Arsenal book their place in the Conti Cup final thanks to Stina Blackstenius' extra time goal Back Match Report Conti Cup: Arsenal v Manchester City Arsenal book their place in the Conti Cup final thanks to Stina Blackstenius' extra time goal Arsenal WFC 10 February 2023 By Paul Donegan Arsenal reached the 2023 Conti Cup final with a 1-0 win over holders Manchester City in what was a closely fought game. Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the match during extra time after it had finished 0-0 after 90 minutes at Meadow Park on Wednesday evening. Jonas Eidevall made five changes to the Gunners starting line up from Sunday’s goalless draw at West Ham in the Women’s Super League (WSL). He also changed formation and played three at the back. Gareth Taylor made two changes for Man City from their 2-0 win at Leicester City with Sandy MacIver and Alanna Kennedy coming in for Ellie Roebuck and Steph Houghton. Arsenal had the first chance of the match in the 6th minute but Laura Wienroither’s shot was well saved by MacIver. The visitor’s first attempt came after 12 minutes when Lauren Hemp’s effort from out wide was caught by D’Angelo. Frida Leonhardsen Maanum’s free kick went into the side netting for Arsenal five minutes later. At the other end, Chloe Kelly forced D’Angelo into a good save in the 23rd minute. Man City had a few more chances in the next ten minutes but Filippa Angeldahl, Khadija Shaw and Kelly all put the ball over the bar. Arsenal then had a couple of opportunities of their own but Caitlin Foord shot over and Leah Williamson put an effort wide. The visitors had the final chance of the first half in stoppage time but Hemp blasted the ball over from the edge of the area. In the first minute of the second half, Angeldahl shot straight at the Arsenal keeper. In the 59th minute, Manchester City went close again when Hemp’s cross was deflected just wide. Laia Aleixandri volleyed into the side netting for the visitors after a corner. A few minutes later, Angeldahl and Shaw both saw efforts go over. Arsenal came closest to scoring so far in the 67th minute when Lina Hurtig, who had just come on as a substitute, saw an effort from close-range hit the crossbar before Kim Little’s shot was deflected wide. The visitors were continuing to have more of the chances though with Kerstin Casparij seeing a shot blocked as City put pressure on Arsenal’s defence in the 69th minute. A minute later, Kelly was allowed to run forward and sent a powerful shot into D’Angelo’s hands. Shaw then shot over two minutes later. Steph Catley had an important interception for Arsenal in the 74th minute when she got to a City cross first to put the ball behind after a quick counterattack. Arsenal finished the game well and had chances to win it in the final five minutes. Another second half substitute, Blackstenius, saw her shot saved by MacIver in the 85th minute. Hurtig then headed just wide a minute later. Maanum saw a shot saved as the 90 minute mark approached. Seven minutes of stoppage time were signalled, and four minutes into those MacIver spilled a cross but Alex Greenwood blocked Blackstenius’ effort near enough on the goal line. Blackstenius then saw a header saved before the referee blew the final whistle, and with the score at 0-0 it meant extra time. Three minutes into it, Blackstenius gave Arsenal the lead. Hurtig’s pass found her and she finished from about 8-yards via a slight deflection off City defender Leila Ouahabi. Manchester City did have some opportunities during the remaining 27 minutes of extra time with Deyna Castellanos, Angeldahl and Hayley Raso all seeing efforts saved whilst Hemp also put a shot wide. Maanum had the home sides only other chance but this was easily saved. The win sees the Gunners end City’s 16 game unbeaten run and reach their first Conti Cup final since 2020. Jonas Eidevall said that he switched to a back three to “have the ability to stop City’s crosses and be well positioned inside the area when they do come in” when speaking to the press after the victory. Going into extra-time, he told the team to keep doing the basic well and to “trust the game plan”. He also spoke about Blackstenius playing in a more central position when she came on, that she had four or five really good opportunities and is working really well on that. When speaking to the press afterwards, Gareth Taylor felt City “had played very well in large parts of the game, lacked a bit in the final third, that final bit of quality or their keeper really good saves or we didn’t make most of our number of attempts” . Taylor also said he was proud of the players and performance. Arsenal, who have won the cup five times before, will play Chelsea in the final at Selhurst Park on Sunday 5th March. Before that, the Gunners and City play each other again on Saturday at 12:30pm at the Academy Stadium in Manchester in the WSL. Line ups Arsenal: D’Angelo, Williamson (Beattie 83’), Wubben-Moy (Catley 64’), Rafaelle, Wienroither (Maritz 76’), Little (c), Maanum, McCabe, Pelova (Hurtig 64’), Foord, Khul (Blackstenius 65’) Substitutes: Zinsberger, Marckese, Walti, Agyemang Goal – Blackstenius 93’ Booked – Wubben-Moy 53’, Little 71’, Rafaelle 81’, Maritz 92’, Foord 116’ Manchester City: MacIver, Casparij (Coombs 101’), Kennedy (Houghton 89’), Greenwood (c), Aleixandri (Ouahabi 80’), Hasegawa, Castellanos, Angeldahl (Fowler 113’), Kelly (Raso 90’), Shaw, Hemp Substitutes: Roebuck, Blakstad, Dahou Booked – Kelly 35’, Hemp 90+5 Referee – Abigail Byrne

A huge 4-2 victory for Liverpool means the Reds secure promotion to the Women's Super League! Back Match Report FAWC: Bristol City v Liverpool A huge 4-2 victory for Liverpool means the Reds secure promotion to the Women's Super League! Hana Basir 4 April 2022 By Paul Donegan The top two in the Championship played each other at Ashton Gate on Sunday with Liverpool knowing that if they avoided defeat then they will be crowned champions and with it promotion to the WSL. Liverpool started brightly and Leanne Kiernan had the first chance in the 4th minute when her shot from the edge of the penalty area was easily saved. A Megan Campbell long throw was headed just over by Kiernan in the 8th minute. Liverpool did take the lead in the 13th minute when another long throw from Campbell bounced around in the penalty area before falling to Niamh Fahey who scored from about 6 yards out. Bristol City equalised straight away when Aggie Beever-Jones scored from an angle with the ball looping over the Liverpool goalkeeper and into the net. Liverpool went close to regaining the lead in the 20th minute when Rachel Furness smashed a shot just wide. Campbell then saw her free kick saved. Bristol City had a chance at the other end five minutes later when Beever-Jones saw her low shot saved by the legs of Rachael Laws with Liverpool then being stopped by a good tackle as they broke quickly. Furness had another effort for Liverpool that went over. Liverpool went back ahead in the 39th minute when Jasmine Matthews scored against her former club from inside the area after a free kick had not been cleared. Liverpool saw another opportunity go high and wide in first half injury time as they went into the break ahead. It was Liverpool who had the first efforts in the second half with Furness seeing her shot tipped over by Fran Bentley then they saw another shot go wide. A misplaced pass from Liverpool was picked up by Abi Harrison but Laws rushed out and gathered as Bristol City went looking for an equaliser. It was Liverpool though who scored the next goal when in the 59th minute, a Campbell long throw was flicked on and finished from close range by Katie Stengel to make it 3-1. In the 69th minute, Bristol City got a goal back when Harrison’s shot found the corner of the net from about 12 yards for her 15th league goal of the season. It was 4-2 in the 79th minute when Missy Bo Kearns finished a low cross from Stengel from close range. Liverpool went looking for more goals and in the 86th minute, Carla Humphrey rounded the Bristol City goalie but saw her shot blocked. From the resulting corner Jade Bailey headed over. In injury time, Liverpool saw a shot go over and Bristol City had the final opportunity of the afternoon when a long range effort from Jasmine Bull was tipped over. As the final whistle went, Liverpool started the celebrations on the pitch having secured the title and promotion back to the WSL after two seasons away. All of this in front of a Bristol City and Championship record attendance of 5.752. Teams: Bristol City: Bentley, Cataldo (J. Bull 59’), Layzell, Aspin (Wilde 83’), Murray, Allen (Powell 59’), Davies, Beever-Jones, C.Bull, Morgan, Harrison Unused substitutes: Whitehouse, Kuyken, Jhamat, Collis, Cook, Woolley Goals – Beever-Jones 14’, Harrison 69’ Booked – Wilde Liverpool: Laws, Roberts, Fahey, Matthews, Campbell (Wardlaw 67’), Hinds, Holland (Kearns 73’), Furness (Bailey 84’), Lawley (Humphrey 84’), Stengel, Kiernan (Daniels 67’) Unused substitutes: Clarke, Hodson, Moore, Silcock Goals – Fahey 13’, Matthews 39’, Stengel 59’, Kearns 79’ Referee – Lisa Benn Attendance – 5,752

Review of the Lionesses double header against France England versus France: 2025 Euro's Qualifiers Back Review of the Lionesses double header against France Lionesses Sunday, 9 June 2024 By Paul Donegan England faced a tough double-header against France in UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying over the last week or so. The meetings between the sides second and third in the world rankings resulted in a win apiece with the visitors being victorious 2-1 on both occasions. Here is a look back and some thoughts on the matches. The first game took place at St James’ Park in Newcastle on Friday evening. This was the first time the Lionesses had played there and it was also Sarina Wiegman’s 50th match in charge. Wiegman decided to pair captain Leah Williamson and Millie Bright together in defence for the first time in over a year after both had suffered injuries during that time. Alex Greenwood can maybe feel a bit unfortunate to miss out after having a great season with Manchester City. Mary Earps won her 50th cap but within the first minute picked up a hip injury and had to be replaced by Hannah Hampton shortly after. England looked a bit shacky at the back in the early stages, maybe not surprising considering how long it was since Bright and Williamson last played together. It was Williamson’s long pass forward that started the move that led to the Lionesses taking the lead on the half-hour mark with Beth Mead finishing Lauren Hemp’s low ball across the area. Hampton made a good save to stop Maelle Lakrar’s header four minutes later as France looked for a quick equaliser. The visitors did level the score before half time when Elisa De Almeida’s stunning volley from a corner looped into the corner of the net. Not much England could do about that one. Pauline Peyraud-Magnin made a good save of her own in first half stoppage time when she stopped Mead’s curling effort. Marie-Antoinette Katoto put France ahead in the 68th minute with a low volley into the net. Though maybe she shouldn’t have had the chance in the first place as the Lionesses had numerous chances to clear the ball before it reached the unmarked Katoto. Apart from the early enforced goalkeeper substitution, Wiegman didn’t make any other changes until the 79th minute when Fran Kirby and Chloe Kelly came on. This was perhaps a bit surprising considering it was the end of a long season and changes could have been made slightly earlier with England being behind and hardly threatening during the second half. The two substitutes helped improve things with both looking lively, and it was Kelly who had the best chance to equalise but saw her long-range effort dip over the crossbar. So, it was a defeat for England, and another recent match where a side has marked Keira Walsh closely and the Lionesses have produced little. There really needs to be a plan B for occasions when performances aren’t great and key players aren’t being effective. Moving onto Tuesday in Saint-Etienne when France knew that if they won then they would qualify for the Euro finals in Switzerland next year whilst England couldn’t really afford to lose after Friday night. Wiegman only made one change from the first meeting with Hampton starting in goal in place of Earps whilst Toone won her 50th cap. More changes might have been expected after the disappointing performance four days previously with the likes of Greenwood, Kelly and Kirby coming in. Both sides had early chances with Russo having the best of the Lionesses. Maybe having a number 9 to finish some of the chances could be useful as not really had one since Ellen White retired in 2022. A great Georgia Stanway first time strike from just outside the area gave England the lead in the 21st minute after Hemp had passed to her. The Lionesses looked more threatening and attacking with Toone playing higher up the pitch. Russo headed in England’s second goal in the 34th minute, Hemp providing the cross this time for her third assist in two matches. Stanway had the Lionesses final chance of the first half before Katoto headed narrowly wide to send a warning to England that France weren’t out of it yet. Indeed, the hosts were better after the break but the Lionesses were defending well. France were pressing more in the second half, and on one occasion when the visitors were playing out from the back, they won the ball back and Grace Geyoro was brought down in the area by Williamson with the referee pointing to the penalty spot. Kadidiatou Diani stepped up and sent put the ball into the net to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute. Wiegman left it late to make substitutes again, making the first in the 75th minute then another in the final minute of the match with Kelly and Kirby coming on again. In the 89th minute, Hampton made a fantastic one-handed match winning save when she got down and tipped Katoto’s close-range effort wide of the post. There were no further chances in what was a slightly nervy finish to the match as England moved level on points with Sweden and two points behind France with two games remaining. Personally, in what was a much better performance overall especially in the first half in Saint-Etienne, I thought Russo, Stanway, Hemp, Toone, Jess Carter and Hampton all had really good games. The final group games take place in July with the Lionesses facing the Republic of Ireland in Norwich before travelling to Gothenburg play Sweden

Tottenham Hotspur boss signs new contract Back Rehanne Skinner sticks with Spurs Tottenham Hotspur boss signs new contract Getty Images 7 May 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Tottenham head coach Rehanne Skinner has signed a new deal and will remain in North London until at least the summer of 2024. Skinner first joined the club in November 2020, succeeding long term coaches Karen Hills and Juan Amoros, and is on course to lead Spurs to their highest table placing and highest number of league points in the competition this season. News

Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Jackie Burns and winger Lauren Wade have made moves to Women's Super League side Reading Back Reading snap up Northern Ireland international duo Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Jackie Burns and winger Lauren Wade have made moves to Women's Super League side Reading Reading Twitter 5 August 2022 By Josh Bunting The Royals who start their season against newly promoted Liverpool on September 11 have acted swiftly following Burns impressing at Euro 2022. Burns went into the tournament as a free agent after mutually agreeing her release from a two-year contract at Swedish club BK Hacken that was only signed in March of this year. Burns came through the ranks at Cookstown Youth and Mid-Ulster Ladies before securing a scholarship with Carson-Newman University in 2016. In 2017 she was part of the Eagles team that made it to the national championship game in the US for the first time in the university's history. Burns made her international debut in 2013 at the age of 16 in a friendly against the Netherlands and was the number one as Northern Ireland reached this summers Euro 2022 tournament in England. Lauren Wade Photo: Reading Twitter Wade aged 28 makes the move from Glentoran to Reading only the second player to make a transfer from an Irish League club to a WSL club. Wade has played in Sweden, USA and Scotland before playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League scoring for Glasgow City against German giants Wolfsburg. The winger made a positive impact at Euro 2022 against Norway, Austria and England nearly opening the scoring against the eventual winners as she forced a good save from Mary Earps. It now takes Northern Ireland’s quota in the WSL to four after Rachel Furness won promotion with Liverpool, joining Simone Magill who has moved from Everton to Aston Villa earlier this summer. The Berkshire Club finished eighth in the WSL last season. News

Leicester City boss Willie Kirk is positive heading into the final game of the season Back “We want to be history makers" says Kirk ahead of WSL's final weekend Leicester City boss Willie Kirk is positive heading into the final game of the season LCFC Women 25 May 2023 By Paul Donegan Willie Kirk spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of Leicester’s crunch final day WSL match against Brighton on Saturday. A win for the Foxes will mean they are guaranteed safety whilst any other result leaves them relying on the Reading not winning. Kirk started by confirming there are no fresh injuries and Georgia Eaton-Collins is back in the squad. Ruby Mace is suspended for this match after getting sent off last week against West Ham. “Everyone is feeling the same sense of frustration” after the loss to the Hammers in a match Leicester dominated Kirk admitted. He continued by saying “it looked a little bit desperate, a little but nervy, it meant we were a yard off things, we took shots from distance which I thought we had managed to eradicate from our game”. “It was a little bit frustrating we didn’t believe in ourselves a little bit more and play our normal game” remarked the Leicester manager. On reflection he believes if Reading had beaten Spurs the day before or if the matches had been going on at the same time then Leicester would have won their game. Kirk believes they “let something external to us dictate our emotions” last weekend. The Foxes boss said the players have been on it in training during the week and everyone wants to be in the team on Saturday to prove a point. “We got to the stage where we were proving everybody wrong and then it almost flipped on its head and last week they were almost scared to let people down” noted Kirk. He said they want to stay away from the mentality of all they need to do is match Reading’s result to stay in the division. “We want win the game because for us it would mean beating last years points tally, scoring more goals than last year, climbing a spot more than last year” Kirk carried onto say. He then pointed out that finishing tenth would be a remarkable achievement considering where they were sitting five months ago. Kirk admitted it has been tough analysing Brighton ahead of the match as they have had a number of different managers and played different styles during the season. He added that even last weekend they played a style they hadn’t used before, and they have been prepping against two different ways of them setting up. “The players play better when we focus on us” Kirk said. The Leicester manager said he doesn’t want his side to be complacent on Saturday, adding ”it is a huge incentive to finish tenth.” “We want to be history makers, no team has ever turned around a seven point deficit at the bottom in WSL history, we want to be the first team to do that." Brighton & Hove Albion v Leicester City will be shown live on the FA Player with a 2:30pm (BST) kick-off on Saturday. News

Ben Gilby discusses changes England could potentially adopt alongside the rise of the Matildas Time to switch it up? What might come next for the Lionesses Back Ben Gilby discusses changes England could potentially adopt alongside the rise of the Matildas Adam Mitten Thursday, 11 April 2024 By Ben Gilby When the Lionesses drawn in a fiendishly tough group for Euro 2025 qualifying, a collective “wow” was let out by fans up and down the country. However, the draw was influenced by teams’ performances in the prior Europa League, and with England missing out on the semi-finals of the tournament, they were always likely to do it tough when the balls were drawn out of the pot for this one. International football is tough gig – it has massive rewards in the good times, but slightest deviations from consistent wins come with longer term consequences. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it’s something that benefits all – including the England coaching staff who will be well aware of the moment when the first signs first began to show that the team were not quite hitting the heights they were in the Euros and during World Cup qualification. The Lionesses coaching staff and players will now be thinking about what comes next and how they continue to ensure they are at the top of the pile both in Europe and globally. The roots of the current study of the side’s need to evolve can be traced back to the World Cup. England were warmly welcomed in Australia. They were heralded out there as footballing giants who would sweep all before them. However, just a few days into the competition and group stage performances that were not at the level of the team’s previous all-encompassing joyous attacking football and defensive solidity – there were murmurs of “hang on…” Photo: Adam Mitten The Lionesses were being pressed to death, they were unable to get their midfield attacking weapons on the ball, and defensive errors were occasionally creeping in. As the tournament was full of bigger nations being rocked by developing women’s football nations, this was, by some largely written off as a case of the opposition stepping up. England’s greatest performance in the World Cup came in the semi-final against the hosts Australia at a raucous Stadium Australia in Sydney. The Matildas are renowned as a fast pressing team themselves, looking to create space out wide with pace to deliver the ball for the picture painters in midfield of Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry. That played into the hands of Sarina Wiegman’s team who produced a professional performance of know-how to strike when it most mattered and take their place in the World Cup Final. That final once more saw England pressed all over the place and passed to death by the all-conquering Spanish. Since then, the Lionesses’ opponents both in the UEFA Nations League and the opening games of the Euro 2025 qualifiers have largely copied the tactics that the likes of Haiti, Denmark, Nigeria, and Colombia employed in Australia with success. Therefore, there is a question worth posing. Is it time for England to both amend their style, and be that bit more experimental with player selection? Let’s look at the example of the Australian national team. They have just come off the back of finishing fourth at the last Olympics and World Cup – their greatest ever achievements. Rather than concluding that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, head coach Tony Gustavsson and his assistant Mel Andreatta spent months analysing his team’s World Cup performances, coming to the conclusion that they needed to evolve and be that bit smarter. Photo: Girls on the Ball The Matildas still have attacking weapons across the midfield and up front that many nations would deeply desire, but Gustavsson is moulding his team to be more pragmatic with a growing emphasis on solidity at the back. Yes, they still love to attack and shift the ball quickly, particularly along the flanks, and using the guile of the central midfield talent, but it’s not all about attacking opponents. They are now choosing when to go and when to be patient – looking at their opponents tactical set up once the game is underway and looking to shift through a raft of potential options. Gustavsson himself told the media after their 2-0 win over Mexico this week that: “ We probably had eight to 10 different variations in formations today in our attacking game. Everything from inverted outside backs to six dropping into the back three to overloading one side and isolating another – there was a lot of different tactics.” There are answers for his players of what to do when faced by a rapid press and physical battles. The team’s Achilles heel in previous years has been struggling to break down the massed defences of teams, who were on paper, far weaker than them. The new tactical fluidity that Gustavsson has introduced since the World Cup is making that a thing of the past There have been teething issues – the two games in Canada back in December when the new plans were first unveiled a case in point – but, as Ellie Carpenter said to me during this international window, “ I think it nearly has clicked…come mid-July…I’m really thinking forward with this team for the Olympics, and I really think we can achieve something special.” Performances since Christmas would suggest that this is the case. So do the Lionesses need to take a leaf out of the Matildas’ book? Is it time for Sarina Wiegman’s team to develop an approach to manage the oppressive press that opponents are continually applying to them with success? Let’s look at Europe’s other most successful nations over the past 10 years. Sweden have consistently made the semi-finals of World Cups, European Championships and Olympic Games. Peter Gerhardsson’s side have done it with an exceptionally well organised defence allied with a physical, defensive press style of game which has them patiently waiting for the right moment before clinically taking advantage. Spain are outrageously talented and comfortable on the ball, dominating possession – but let’s be honest, England have supreme talent and great ball players who are tactically astute as well – they just need to find ways to amend those weapons to dissect the most constrictive opposition. Photo: Adam Mitten Is it time for Sarina Wiegman to cast the net that bit wide? Defensive issues have occurred again in recent games, albeit in a side still without talismanic captain Leah Williamson – but even with the Arsenal star back in the starting line-up, it feels that the time is right to experiment that bit more with personnel and playing style. There needs to be a Plan B, C, and D that the team can switch between – the best nations in the world can do so – and England are definitely one of those. They have the quality coaching staff and players to drive this sort of approach. England will qualify for the Euros, even if they don’t finish as an automatic qualifier in the top two of their group, they will go on to the play-offs to face the likes of Romania, Slovenia or Luxembourg in round one and then potentially nations such as Portugal and Wales in the deciding round. They have scope to try things out and evolve their style and personnel – they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Laura Coombs Laura Coombs has been out of the international fold for quite some time, having last been called up to camp in November 2020. However, the midfielder has deservedly earned her place after pulling out a string of notable performances for Manchester City this season. Coombs, by nature, is a grafter. It is this custom of hers that has seen her rise to the top and re-assert herself as one of the most productive midfielders in the country. With a definitive “keep your head down and get on with it” attitude, Coombs showcases her willingness to tidy up and do the less glamourous work. Whilst she may not offer the creative flair others possess, what she guarantees is key defensive and offensive runs and an off-the ball work rate that is second to none. Coombs is also a known goal-scorer and can hit the net from range. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Bethany England Position Centre Forward D.O.B 03/06/1994 Club Chelsea via Chelsea Women FC

Arsenal's newest recruit Jodie Taylor she is fit and ready to help the team in any way that she can Back “I am absolutely thrilled to be here" says Arsenal forward Taylor Arsenal's newest recruit Jodie Taylor she is fit and ready to help the team in any way that she can Getty 27 March 2023 By Paul Donegan Jodie Taylor recently joined Arsenal for a second spell at the club, signing until the end of the 2022/23 season. The forward had previously played for the Gunners between 2016 and 2017. Since then, she has played in Australia, the United States and France. Taylor has also been capped 51 times and scored 19 goals for the Lionesses. She left San Diego Wave in February after their first season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Taylor came on to make her second debut for Arsenal in the 82nd minute of their recent 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby. After that match, she spoke to the media. Taylor was asked how surreal the last few weeks have been. She answered by saying it has been a “very surreal and crazy 10 days” and that she was just “chilling in LA [like] a month ago”. She added that anything can happen in football and you have to be ready for it, and that “I am absolutely thrilled to be here, so happy to be part of the team”. She felt the North London derby felt like “a real football game” and said that she has been keeping an eye on the league since she left. Taylor noted the Women’s Super League (WSL) has “gone from strength to strength each season, and it is great to see the growth of the game especially off the back of the Euros success”. Taylor thinks Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall just wants her to play her game and settle in. She added she only landed back in London 10 days ago so it “has been a crazy time” . She continued by saying that “however the team needs me, I am here for it and a great opportunity for me to come in back on home soil”. Taylor noted she is still fit, healthy and capable of playing at this level, and she is there to help the team win trophies. With it being the NWSL off-season, Taylor has been working with a personal coach. She said she has been staying fit and this has involved doing “a lot of running, a lot of conditioning, a lot of gym, a lot of individual training and small group stuff” . She mentioned it was about getting her body right and hopes what she has been doing has prepared her. Taylor said she can use her experience and “pass it on to other players” . She noted that she likes that role and got into the later stages of her career by “helping the young ones coming through” . She added that she is a team player. She continued by saying that “it is an important message for older players, it is not over till it’s over, and I am still going”. Taylor finished by saying “I am happy to be here, really happy with how the squad have welcomed me”, and observed that she has played with Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley before and there are a handful of girls that are still with the Gunners from her previous time at the club. News

Ground Guide Tottenham Hotspur By Paul Donegan This guide is based on going to the Tottenham match against Manchester United on 7th November 2021. I had been there for another match earlier this season and only the indoor food kiosk was open for that one so a reminder that things might be different if you ever decide to have a visit to the Hive to watch Tottenham play. Address Camrose Ave, London HA8 6AG Location and Ground History The Hive is in north west London near to Stanmore and Edgware. The complex was built as Barnet FCs training centre before they moved into the stadium there in 2013. London Broncos rugby league team shared the ground from 2014 to 2015 and London Bees, who now play in the FA Women’s National League, also played at the ground but now it seems they play their home matches on one of the outside pitches. Tottenham have played at The Hive since 2019 when they got promoted to the WSL. Getting There The Jubilee line (the grey coloured tube line), towards Stanmore if going from central London (takes about 30 mins from there), runs right behind the stadium with Canons Park being the closest station to the ground, being about a 10 minute walk. Most of the walk from Canons Park station is along a path through The Hive complex past other pitches/5 a side pitches. Queensbury about a 15 minute walk in the opposite direction. A number of buses go along Camrose Avenue (288) and Whitchurch Lane (79, 86 and 340) at either end of complex. There is car parking available at the ground behind the south end but there is a charge for this (looks like £8 on matchdays). The entrance into the complex if driving is off Camrose Avenue. Tickets Tickets can be bought online and the ticket comes on the confirmation email, as well as the same thing on an attachment, which you need to print off and take with you to the match which you scan at the turnstiles to get in. Tickets can be bought on the day, if available, from the ticket office at the ground (on the corner of east and south stands, near the car park) but there is an increase in price if bought on the day (£8 for adults instead of £6.50 if bought beforehand) and it is card payment only. Buy Tickets https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/tickets/buy-tickets/women/match-tickets/ The Stadium There are 4 separate covered stands with gaps in the corners of the ground with a total capacity of 6,500. The only stand open for Tottenham matches is the west stand (The Legends Stand) which is an all seater and runs the whole length of the pitch. It is also the stadiums largest stand with a capacity of 2,686 and it is all unreserved seating. There is a small scoreboard at the back of the stand which shows the score and how many minutes have been played along with the TV gantry. The seats are in Barnet’s colours of orange and black (the seats in the other stands are the same colours). The Jubilee line passes right behind this stand. The north stand (Stand 66) is a seated stand behind the goal and at the south end, there is a terracing (Bees Terrace) which had Tottenham banners over it. The east stand (The Hive Stand) has a few rows of seats and is where the dugouts are, press seating and VIPs sit. The tunnel is at the north end of this stand. The turnstiles that are open for Tottenham matches are in the south west corner of the ground, at the far end of the car park, near the tube line and merchandise kiosk. There was a bag search before going in. There are toilets at the back of the stand between the food kiosk and bar entrance. Food and Drink There is a spacious bar (Legends Bar) under the stand which can be entered from behind the stand or through 2 entrances in the stand from pitchside. Alcohol is not allowed to be taken outside. There were 2 food kiosks open, one at the back of the stand between the turnstiles and bar entrance and another inside at the far end of the bar where there are some tables and chairs if you want to eat/drink there. On the east stand side, there is another bar which includes a Starbucks, but this can only be entered from outside the ground. Seemed to be card payment only for food and drink at the ground. Merchandise There is a merchandise kiosk outside the ground, near the turnstiles, which sells lots of different things such as shirts, baseball caps, hats, pens, mugs, keyrings, the list could go on! Paper programmes can be bought from here as well. Again, seemed to be card payment only. At the Manchester United match, there was a freestyle footballer and beatboxer going along the front of the stand keeping the crowd entertained before the match and at half time.

Jordan Nobbs praises team spirit and thanks fans in post-match reaction to Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham Back Jordan Nobbs reacts to Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham Jordan Nobbs praises team spirit and thanks fans in post-match reaction to Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham Girls on the Ball 31 October 2022 By Paul Donegan Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs spoke to the media after the Gunners 3-1 win over West Ham in the WSL on Sunday. Nobbs has won the Arsenal Women Supporter Club’s player of the match in the last two matches, she has scored in both of those games against FC Zurich and West Ham. Here is what she had to say…. How has it felt waiting for you chance this season? “I don’t know, obviously I love this club so much and I’ve absolutely trained my bum off for the past five/six months. I think eventually just them little moments of things come, whether that’s something happening and I’ve got to be ready but, I am a little bit proud of myself just staying in it. And what a set of girls we have. Like it is hard to get in to the team and I think that is what makes it so special when you get chances on the pitch because you know you are playing up against a top, top talent.” How much inspiration have you drawn from other players (Lotte Wubben-Moy and Frida Maanum) that have had to wait to take their chance? “I think it just shows what talent we have with some of the players. Frida came in and had a fantastic game against Lyon and obviously me and Frida were on the bench a lot. We kept pulling each other through when we are going out for training. Because sometimes you have to keep saying ‘right we do the training again, we go again’, and it brings the team together because at the end of the day we all have to play a part. You have seen how may people over the last two weeks have played minutes in this squad and put in a great performance, so it is all credit to people’s mentality and staying focused for what’s best for the team.” Jordan Nobbs alongside Steph Catley and Beth Mead in Arsenal's UWCL tie against FC Zurich Photo: Girls on the Ball You came on in the number 8 position tonight, do you think that is your best position and how nice was it to get a lot of minutes in the position tonight? “It was nice. Obviously, I haven’t had much chance to show that over the last few years that 8 has been my role for the last ten years, but I love that role. I think I am one of them players that wants to get on the ball and everything like that, so yeah, it is a position I have always loved. I mean right now I am just thinking about being on the pitch and playing, but I definitely think it is something I enjoy - to start deep and go high.” The reception from the crowd…. (there were lots of cheers for Nobbs throughout) “I cannot thank the fans enough. I mean anytime I’ve stepped foot on that pitch they’ve been there, such a boost for myself and how, hopefully, I’ve shown myself towards this club and they make me feel such a part of it. And I want to play well and score for them because without them… yeah, it is the best part of football.” News