http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/spurs/News/cup-joy-ladies-300312.page Wendy Martin fired Tottenham Hotspur Ladies to a historic first London FA Women's Senior Cup triumph with a hat-trick in the final against MSA on Thursday night. The striker was simply too hot to handle for MSA as Spurs ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at Harrow Borough FC. It's the team's first success in the competition that was introduced by the London FA in the 1994-95 season. Spurs went into the final as favourites and were handed the perfect start after five minutes when Martin was in the right place at the right time to tap home after Jess Cheeseman's cross came back off the post. That settled any nerves the ladies might have felt beforehand and they went on to dominate for the 90 minutes. Cheeseman went close from 20 yards before Martin doubled the lead on 18 minutes. Miranda Hall picked out her run between defenders from left-back and she calmly lifted over the advancing goalkeeper for 2-0. Robyn Downie and Derrie O'Halloran tried their luck from distance and Martin was close to a hat-trick twice before the break, glancing Kirsten Thomson's cross just over and then missing the target one-on-one. Downie and skipper Sam Pittuck were always in control in central defence when MSA did venture forward, and the tireless running of Cheeseman and Robin McEvoy in central midfield made sure MSA rarely got hold of the ball. Martin's hat-trick arrived just after the hour and was a carbon-copy finish to her second goal, this time latching onto Jenna Schillaci's pass and lobbing home. Substitute Bianca Baptiste added her name to the scoresheet in the 70th minute, slotting home one-on-one from another Schillaci pass. Martin was awarded the 'Player of the Match' award afterwards and skipper Pittuck deservedly held aloft the trophy for the first time. Spurs Ladies: Wendy Martin; Vicky Elcome, Robyn Downie, Sam Pittuck (Nicola Cable, 80), Miranda Hall (Ryah Vyse, 55); Derrie O'Halloran, Jess Cheeseman, Robin McEvoy, Jenna Schillaci; Kirsten Thomson (Bianca Baptist, 55), Wendy Martin.
No they don't. Arsenal Ladies play in the Super League and have dominated Ladies football for many years . The Spurs Ladies have started at the very bottom and worked their way up, a much preferable way of doing things than Arsenal's preferred way of paying ladies vast sums of cash to play for them.
I should have pointed out that the Spurs website might mislead you into thinking we have won the Ladies FA Cup. We haven't, we've won the Senior Cup. There's a difference., and although Arsenal Ladies compete in the European Super League, they do also compete in the Ladies FAC, and are due to meet Chelsea Ladies in the semi-final in about a months time.
You'd think that most of the established Premier League teams would devote a little more of their resources to the ladies game, really. It seems to be pretty popular in some areas of the world and I'm surprised that they don't see it as an exploitable source of revenue, given their cynicism about every other avenue of available cash. Perhaps they don't think it'll catch on here? Well done to the ladies, anyway.
Here we have the Emirates Trophy Cabinet. the upper section is obviously the Ladies team, and the lower half is the mens senior team...indeed all you'll find in there is a bat and ball...something to keep the polisher amused! please log in to view this image
