ball to Laura who sent a searching ball into the penalty area where it was met by Taylor’s head.  Georgia pushed the ball back into the path of Taylor's run and she slotted home goal number seven.

A ball won by Katie Mills was pumped into the path of Renata in midfield.  A touch on to Ayse, who carried the ball to the right side of the goal and whipped it into the left hand corner to make the scoreline 8-0.  Two minutes later, Taylor collected the ball from a Rosie Kmita clearance and drove a high ball to Whitney, who turned the Denham defender and scored Spurs ninth goal.

Laura and Whitney had further shots at goal but did not find the target, while Daisy O’Sullivan had very little work to do in goal, which meant she kept a clean sheet. 

The whole squad managed to participate in the match and displayed their individual talents collectively.

It was a great start to the season.

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Garston Ladies  7     Ridgeway Rovers  0    
Luton Town Belles  10     Northwood  1    
St. Martins  3     Hemel Hempstead Town A  8    
St. Albans Youth  2     Queens Park Rangers  7    
Letchworth Garden City Eagles  0     Enfield Town Ladies  8    

Within a blink of an eye, Spurs Ladies were lagging 2-0 as Hemel started the quicker of the two sides.  Laura Smith reduced the deficit by one with 15 minutes on the clock and Renata Inniss’ attempt on goal two minutes later bounced away off the post.  The equalizer came from Ayse Mustafa in the 28^th minute with a high shot from outside the penalty area, which lobbed the Hemel goalkeeper.

Three minutes before half-time, Hemel forged ahead only to have Georgia Bruce bringing the scores level to 3-3 in the 34th minute.  Nikki Hunnable delivered some good crosses from the right wing, but the Spurs forwards were unable to make good use of them. 

In the second half Ayse put Spurs ahead for the first time after four minutes, but it took Hemel only two minutes to draw level at 4-4.  Sixteen minutes into play, Hemel went ahead again due to some lazy defending, but then Renata was brought down outside the penalty area three minutes later and it looked a good chance of Spurs equalising. Dead-ball expert Nikki’s magic eluded her as the ball skimmed the top of the crossbar on this occasion. 

Daisy O’Sullivan had to make two good saves to give Spurs a chance of closing the gap or winning the game.  With just two minutes remaining before the end of the game, Whitney Tango tucked the ball into the net from inside the six-yard box to make the score 5-5. 

It was a thrilling match in which Spurs Ladies, who are capable of doing better, were made to work hard to avoid defeat.

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Garston Ladies  3     St. Martins  1    
Denham United  2     Luton Town Belles  4    
Ridgeway Rovers  4     Letchworth Garden City Eagles  5    
Northwood  1     St. Albans Youth  4    
Enfield Town Ladies  0     Queens Park Rangers  2    

It was the third away game of the season for Spurs Ladies who travelled to Pixmore Playing Field for their match against Letchworth Garden City Eagles.

There was bright sunshine with a slight cool breeze with pitch conditions firm and Spurs Ladies took to the field without Georgia Bruce and the injured Molly Kmita.

The Spurs Ladies manager wanted a better start than the last two matches and got just that when Renata Inniss scored within the first four minutes of the match.  The next 20 minutes were evenly matched before Laura Smith collected the ball from Hannah Lyons just inside the half way line, ran at the Eagles defence and slotted home goal number two.  Ten minutes later a cross from Nikki Hunnable found the head of Renata Inniss, who guided it into the path of Whitney Tango to net for a 3-0 lead.

The second half kicked off with Spurs looking to capitalise on their first half lead and were rewarded by a second goal from Whitney Tango in the first minute. 

The Eagles were awarded a controversial penalty four minutes into the half, which was converted to give a 4-1 score line.  The Tottenham team were putting together some good passes from midfield and attack, but the finishing touches let them down.  The Eagles had a few attacks on the Spurs goal, but the defence and keeper held them at bay.  Katie Mills did some good mopping up on the wing before leaving the pitch through an injury.

The next breakthrough came in the eighteenth minute when Taylor O’Leary put Spurs further ahead with a fifth Tottenham goal.  Daisy O’Sullivan was tested by a long range shot from the Eagles midfielder and the Spurs keeper got her body well behind the ball.  The Spurs midfielders were busy in winning the ball through Ayse Mustafa and Taylor O’Leary with good support from Charlotte Dean and Nikki Hunnable.  

Goal number six came from Laura Smith in the 31^st minute and then, two minutes later, Whitney Tango completed her hat-trick.  The Eagles made one more effort to capture goal number two, but could not get past the defence of Shianne St Louis, Harley Keenlyside and Olivia Keown. 

It was good to see the team heading the ball with more confidence with Renata and Taylor just missing the net from headers.

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The Spurs Ladies made another quick start to a match, when Laura Smith scored within the first two minutes of the match, but for the next 33 minutes the Spurs Ladies seemed to be in a relaxed mode.  Headers from Rosie Kmita and Hannah Lyons failed to hit the target in a first half which was ordinary by Spurs standards and the girls needed to be sharper in the second half.  

Six minutes into the play of the second half, Spurs were awarded a free kick outside the eighteen yard box on the left wing.  Nikki Hunnable shot hard and high, but the ball was heading straight to the Northwood goalkeeper.  However, Ayse Mustafa ran in front the goalkeeper and she then side stepped to allow the ball to pass both of them for a 2-0 lead.

Nikki then returned the compliment, by providing the perfect cross to Ayse four minutes later for a 3-0 cushion.  Rosie received a through ball from Ayse five minutes later and she side-footed the ball into the net from inside the six yard box for goal number four.

Spurs began to turn up the heat in attack and held strong in defence to deny Northwood a consolation goal.  Spurs Ladies went on the rampage with five more goals - two from Georgia Bruce and three from Renata Inniss in the remaining 20 minutes sealed a satisfactory Spurs victory.

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On a bright sunny day with a slight chill wind where QPR began, as expected, using their pace to test the Spurs defence, particularly through the midfield.  Rosie Kmita, Olivia Keown and Harley Keenlyside were all very busy trying to quell these attacks, with Daisy O’Sullivan in inspired form in goal. 

On the offensive Spurs had four chances with Nikki Hunnable (two free kicks) and Renata Inniss (two left foot shots). Ayse Mustafa and captain for the day, Taylor O’Leary, were busy winning the ball in midfield with support from Charlotte Dean.  The wingers Nikki Hunnable and Katie Mills had their share of work cut out in delivering crosses to Laura Smith, Renata Inniss and Whitney Tango.  After 25 minutes of the first half, Georgia Bruce was brought on to play on the left wing, substituting Laura Smith.  It was a ding-dong battle in which neither side could forge ahead in the first half as Spurs tried to keep their feet on the dew kissed pitch.  The QPR goal keeper was in tremendous form to keep her team from conceding in the first 35 minutes of play. 

The second half started on an even keel for the first five minutes before Spurs camped in the opponents half putting them under pressure.  Four minutes later, Renata Inniss found space to drive a shot that the goalkeeper could not save to the delight of the Spurs manager Jayne Foster.  

Nikki Hunnable was again busy down the right wing, receiving the ball from Ayse and Taylor in midfield.  It was her long ball to Renata from the right wing that eventually gave Spurs Ladies their second goal in the 14^th minute of the second half.  QPR were not giving up the fight and made a breakthrough in midfield, but were thwarted by a good save from Daisy O’Sullivan.  Spurs then went further ahead when Renata scored her third goal which brought a broader smile from the manager.

There followed a period of sustained pressure as QPR tried to claw back a goal with efforts from their No. 9.  Later on Laura Smith came on for Whitney Tango and Hannah Lyons for Nikki Hunnable to add fresh pressure to the QPR defence.  Further defensive work by Katie Mills and Laura Smith added pressure to the QPR offence before they got their consolation goal in the 30^th minute from a free kick twenty five yards from goal. 

It was all academic for the next five minutes as Spurs added more attacking pressure without increasing their goal tally.

A good display of football by both teams, but Spurs Ladies was rewarded for their hard work.  Captain and Vice-captain Shianne St Louis and Molly Kmita were both unfit to play, but took to the bench to spur on their team-mates.

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It was a bright and breezy day and when St. Martins FC scored, they went into an unexpected lead after just three minutes of play. 

That lead was cancelled out when Renata Inniss netted the ball nine minutes later and a minute later Taylor O’Leary side-footed the ball to Whitney Tango in the 18 yard box, who hammered home Spurs second goal.  Lots of errors in the Spurs defence let in St Martins, but they could not capitalise on them. 

The midfield was hard at work, but was missing the pace of Nikki Hunnable on the wing.  At the half time whistle, Daisy O’Sullivan had made a few saves, but without any prolonged pressure from the St. Martins attack.  Molly Kmita and Shianne St Louis were back to match fitness, but will sharpen up with more match play. 

The second half saw a better Spurs performance with goals coming in the 8^th, 23^rd and 29^th minutes of the half from Whitney Tango, Hannah Lyons and Laura Smith respectively.

A good result on paper, but the Spurs Ladies Manager was not too happy with the overall performance and St. Martins surprised Tottenham with their play.

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It was a bright sunny day when Spurs Ladies took to the field, leaving Laura Smith, Nikki Hunnable, Katie Mills and Whitney Tango on the bench.

Spurs opened the scoring through Renata Inniss in the first minute and Georgia Bruce followed it up with goal number two in the fifth minute, following in on a shot from Taylor O'Leary, who got in on the act herself with eight minutes gone and Renata extended Spurs goal tally four minutes later to 4-0.  Rosie Kmita moved up from left back for a corner kick and scored the fifth goal, converting at the far post. 

Some good midfield work by Ayse Mustafa, Charlotte Dean and Taylor O’Leary gave Ridgeway Rovers little chance of keeping possession of the ball.  Renata got her hat-trick and Spurs sixth goal in the 16^th minute from a cross by Hannah Lyons on the right wing. 

Good all-round passing by the Spurs team did not deter Ridgeway Rovers from trying to get a consolation goal and a few of their players showed good ball control, but could not break down the Spurs defence.

Nikki Hunnable, Whitney Tango and Katie Mills substituted Renata Inniss, Ayse Mustafa and Taylor O’Leary after 20 minutes of play. The pressure was kept up on the Ridgeway defence and it wasn’t long before Whitney Tango made the score line 9-0.  

Spurs Ladies continued to dominate the game in the second half when Laura Smith scored in the 2^nd and 7^th minute. Two goals from Whitney Tango and one from Renata Inniss in the space of six minutes gave Spurs a 15 goal lead but Ridgeway Rover kept on searching for a glimmer of hope.

To give her some action, goalkeeper Daisy O’Sullivan swapped places with midfielder Ayse Mustafa after 12 minutes of play whilst Taylor O’Leary substituted Molly Kmita.  Ridgeway had two surging run in midfield but was halted before they could reach the Spurs penalty area.

Georgia Bruce and Olivia Keown substituted Rosie Kmita and Hannah Lyons in the seventeenth minute.  Harley Keenlyside, Katie Mills and Olivia Keown deterred the Ridgeway offence with some good tackles and whilst Laura Smith shot twice into the side netting.  A corner kick from Nikki Hunnable was cleared by the Ridgeway defence at mid point of the 18 yard box, only to driven into the back of the Ridgeway net by Katie Mills for goal number sixteen. 

The biggest cheer came when Nikki Hunnable whipped the ball in from the right wing to Renata Inniss - Renata played a cross field touch into the path of Daisy O’Sullivan who powered the ball into the Ridgeway net in the 35^th minute for a 17-0 victory.

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