I will start this week's report by apologising for not saying that Becca Dowling was player of the match last week, this was due to the fact that I had to disappear early. Well done Becca.

Tottenham and Harvesters are arguable the strongest two teams in the League and so you just knew it would be a close game, you just didn’t know how close !!

Spurs started brightly with Blerta Berisha breaking down the left.  Harvesters, however, had a free kick early on and Lily Tyrimos held the shot comfortably.  Charlotte McLucas was battling down the left and there was some excellent passing between Alexa Rangecroft, Lydia Maher, Katie Fray and Sam Pennington.

Vicki Blake was called into action in the middle of defence and did well. Then the girls broke down the right, Lydia stormed on with the ball she got her shot away, it hit the keeper and seemed to bounce out and then finally find itself in the back of the net after hitting a defender. 1-0 to Tottenham after only five minutes and a super start for the team.

Harvesters were now pushing forward, but Saskia Collins was doing a super job on tracking their top striker and making sure she didn’t breakaway.  Hollie Watson was rock solid at the back, clearing away any dangerous balls.  Becca was tackling really well and the girls were well up for the game.  Alexa produced an excellent cross field pass to Lydia, who tried to put a cross away to Sam but it was just cut out in time.

Harvesters had a long range shot which was well held by Lily.  Becca and Alexa were producing some good moves together.  Still Harvesters pushed forward but once again Hollie cut out the danger.  Unfortunately, Vicki had to go off with a similar head problem to Hollie last week and Shoshana Field was thrown in at the deep end.  Shoshana was defending well, using her strength and determination to make sure that nothing got past her.

Charlotte produced a good pass through to Sam, who flicked it onto Blerta and her shot went straight to the keeper.  The next moment and Lydia managed to drill a good ball to Katie and her shot was saved by the keeper, with Sam very nearly getting the ball on the rebound.

Becca, Katie, Alexa and Lydia were interchanging the ball really well and were putting the Harvester defence under a lot of pressure.  Once again, Harvesters had a long range chance, which Lily comfortably collected.  Hollie was excellent at the back, clearing pressure balls from the goal area and marshalling the defence to hold the line.

Back the ball went up the other end and this time Sam had a shot which Lydia very nearly got to the keeper's parry away.  Alexa and Katie were doing well in the middle and Shoshana and Hollie were strong also in the middle were most of the Harvester attacks were coming from.  It was end to end stuff; Becca had a shot that went wide.  A few minutes before half time and Harvesters caught Spurs on the hop and their striker burst through the middle to score to make it 1-1 at half time.

Bobbi Cubberley had come on just a few minutes before the end of the first half and made an instant impact in the second half, when she burst through the middle and smashed the ball towards the goal, the keeper pulled off a super save to deny an almost certain goal.  A few minutes later and following a goal mouth scramble the ball fell out to Katie, who unfortunately couldn’t covert it on this occasion and it went flying over the cross bar.  The girls were piling on the pressure with Becca also having a shot that went wide of the target.

Lily was called upon to collect the ball.  Shoshana was battling hard now on the right of defence, following the return of Vicki and Saskia was also fending off the attackers well. Suddenly, following a free kick, two Harvesters players broke through and were one on one with Lily, who pulled off a superb save, stopping a certain goal.

Sam had a shot which was well saved by the keeper, but then the ball went back down the other end and Hollie delivered a great clearance.  Hollie then put a super free kick into the heart of the Harvesters goal area, but Alexa was adjudged to be offside.  Katie produced a good searching ball to Lydia, who was causing problems on the right and her shot was well saved by the keeper.

Alexa was mixing it in the midfield and it was a very thrilling contest.  Harvesters then pushed forward, there was a goal mouth scramble and the ball bounced to a Harvester player, who smashed it into the back of the net to make it 2-1 with about twelve minutes left.  The girls continued to battle on with Saskia covering the left hand side well, while Lydia and Sam were working hard to find the way through. Then Hollie delivered a ball to Becca, who went on a fantastic sprint down the right hand side, crossing the ball at break neck speed and Bobbi popped up at the far left hand corner to volley the ball into the goal to make it 2-2 with eight minutes remaining.  It was a goal that any side would be proud of.

A few minutes later and another goal mouth scramble saw Harvesters score with only four minutes left on the clock.  The girls could have given up, but that isn’t the way of this team, who have shown before that they have fighting spirit throughout the team.  Blerta found Becca, whose shot was saved by the keeper.  There was then another goal mouth scramble, this time up the Harvesters end and following a mix up between keeper and defender, Laura Newby popped up to score the crucial goal making it 3-3 with a couple of minutes left on the clock.

Lily had a good kick out to Becca who won a corner and when it came in, the ball spun out to Saskia, whose shot was well saved by the keeper.

This was an excellent game to watch, but does nothing for everyone’s blood pressure !!  Well done to both sides and special congratulations to Hollie and Shoshana who were jointly named players of the match for their superb defence work.

Spurs girls you can have a weeks rest as you deserve it. I can’t wait for the next encounter, but I am not sure about my nerves !!

david watson

no other games

lea valley  2     belmont united  5    
wealdstone  8     enfield town  0    
buckden girls  v  garston ladies  -   match postponed

It wasn’t a very pleasant day, with the rain pouring down and the temperature dropping.  Enfield only had nine players and the game commenced with Becca Dowling breaking down the right crossing the ball and Bobbi Cubberley slamming the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0 after one minute.  Laura Newby was battling away up front and Hollie Watson and Vicki Blake were strong at the back.

Saskia Collins went up front and had a shot that was well held by the keeper.  There were some good interchange movements between Becca and Laura, with Vicki and Shoshana Field also looking to find the attackers.

Katie Fray was very skilful on the ball and had a shot that went over the bar.  Then Becca had a shot that was well saved by the keeper.  The second goal came when Katie had a powerful shot outside the area and it buried itself in the back of the net to make it 2-0 after 17 minutes.  A few moments later and Alexa Rangecroft had a shot that was saved.

Enfield managed to win a corner and unfortunately one of the Spurs players handled the ball in the box and a penalty was awarded.  Lily Tyrimos very nearly got to the ball, but it ended up in the net from the penalty kick to make it 2-1. 

The girls pushed on with Alexa finding Becca whose shot was well saved.  A few moments later and Becca had another shot that went wide.  Tottenham were now firmly camped in the Enfield half, with Shoshana passing to Katie who flicked it on to Becca, whose shot found the back of the net to make it 3-1 after 28 minutes.  Katie then nearly found Sam Pennington who nearly broke  through up front.

Lydia Maher was battling away on the left looking for a way through the Enfield players who were now all defending.

Hollie passed a long ball to Charlotte McLucas whose shot went wide. It was then Charlottes turn to pass to Sam whose shot was well held by the keeper.  Katie was causing problems for the Enfield defence and her shot just missed the goal. However a couple of minutes later and she set up Sam who made it 4-1 just before half time.

Blerta Berisha had come on at half time and made some good pressing runs into the Enfield goal area.  Alexa had a shot that was saved by the keeper, following a good pass from Katie.  Charlotte then set up Katie whose shot just went wide of the mark.  Sam had a shot and it whistled over the top of the cross bar.  The girls were really piling on the pressure with Saskia also pushing up to have a shot that was saved.  Katie and Blerta linked up, with Lydia having a shot that went over the bar.

Blerta then used her skill to beat a few players, pass to Lydia who then passed it to Bobbi who finished it off to make it 5-1.  Blerta then passed the ball to Sam whose shot was saved.  Laura a minute later broke through and her shot smashed off the cross bar.

Vicki had pushed up and she crossed the ball to Clara Littlechild and she popped the ball away to score her first goal for the club and make it 6-1.  It was great to see Clara back after about six weeks out of the game due to an injury.

Bobbi then had a shot herself which was well saved by the keeper, just before Alexa had a shot which the keeper just managed to parry away.  Finally, Alexa found Bobbi with a through ball and she made no mistake to drill the ball away to make it 7-1.

Enfield to their credit had played really well with just nine players.  The girls had played a very solid game with only one shot testing Lily that being the penalty.

david watson

lea valley  3     wealdstone  3    
belmont united  6     buckden girls  2    

enfield town  0     garston ladies  2    
buckden girls  v harvesters  -  match postponed
wealdstone  4     belmont united  3    

-

league
buckden girls  v  garston ladies  -    match postponed

Happy New Year to all, with a special Hello to Alexa, Paul, Shannon and Cameron who have now returned to the USA and will be sadly missed by all.

With all the pitches frozen solid at our normal ground, the girls moved to New River for the game.  Unfortunately, due to illness and school trips the Team only had 11 players to start with.  Bobbi Cubberley was sitting on the subs bench nursing a knee injury, which is on the mend.

Now that Alexa has departed for the USA, Hollie Watson becomes captain, unfortunately she was unwell, so couldn’t play and therefore the new vice captain Katie Fray led the team out.

The girls started brightly with Laura Newby passing the ball to Blerta Berisha who made a dash down the left and her shot was deflected off for a corner.  Sam Pennington got into the action passing to Laura who knocked it on to Lydia Maher, whose shot unfortunately went over the top.  However, moments later and Spurs were 1-0 up when Sam charged through and smashed the ball away after four minutes.  Lydia was battling hard and passed to Becca Dowling who drilled the ball to Katie and her shot hit the side netting.  Becca was involved again when she passed to Sam and her shot was held by the keeper. The second goal saw Becca flick the ball to Katie who let fly with a shot, which the keeper parried away, but Sam popped up on the rebound to make it 2-0 after six minutes.

Enfield was delivering the odd long ball and Vicki Blake cleared them away. Blerta was once again causing trouble down the left .Laura moved the ball to Sam who delivered it to Lydia, whose shot went wide. Lydia repaid the pass a moment later via a cross which found Sam and she found the back of the net to make it 3-0 and her hat-trick within eight minutes of the game starting.  Spurs were piling on the pressure and goal number four came from a move between Katie and Sam, which saw same tuck the ball away to make it 4-0.

At this stage Tottenham came under more pressure with Shoshana Field smashing the ball away and Clara Littlechild, undertaking some good defending and throw ins on the left hand side.  Vicki was pushing up so much that she had a shot saved.  Clara delivered a crucial cut out of a through ball.

Charlotte McLucas was creating some space on the right of midfield.  Still Spurs were dangerous with Lydia passing to Katie who sort out Blerta, whose shot just went over the top.  Becca was defending at the back on the right, with Charlotte also tracking back when needed, then Sam had a chance at goal, which on this occasion she couldn’t convert. Blerta was still darting down the left.

Shoshana ventured up and had a long range shot at goal which was held by the keeper.  Katie showed some super individual skill on the ball and burst through, but the keeper made another crucial save. Vicki was cutting out the long balls at the back. Once again it was a Katie/Sam double act that saw Sam score her fifth goal of the game to make it 5-0 before half time.

The second half started with Lydia creating some early pressure.  Becca however was called upon to defend, with Clara also doing the same on the left.  It wasn’t long however before Katie burst through the middle and very coolly guided the ball into the bottom left hand corner to make it 6-0.  Blerta was trying to shake them up on the left and Shoshana had to cut out a number of balls in the middle.  Lydia was very working hard, battling away with the defenders and she delivered a good ball to Katie, whose shot went over the top.  Sam had a shot which hit the post and bounced away.

It was at this stage that Clara had to go off with a foot injury, so the team were down to ten players.  Still the girls battled on and Charlotte had a shot that just went wide.  Vicki was everywhere cutting out various balls on the left, right and in the middle. Charlotte also was tracking back and helping out to good effect.  Still no shots on goal that Lily Tyrimos had to save.

Sam and Lydia were battling really hard up front, with Blerta carving her way through a crowd of players, which just saw her shot go wide.  Unfortunately, Tottenham then went down to nine players when Katie also went off with a foot injury.  Blerta and Lydia teamed up with Lydia’s shot being well saved.  However, the pressure paid off when Laura scored a well struck shot from just inside the area that beat the crowd of defenders and keeper to make it 7-0.

Blerta delivered a super pass to Sam, who was denied by the keeper.  Vicki was once again defender very well. Blerta then found Laura with a super cross field pass and Laura made sure that it found its way into the goal and 8-0. Katie managed to re-join play at this stage to give Tottenham ten on the pitch. Blerta had a shot well saved by the keeper.  Laura then had a shot that was also superbly saved.

Vicki had now decided to go for a stroll and beat a number of defenders with her skill on the left hand side of the box, to great cheers from the crowd, who were freezing by this point.  Blerta had another shot well saved by the keeper and Shoshana was called upon to cut out a number of searching balls, unfortunately she caught one of these full in the face, but carried on until, the referee stopped play to allow blood to be wiped away from her mouth and she carried on regardless, amazing !!

Becca had a good save held by the keeper, Bobbi had come on for a few minutes and in that time had three great strikes at goal, all of which were either well saved or went wide.  Laura had another shot well saved and then Bobbi had a shot which hit the post.

The final whistle blew, which was great because I was struggling to write any more and the ink was starting to freeze in my pen !!

The girls had played really well, despite the lack of practice over the last three weeks and the lack of players at times. To Enfield’s credit they never gave up, but the Tottenham girls had passed the ball really well and had made it count when necessary.

Player of the match went to Katie for all her work both on and off the ball.

Well done to all, I hope that all those players with injuries or illnesses recover shortly.    

DAVID WATSON

lea valley  -    
belmont united  -    
garston ladies  -    
harvesters  -   
wealdstone  -    
buckden girls  -    

Still Spurs struggle with injuries/illness and we wish Saskia Collins and Nina Pontes speedy recoveries.

Charlotte McLucas started off down the right, looking to find Laura Newby up front.  Buckden, with the wind behind their backs, also started brightly and Lily Tyrimos held a long shot well.  She pumped the ball up to Lydia Maher who was looking for a through ball to Laura, who was just beaten to the ball by a defender.

Clara Littlechild defended well as Buckden push forward.  It wasn’t long however before Tottenham started to turn up the heat with Bobbi Cubberley finding Sam Pennington with a searching ball, which saw Sam’s shot go wide.  Lydia was battling hard down the right and she also had a shot which just whistled past the far post.  Sam burst through but couldn’t quite get her full shot away and the keeper saved the shot.

Vicki Blake was stepping up well at the back with Hollie Watson clearing any balls that broke through.  Katie Fray was using her skill in the middle of the park, as Spurs charged forward to find the opener.  This came when Katie delivered a great ball to Laura and she made no mistake in blasting the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0 after eight minutes.

Becca Dowling was busy on the left right of defence as Buckden tried to break down that wing.  Clara on the left and Vicki in the middle were also absorbing some pressure from Buckden.  Bobbi produced another searching ball to Sam up front and her shot went wide.  Lily held a well struck shot from outside the area.  Lydia was also battling really hard up front and giving Buckden defenders a lot to think about.  Charlotte produced a good through ball to Sam who was one on one with the keeper and she pulled of an outstanding save.

Bobbi unfortunately injured her knee and Shoshana Field dropped into the midfield position to play a holding role.  A few minutes later however and Charlotte found Sam again from a cross and she tapped the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0 after 25 minutes.  Sam also unfortunately also then came off limping with a thigh injury. She was replaced by Blerta Berisha who had just arrived after a two and a half hour journey to the venue.

Shoshana got stuck in very quickly and started to make a real difference in the middle of the park to stop Buckden driving through. Blerta had a shot which went over the top. Then Katie found Blerta a few minutes later and her shot was well saved by the keeper.  Vicki and Becca were called upon to defend and Laura showed some great skill and enthusiasm towards the end of the first half.

Spurs started the second half brightly with Blerta finding Laura whose shot was expertly saved by the keeper. Shoshana was holding the ball well in the middle of the park and shaking off attackers.  Charlotte then had a shot that went wide.

Vicki was stepping up well in defence.  Lydia then ran from deep into her own half the whole length of the pitch at great speed, leaving all in her wake, she crossed the ball to Laura who finished it off to make it 3-0.  Lydia was involved a few moments later, which saw Shoshana almost get her shot away.  Bobbi then came back on to replace Shoshana who has produced some super midfield play.

Blerta had a shot which looked like a certain goal, but once again the keeper pulled off a blinding save.  A moment later and it happened again, for Blerta with the keeper was once again pulling off a one handed diving save.  Blerta had another chance a few minutes later, this time Laura got a chance and she smashed it into the back of the net to score her hat-trick for the day.

Charlotte was closing down in the midfield.  Lydia then finally got the goal she deserved when she blasted the ball past the keeper to make it 5-0.

Katie had a shot, which the keeper saved.  Laura burst down the right and slammed the ball home to make it 6-0.

Blerta managed to keep the ball from going off, she then drilled it to Katie whose shot was well saved.  Laura had an attempt a few moments later which was well held.  Clara joined the action from the defence and had a shot that was well saved.

Bobbi got into the act when she drilled a long range effort along the ground which went past all the defenders and ended up in the back of the net to make it 7-0.

Hollie was solid in the middle of defence ensuring nothing broke through and pumped the ball up field to clear from danger.

Becca had a shot that just went wide, with Bobbi also creating some moves in the middle.

Buckden with only 10 players had battled really well, especially the keeper who had saved them from a double digit score line.

The girls were a little disjointed in the first half, but were much better in the second half and player of the match quite rightly went to Laura for her four goals and probably her best performance of the season so far. Well done girls.

david watson

enfield town  -    
lea valley  -    
belmont united  -    
garston ladies  -    
harvesters  -   
wealdstone  -    

enfield town  -    
lea valley  -    
belmont united  -    
garston ladies  -    
harvesters  -   
buckden girls  -    

What a bitterly cold day, with the wind cutting through clothing like a hot knife through butter !

The Tottenham girls were a little slow out of the blocks and weren’t making much headway, with the freezing wind in their faces.  Hollie Watson cleared away a ball from the defence and Clara Littlechild was also battling away, with Lily Tyrimos holding onto a long range shot.

Gradually the girls were thawing out with Bobbi Cubberley looking to find Charlotte McLucas down the left hand side. A super one two between Sam Pennington and Bobbi nearly split the Lea Valley defence apart. Laura Newby pushed a good ball out to Lydia Maher on the right who charged down the wing, looking to cross the ball in. Katie Fray was battling away in the middle of the park. Another one two between Sam and Laura, saw Sam through but she couldn’t quite get her shot away, which saw her come off a moment later with a leg injury. Blerta Berisha got stuck in straight away and was causing the opposition defence something to think about. Bobbi was brought down about 10 yards from the edge of the box. She took the free kick which whistled towards the goal, but the Lea Valley stand in keeper managed to get her finger tips to it, which saw it hit the post, hit the keeper in the back and then bounce out for a corner.

Katie was sent a searching ball to Laura who was looking to punch a hole through the defence. Hollie was called upon to defend and delivered a long ball to Lydia who was looking to create some space on the left. The first goal came when Laura picked up the ball just after the half way line and then ran on the left, beating a couple of players, to cut inside and slide the ball past the keeper to score a great goal making it 1-0 after 18 minutes.

Saskia Collins was battling away in the middle of defence, which isn’t her normal role, but she was doing really well. Hollie was very solid at the back, making sure that nothing came through or guiding it into the safe hands of Lily.  Shoshana Field was on the right of defence stopping attacks that side with Clara working hard on the left wing. Lea Valley won a corner a there was a goal mouth scramble with Clara blocking a shot with Lily just behind her in case it came through.

Blerta had a shot that deflected off for a corner. Tottenham were starting to pile on the pressure with Laura passing to Katie to Charlotte, to Bobbi, whose shot went just wide of the post. A moment later and Katie sprinted down the right, beating four players, tapping the ball to Blerta who unfortunately just put it wide of the right hand post. Bobbi had a shot that was well saved by the keeper. Katie then had a shot which went wide of the mark. A move from the back, with Hollie pushing out the ball to Becca Dowling who passed it to Lydia, who found Blerta, whose shot whistled over the top at the end of the first half.   

The second half started with Lea Valley attacking and Hollie sweeping the danger away at the back. The action went up the other end, with Laura having a shot that was held by the keeper. Blerta then had a chance which was once again saved by the keeper.  Not to be outdone, Bobbi had a shot that went wide, with Lydia passing the ball onto Blerta whose shot went over the top.

Lydia continued to battle down the right beating a couple of players, looking to get her cross in which she couldn’t quite do on this occasion. Blerta managed to pounce on a ball, beat the keeper, but couldn’t quite cut it back in time and it hit the side netting.  Then Bobbi had a shot that went wide and Lydia had a shot that was held by the keeper.

A penalty was awarded when Blerta had beaten a couple of players in the box and was chopped down.  Bobbi stepped up to coolly to slot the ball to make it 2-0.  A few moments later and Bobbi delivered a long ball to Blerta, who smashed the ball onto Sam, who was now one on one with the keeper and her shot nestled itself in the back of the net to make it 3-0.

Unfortunately Katie was injured and had to be replaced by Shoshana, who now went into the midfield.  Lydia continued to battle away down the right, passed the ball to Sam whose shot was well saved by the keeper.  Blerta then had a chance when she beat a couple of players and her shot went wide.

The girls were really piling on the pressure on the 10 player Lea Valley, who had worked really hard throughout the game, but were starting to feel tired.  Charlotte had a shot that was superbly saved, Laura pounced on the rebound, but the keeper also managed to smash that clear as well.  Charlotte had another couple of shots that were also well saved.

Lea Valley were still looking to break through and Saskia, Clara, Becca and Hollie were making sure that the defence kept another clean sheet.  However, the final move of the game saw Bobbi burst through the middle and sliced the ball past the keeper to make it 4-0.

Both sides had done really well in the conditions and player of the match went to Bobbi for her two goals and her presence in the middle of the park.  We all hope that Katie makes a speedy recovery.

The only thing we missed today was the snow, but that started as we all got back into our cars !!

david watson

enfield town  -    
lea valley  -    
belmont united  -    
garston ladies  -    
harvesters  -   
wealdstone  -    
buckden girls  -    

enfield town  -    
lea valley  -    
belmont united  -    
garston ladies  -    
harvesters  -   
wealdstone  -    
buckden girls  -    

Charlotte McLucas in defence was thrown into it early on, with Blerta Berisha battling hard on the left and Vicki Blake making some timely interceptions to through balls in the middle of the defence.

Blerta won Tottenham’s first corner as Spurs pushed forward, although a moment later and Hollie Watson made an important clearance at the back.  Becca Dowling was also battling hard on the right of defence to keep Belmont at bay.  Lily Tyrimos was called upon to pick up a through ball from the opposition.  Hollie then produced a very long ball to allow Sam Pennington to run onto it, she was almost one on one with the keeper, with defenders breathing down her neck, but she couldn’t quite get her shot away.   

It was then Lydia Maher turn to break into a full speed sprint from inside her own area with the ball; she ran the length of the pitch at pace, with the Belmont defenders charging after her. Just as she pulled the trigger the ball bobbled up and her shot went wide of the right hand post.  Blerta and Sam P were producing some lovely one/twos up front looking for a way through.  Becca continued to patrol the right of defence. Hollie once again, found Sam P with a long ball from the back and unfortunately the shot went wide.  Laura Newby now got into the act with a shot at goal, which was well held by the keeper, following a lovely ball from Bobbi Cubberley.  Sam Delves was battling away in midfield and looking for the link up play with Lydia.  Blerta was running her heart out in midfield and then working back to help the defence.

After some pressure, Belmont managed to break through the defence and unfortunately one of the Spurs midfielders brought a Belmont player down just inside the box and a penalty was awarded. The Belmont striker step up and smashed the ball at the goal, Lily managed to get her leg to the ball, which then bounced off the outside of the right hand post and Hollie cleared the danger away. Well done Lily, excellent stuff. 

The girls saw this as a wake-up call, to apply more pressure on the Belmont defence with Blerta darting through on the left and Sam P looking to penetrate the line.  Laura was busy looking for a way through.  The break came when Bobbi found Sam P, who charged on the left, she got her shot away, which hit the post, but the rebound fell back to her and she buried the ball in the back of the net after 18 minutes, much to the relief of everyone supporting the Spurs.

Bobbi was now starting to look for the through ball, with Vicki making sure that the middle of defence was tightly looked after.  Hollie blocked off a shot from the Belmont striker.  Blerta linked up beautifully with Bobbi and Sam P, with some quick passing movements which were putting Belmont under a lot of pressure.  There was then a clash of heads between Hollie and one of the Belmont players, thankfully both after a few minutes were able to continue.  Spurs couldn’t afford to have a player come off at this stage. Bobbi then had a free kick on the left hand side of the box, she floated the ball into the far side of goal and Lydia rose like a salmon, with her header just going passed the right hand post.  Blerta and Charlotte were working really hard on the left hand side, with Charlotte clearing the ball away with a lovely sliding tackle.

Charlotte then found Lydia over the top and the Belmont defence had to work to clear the danger just before half time.  The pitch was very heavy going with all the rain and snow that had been delivered over the last week or so and it would be interesting how this would affect the fitness of both teams.

Blerta and Sam P once again were linking up well, with Becca also working well alongside Sam D.  The girls were piling on the pressure with the Belmont keeper being asked to clear a number of back-passes in a timely fashion. Vicki was stepping up really well and the game was now starting to open up more.  Bobbi was battling hard in the middle of the park, with Lydia also making a number of darting runs down the right hand side, looking to cross the ball in.

However, Belmont still pushed forward and Charlotte was working really hard on the left of defence to stop their strong midfielder burst through.  Belmont had a shot, which Lily parried away and Hollie was there to make sure that the ball was cleared away from danger.

A moment of pure magic came from Blerta when she beat four Belmont players one after the other on the left and crossed the ball into the box.  Unfortunately Lydia didn’t quite get hold of it and it went high and wide.  Lydia was back a moment later and her shot was well saved by the keeper.  Spurs then won a corner and Charlotte floated the ball to Bobbi, who volleyed the ball into the top left hand corner to make it 2-0.  Still the girls had to work hard at the back with Charlotte, charging down the right hand midfielder and Hollie clearing the through balls with Vicki.  Becca made a lovely run out from defence, which gave Belmont something to think about.  Vicki then did the same a moment later, bursting through the middle, beating a couple of players and then laying the ball off to Bobbi, who scored the goal of the game with a 25 yard strike, which soared into the air, floated over the keepers head and dipped beautifully in the back of the net.

Unfortunately Sam P went down injured after a crunching tackle and had to go off, so Spurs were down to 10 players. They didn’t panic, but Charlotte and Becca continued to hold firm on both sides of defence, with Sam D bursting down the right and crossing the ball into the box, as it was cleared away.  Hollie cleared the ball away, down the other end.  Sam D showed some great skill in midfield beating a couple of players and laying the ball off to her team mates. Bobbi had another shot, which was well saved. Once again and Sam D was coming into her own battling hard to win the ball in the middle of the park.

Laura was working hard as she had all game, looking for space and pulling the defenders all over the place.  Laura had a good cross which was just cleared away.  Lily saved a long shot well and fortunately Sam P then came back onto the field of play for the last few minutes.  To Belmont’s credit they didn’t give up and Charlotte and Vicki were once again, working their socks off in defence.

The final whistle blew and a very good game came to an end. Both sides had played really well and both sides should be proud of what they did.  All the Tottenham players ran their hearts out, but player of the match went to Blerta, who charged up and down the left hand side, throughout the whole game, with moments of pure skill and magic coming from this excellent two footed player.

All deserve a well earned rest; good job its half term next week !!!

david watson

harvesters  v  lea valley  -   match awarded to harvesters
garston ladies  2     enfield town  2