Tottenham Hotspur Ladies FC -

Youth Team reports 2003-04

A seven goal burst in the first half gave Spurs Youth the basis for a big another win, this time against Northwood Reserves.

Faye Callaway gave Tottenham a fifth minute lead with a tap-in and Ruth Waghorn scored twice in two minutes to make it 3-0.  Sarah Green and Caroline Brown added to the lead with long range efforts, before Northwood pegged a goal back with a break down the middle.

A first goal for Spurs by Alice Oake from distance restored the five goal gap and another before half-time rounded off Waghorn’s hat-trick.

While Spurs continued to dominate, Waghorn added her fourth straight after the break, running through the middle and then she added a further three goals to her impressive match total (doubling her number of league goals in the process) to make double figures.  

Sinem Melin got her first goal of the season as Spurs rounded up the dozen, while Northwood managed to get another consolation goal to make it 12-2 at the end.

Camden offered stiff resistance at times and never allowed the Tottenham youngsters time to settle on the ball.  However, Tottenham finished the first half 3-0 up with goals from Faye Callaway, Cas Brown and Beth Richards.

The second half continued in the same vein with Camden rarely threatening the Tottenham goal and unable to put together decent periods of possession outside their own half.  Sarah Campbell replaced Sam Chase after 15 minutes of the second half, but not before Sam had added her first goal and Tottenham's forth to the tally.  Sinem Melin added a fifth goal a couple of minutes before the end giving the youth side a comfortable 5 - 0 win and keeping the pressure on Garston at the top of the table.

Tor Cesay gave Tottenham the lead before having to be driven away from West London with a suspected broken leg.  Viking Ladies, fielding some of their first team in this fixture, managed to get forward to equalise before the half-time interval, but Sarah Green restored the Spurs lead before the whistle sounded for the turn around.

Another equaliser against the ten players of Tottenham saw Spurs take the game to the home side and further goals from Green again and Faye Callaway earned the Lilywhites the points, but the numbers were equalled out when a Viking player got her marching orders from the referee and barged into him.

A tough game for the bare eleven players of Tottenham, but one they did well to ride and admirably kept their calm despite some worrying moments.

We apologise for any embarrassment this might have caused.

Sam Chase slipped a pass through the Camden defence for Ruth Waghorn to go in on goal.  Her first effort was well saved by the keeper and it took a second shot to beat her to open the scoring in the sixth minute.  Three minutes later, Ruth was fouled and the ref pointed to the spot.  The Spurs forward got up to take the kick herself, but it was too close to the keeper, who got behind the ball and kept the spot-kick out.

Spurs pressed very strongly in the first half and just before the 15 minute mark, a low cross into the box was sliced by a Camden Town defender onto her own bar, but in the next attack, Tottenham increased their lead.  Gemma Coots jinked past two defenders on the left of the area and lifted the ball over the keeper to double the lead.

A minute later, it was 3-0, with Cas Brown swinging a right wing cross over for Sam Chase to finish with shot across the keeper which left her with no chance of stopping the effort.  Tottenham's pressure was paying off and on 18 minutes, Chase put in a low corner, which forced a defender to attempt to clear, but the ball skewed off her boot and ended up in her own net.

With nothing to lose, Camden pushed forward and had Spurs pinned in their penalty box for a while with a free-kick and a corner making the defence stay alert to keep them out.  Halfway through the half, Tottenham strung a nice move together with Ruth Waghorn and Sarah Green linking well with Beth Richards, who took the ball on and struck a well-placed shot out of the goalie's reach to make it 5-0.

On the half hour, Ruth hit a curling shot from outside the area which dipped over the keeper for Spurs' sixth goal.  But still, Camden were pushed back.  Sarah Green hit a shot that flew just outside of the post, Alice Oake came forward to loop a shot up onto the crossbar and Beck Sack volleyed a corner just over the top.  The keeper ended a busy first half with a diving save to prevent Cas Brown scoring.

Ruth Waghorn added two just after the break with low shots after being put through the middle of the visiting defence each time.  The second half was perhaps an anti-climax for the Tottenham ladies, but Camden re-grouped and tightened things up to give Tottenham more problems in the final 45 minutes.  A determined effort by the Camden Ladies, who played the game in a very good spirit, prevented Spurs scoring any further and as the weather deteriorated with strong winds and driving rain, the game ended with both sides happy to seek the refuge of the dressing room !!

The Youth team were missing a few of their normal key players who were called up for duty elsewhere but fielded several experienced players who normally see duty with the first team and the reserves.

The Tottenham Ladies began well with several attempts on goal before Crissy Oshodi opened the scoring in the 4^th minute with a well-taken goal.  Sinem Melin added another several minutes later and Sarah Campbell headed a third shortly afterwards.

Crissy Oshodi scored her second and Tottenham’s fourth after 25 minutes followed shortly afterwards by a well-taken goal from Gemma Coots.  These were followed by goals from Abidemi Andero, Kirsty Patterson and Gemma Coots with her second allowing the youth team to reach half time eight goals to the good.

Kat Stebbings was released from her duties in goal during the break because of family commitments that she selflessly subjugated to her Tottenham commitments and the fact that she had rarely been called to action in the entire first half.  She was replaced in goal by Sam Chase and Faye Callaway came on as substitute and joined the defence.

Tottenham began the second half well with an early third goal by Crissy Oshodi making the score 9-0.  A lack of concentration by several players allowed Northwood to score a goal on a rare breakaway strike by lobbing Sam Chase whilst she was still trying to adjust Kat’s gloves to her liking.

With the score at 9-1 the lack of match fitness of several of the Tottenham players began to tell and Sinem Melin had to be replaced by Karen Butler due to an injury in the 65^th minute.  Despite their continued dominance Tottenham only succeeded in adding one more goal from Kirsty Patterson during the rest of the second half.

On a day when Garston won 12-0 the second half performance could prove to be one that the Youth Team eventually regret but overall a good result was achieved to continue the challenge for the League Title.

DAVE GREEN

The visitors were hampered by only turning up with nine players and Tottenham fielded only ten, but a display of power and skill saw Wandsworth trail from the start.

Sam Chase was the main tormentor to start the game and her right wing play set up Crissy Oshodi for a tap in in the third minute, closely followed two minutes later with a header by Oshodi finishing off a good cross from Chase.  With all the play heading towards the Wandsworth goal, Sam got her own reward for some good play on the edge of the area, when she drove home a 14th minute goal to make it 3-0.

On 17 minutes, Crissy sealed her hat-trick when she produced a low shot from the right side of the box past the keeper, but this spurred the opposition into their best moment in the game when they broke away through the middle of the Tottenham defence to shoot past Kat Stebbings to make the score 4-1 in the 21st minute.

Tottenham produced a five minute spell of goal-scoring that then put the match out of reach.  23 minutes had passed when Crissy took the ball off a defender on the edge of the area and her 14 yard shot found the back of the net, followed in the next minute by Alice Oake's great run up the left wing that ended with her low shot being too firm for the keeper to keep out at the near post.  In the 26th minute, Sam Chase found herself on the other flank to take a corner that Gemma Coots rose to head home and it was another corner in the following minute that caused confusion in the area, with Crissy seizing on the loose ball to make it 8-1.

It was Oshodi again with the ninth, a powerful drive from the edge of the penalty area in the 31st minute, before a minute later Sam Chase netted with a low shot from the right corner of the box to score the tenth Spurs goal.  Alice scored another goal from a left wing position with a 35th minute lofted effort that flew over the keeper's head and another minute later Cas Brown timed a break through the middle of the Westside defence to put the ball away.  Gemma Coots was spraying the ball around nicely for Tottenham and when, in the 39th minute, the ball fell to her 25 yards out, she hit an early shot that surprised the keeper and it went in at the foot of the right hand post to make the half-time score 13-1.

Although the pitch was quite heavy after some pre-match rain, Spurs found the going to their liking and passed the ball well on the floor to open up the Wandsworth team.  Three minutes into the second half, Sarah Campbell held the ball up well to lay it into Cas in the centre of the goal to shoot past the keeper before Gemma repeated her first half effort from long range to make it 15-1 in the 54th minute.

Sarah Campbell got on the scoresheet herself in the 56th minute, when she was thwarted by the keeper with her first shot, but was determined enough to get the second chance into the goal.  It was just past the hour when Spurs scored again.  This time another fine left wing run by Alice Oake ended with a rising shot over the goalie to complete her first Tottenham hat-trick.

Number 18 came in the 65th minute, as Cas Brown strode forward to hit a shot from 18 yards out, after the defence had failed to close her down and that sealed her hat-trick.  On 72 minutes, Sam Chase cut in from the right wing to hit a shot that was blocked by a defender, but the ball dropped kindly to Crissy, who knocked the ball home and then two minutes later Oshodi turned provider, crossing for Sarah to volley home from five yards out to rack up 20 goals in the game.  With a quarter of an hour left, Tottenham were nearly exposed when a quick break by Wandsworth prompted a rush from goal by Kat to clear the danger. 

But Tottenham, aware that a good goal difference might be needed in the final league table, pushed relentlessly forward.  78 minutes on the clock and Faye Callaway advanced from her defensive duties to get on the end of a Sam Chase cross to make it 21-1 and it was 22-1 two minutes later, as Sarah's shot across the box was taken by Crissy, who knocked it past the keeper.  

Wandsworth were not helped by the fact that their captain sustained an injury and had to go in goal, but she (as the first keeper did) performed well in keeping the score down.  In the 81st minute Cas played the ball into the box and Crissy finished well and then seven minutes from the end, Alice burst into the box at pace and laid the ball on to Crissy, who shot home for her tenth goal of the match.

The extra player obviously had a large say in the outcome of this game, but it was a very good performance to keep going with such a scoring rate, which will ensure that the season's finish will be a close one. 

It was a tough game in which, the young Spurs Ladies were required to dig in to gain the result they needed, but they still had opportunities to show the open, passing game they have developed this season.

The early chances fell to Hendon, as they pressed for a vital breakthrough and a corner dropped to one of their defenders, who had gone up for the kick, but she skied her shot over the bar.  Kesha Heaven, playing goal, showed her versatility with a brave dive at a forwards feet - taking a kick in the head in the process - and producing some good handling on crosses.

Tottenham moved the ball around well and in the nineteenth minute, a Sarah Green corner was knocked in by Handan Djoshkoun to give Spurs a lead that calmed some of their nerves.  The ladies then settled down to play some flowing football, but Hendon were determined to provide difficult opposition.  However, just past the half hour, Crissy Oshodi knocked the ball into the area from the left and as the keeper came to claim the low pass, Cas Brown nipped in front of her to prod the ball past her and into the goal to double the lead.

It was a welcome strike by the young midfielder, as the visitors hit back two minutes before the interval, when a high ball dropped for one of their forwards and she steered the ball past Kesha as she came out to close her down.

Kesha proved to be in good form, as early in the second half, she dived full length to push away a firm drive from inside the area.  The match ebbed and flowed from end to end, with a few Hendon shots being too high and Handan hitting a shot over the top and Alice Oake just being too high with her chipped effort.  The game finished with Tottenham moving on the Hendon goal and it was with great relief and no little celebration from the watching crowd (including the first team) that greeted the final whistle.

Congratulations must go to all the players who have featured in the Youth Team this season and to manager Dave Green, who has welded the talents of this group of ladies into a formidable unit.

Spurs started brightly when Gemma Coots put Ruth Waghorn away on the right wing and her clipped effort rose over the keeper, but just drifted wide of the far post.  Shortly after, Viking broke forward to hit a 20 yard shot that flew wide of the target.  Spurs hit back as the quarter hour approached, with Waghorn setting up Cas Brown for a shot that went outside the post and then the same player set up strike partner Sarah Campbell to blaze a shot over the top.

Viking dug in to deny Spurs space and played a short passing game, but just before the game got a third through Coots hit a free-kick from 25 yards out just wide of the top corner of the goal.  Spurs had plenty of the ball, but failed to make the possession count, with Waghorn and Campbell testing the keeper, while Faye Callaway almost produced an action replay of Ruth's early effort, but her lob ended up just wide from a similar position.  

Kesha Heaven in the Tottenham goal had to be sharp to come out to claim a diagonal ball into the area, just before the Viking forward was set to pounce and with Coots hitting a shot wide after evading two tackles, the score at half-time was 0-0.

After being given instruction at the interval, Spurs Ladies came out and began putting their passes together.

Substitute Sinem Melin was put away down the right wing and her shot was just wide.  It was seven minutes into the second half when Tottenham took the lead.  Faye Callaway played the ball infield and Cas Brown helped it on to Sarah Campbell, who hit a first time shot from 20 yards that beat the keeper's dive at the foot of her post.

The flowing passing of their previous games was slowly coming back and a fluent move involving  Campbell, Waghorn and Brown was ended by a good tackle on the edge of the Vikings box.  A late tackle by Gemma Coots earned her a yellow card though in the 56th minute.

With 62 minutes passed, Spurs went into a 2-0 lead.  Brown made good ground on the left wing and put a curling cross into the area, which was missed by two Spurs players in front of goal, but Ruth Waghorn stole in on the blind side to force the ball home at the far post.  And it was Ruth who made it three in the very next minute.  Campbell put Gemma Coots away and her low, bobbling shot from 25 yards was well saved at full stretch by the Vikings goalie, but Waghorn was on hand to prod home the loose ball as it came back off the keeper's hands.

The Spurs keeper was called into action and Heaven saved a well struck 20 yard free-kick and she had to be alert to kick a through ball clear as the away side ran onto it.

Tottenham were working their left wing well and Alice Oake put a long cross into the far post and Melin came in late to hit the shot, but was unable to keep it down.  With time running out Vikings pressed forward and a break on the left saw the ball flash across the face of goal and then a minute from full time, a through ball was taken around Heaven and as the player beat her, she shot towards an empty goal.  Out of nowhere, Kelly Herrett appeared to kick the ball away as it looked a certain goal and the clean sheet was preserved.

In the last minute of injury time, sub Crissy Oshodi put Gemma Coots away on the right wing and she put in a  good shot that the keeper did well to grab above her head.

The game and the season ended successfully for the Youth Team and they deserve the success they have achieved with their excellent play throughout the campaign.