Women’s Super League

TOTTENHAM have allowed the women’s side to train at the men’s Hotspur Way base on a full-time basis for the first time ever.
They were using the Enfield hub one day a week and spent the rest of their time at The Hive in Barnet.

New Spurs boss Rehanne Skinner says moving the women’s side in-house shows a huge “statement of intent”

Alex Morgan signed for Tottenham on a short-term deal until December

But now they are in-house using the luxury North London training facilities with Jose Mourinho’s side on a full-time basis.
Phil Neville’s former England No.2 , Rehanne Skinner, replaced Juan Amoros and Karen Hills as Spurs boss after the duo were axed two weeks ago.
In her first press conference in the top job, she said: “We are now training here at the training ground which is a great statement,
“It provides us with unbelievable facilities to start raising the standards that we are looking to achieve.

“The club were very aware that the facilities the players needed, needed to evolve so it obviously shows their interest in the women’s team.
“They felt it was the right time to make that move. It was already something that was happening.
“That made a statement to me about the intent that was around, looking after the women’s team and incorporating them so that’s been a real positive step for everybody.”
There are 15 grass pitches across the site including four dedicated solely for the men’s first team.

There is also a two-storey training centre with medical facilities, swimming hydrotherapy pool, fitness centre, changing rooms and a media centre.
Skinner added: “We have facilities in and around the lodge and the training pitches that we utilise,
“So we have everything around the players that we need to create a high-performance environment.
“It’s now on our doorstep. We have been trying to maximise the use in that and trying to frame things in the last week.
“It’s a learning curve for us at the moment but the stuff we have access to now is unbelievable and the players are ecstatic about being in this environment, which is great.”
Spurs already made waves with the stellar summer signing of World Cup winner Morgan in September.
They turn their attention to hosting Brighton on Sunday with a limited capacity of fans permitted back into the ground.

Jose Mourinho says that Harry Kane an injury doubt for Tottenham clash against Arsenal More

FLISS GIBBONS reckons Brighton could face a stern test from Tottenham in their upcoming league encounter.
And the Seagulls left-back warns her team cannot underestimate their opponents who play under their new boss for the first time on Sunday. 

Fliss Gibbons reckons Tottenham will be keen to impress their new manager when they face Brighton Credit: Rex Features

Tottenham, who achieved a mid-table finish in their debut term in the top-flight have struggled in the league so far this season. 
And the North London team are currently second from bottom following a run of two draws and five losses in their first seven games. 
But Gibbons, 26, believes her opponents – who are three places below Brighton – will be eager to reverse their dip and wow new gaffer Rehanne Skinner.
Gibbons said: “Some people might say it’s a good time to play them, but you could look at it and say it’s a bad time. 

“A new manager is in place and all the players will be wanting to impress. 
“They have not picked up the points they deserve and they have been quite unfortunate in some of their games. 
“And the calibre of their players they have speaks for itself really. 
“They are a very good team and we’re expecting a hard challenge this weekend. 

“You can’t underestimate anyone in this league no matter where a team is in the table. 
“Every week is a difficult game and this one will be no different.”

The Seagulls will be pushing for a win against Tottenham after beating West Ham before the international breakCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The clash on Tottenham’s home turf will see the return of their fans to The Hive for the first time since January this year.  
And the last league match between the two sides played in front of supporters ended in slim 1-0 defeat for the Seagulls following an own goal. 
Under Tier 2 restrictions Tottenham are allowed to host up to 2,000 home supporters at the stadium. 
And Brighton, who are targeting a spot in the top half of the table, are looking forward to the return of up to 1300 of their own followers at their ground in Crawley. 

Tottenham will play their first WSL game under new head coach Rehanne SkinnerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Seagulls manager Hope Powell said: “It will be nice to have some atmosphere.  
“When we are at home our girls do love playing in front of the home crowd. It really lifts them. 
“It’s good for the game and I’m pleased they will be back.”

Tottenham signing Alex Morgan shows off her skills on the training pitch More

ELLIE ROEBUCK has set her sights on a quadruple silverware haul with Manchester City. 
And the England keeper, who has overtaken Karen Bardsley as the team’s No1 stopper, is taking inspiration from childhood hero Peter Schmeichel. 

Ellie Roebuck wants to see Manchester City triumph in all domestic competitions this termCredit: Rex Features

Roebuck, 21, has enjoyed a remarkable rise in her fledgling football career after winning the Women’s FA Cup, and claiming the WSL’s first-ever Golden Glove award. 
The Sheffield-born stopper cemented her spot between City’s sticks at 18 after stepping in when Bardsley suffered an injury against Chelsea in February 2018. 
And the former Blades keeper has not looked back since then.
This term Roebuck hopes Man City will see off their rivals in the battle for trophies.

And the ambitious stopper is looking to claim the Lionesses No1 vest as well as a WSL title with the Manchester giants. 
When asked what a successful season would be Roebuck told TalkSport 2: “[A] Champions League medal, a League medal, a Conti Cup medal, an FA Cup medal and hopefully, an Olympic gold medal and then I’ll be quite content.

“But I’ll also be looking at the year after and wanting a Euros medal and wanting to do it all again. I’ll never be content with that, but I’m sure it would be a nice year.
“I’m quite demanding of myself but sometimes, I do sit back and think: ‘I should be proud of what I’ve achieved so far.’ 

Roebuck, who kept ten clean sheets in during a 16-game run last term, has wowed pundits with a string of impressive saves this year. 
Among them was an outstanding mid-air parry to deny Everton’s Hannah Cain. 

Roebuck, 21, wants to become England’s No1 keeperCredit: Rex Features
It was the kind of effort Roebuck was used to seeing when watching Peter Schmeichel in Premier League action in her younger years. 
And the WSL star has admitted to being an admirer of the Manchester United icon’s playing style, as well Juventus hero Gianluigi Buffon. 
Roebuck added: “Growing up, I was definitely such a big fan of men’s football. Buffon, at the time I was growing up, was unbelievable. He was somebody I always watched. 
“Even though Peter Schmeichel was a bit before my time, looking back, I really like the way he played and the impact he had on the game. For me, they’re the two that really stand out.
Man City, who finished second behind Chelsea in the WSL last season, aim to reclaim a title they won once back in 2016. 
And Roebuck has admitted to feeling excited about the prospect of helping her side attempt to regain the top spot despite dropping points against Brighton and Reading.
Roebuck added: “I think I’m in a great place, so I’m excited what the future has to hold.”

Roebuck says she is a fan of Peter Schmeichel’s style of playCredit: PA:Empics Sport
“The league is getting stronger and stronger every year.
We’ve dropped points to the likes of Brighton and Reading and that’s not because we played badly, it’s because the league is naturally getting stronger and stronger. 
“Anything can happen and I don’t think the league will be decided by Christmas or by April to be honest with you as I think it will go down to the wire.”

Lionesses in training More

LUCY BRONZE admitted she would one day love to swap the pitch for the dugout and coach England.
The Manchester City right-back, 29, revealed she was not ready to hang her boots up just yet but reckons she would suit life as a manager in the future.

Lucy Bronze sees her self in the dugout one dayCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Bronze said on Talksport 2: “I do like giving people orders and bossing them about,
“I enjoy being captain because I like to tell people, ‘Get over there, get in with me’. It’s enjoyable.
“Coaching is hopefully a long way off for me still, but I’d love to coach England and try to win trophies for England sitting on the bench as a coach, it would be fantastic.
“We’ll see in the future where my interests go.”

Bronze rejoined Manchester City from European top dogs Lyon in September, having lifted her third consecutive Champions League trophy with the club.
The defender enjoyed her first stint with City in 2014 and helped the club win the WSL and Continental League Cup in 2016, as well as FA Cup a year later.
When she arrived in the blue half of Manchester, she said: “I always had it in my mind that I would return one day and it just feels like the perfect time and opportunity right now.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now than with Manchester City and I’m really excited to see what the future holds with the exciting squad we have here.”

She lifted the SheBelieves Cup with Lionesses last year and was left heartbroken when England crashed out of the 2019 World Cup against the USA in the semi-finals.
The right-back was also part of the England squad who finished third in the World Cup in 2015.

Alex Morgan pokes the Lionesses with ‘tea-sipping’ celebration after putting USA ahead against England in Women’s World Cup semi-final More

JESS PARK could only have dreamt as a youngster that she would one day be chinwagging with her childhood hero Sergio Aguero on Manchester City’s open bus parade.
The 19-year-old whizkid’s love for football began with kickabouts outside her local pub with the boys in her hometown, Brough, just outside of Hull.

Lifelong Manchester City fan Jess Park has enjoyed a meteoric rise at the clubCredit: Instagram @jesspark_16

City women lifted the FA Cup and League Cup in 2019 and celebrated with the men’s side on the open bus parade that yearCredit: PA:Press Association

The Citizens forward told SunSport: “I used to play with all the boys and we actually just played outside the local pub.
“We just used to kick the ball around and one of the dads was like ‘I’m going to start in a team, why don’t you come down?’
“And I played from there really and fitted in.”
Childhood City fan, Park, went to school at South Hunsley in East Yorkshire where her former PE teacher Matt Simpson inspired her to dream big.

From there she caught scouts’ attention at York City’s girls’ talent pathway before arriving at the Citizens’ academy at the age of 16.
It was no surprise when less than a year later she was bumped up to the first team before penning her first professional contract in April this year.
The youngster said: “I was over the moon. All my family were really proud of me because they know how much I’ve wanted this since being a kid.
“I kept it a bit of a secret because I knew it was being sorted.

Sergio Aguero celebrated the THREE trophies Manchester City had bagged after the 2018-19 seasonCredit: AFP or licensors

The Citizens paraded their honours through Manchester in May 2019 while fans let off flaresCredit: AFP or licensors

“I went down stairs in the house and was like ‘oh I just signed a professional contract’ – my family were shocked!”
Never in her wildest dreams did Park imagine she would be rubbing shoulders with her idol Aguero during the club’s open bus tour in May last year.
He was part of Pep Guardiola’s 2018-19 side showing off the THREE trophies in an open-top victory bus parade after winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabo Cup.
The women also had cause to celebrate with their shining FA Cup and League Cup silverware.
The forward continued: “Obviously I looked up to like Messi and Ronaldo they’re the best players in the world but I really liked Augero as a kid.
“As I followed the club I loved his style of play, it’s kind of similar to mine, so I looked at what he did in the box,
“And how he got so many goals and tried to just like look at as many YouTube videos as possible to get there.
“The women’s team did the tour around town and we got to go on the bus with the men’s team on the way back.
“We (Augero) had a good conversation so I was really like overwhelmed.
“I was chuffed really. It was just general chitchat.”

City were the slide rulers of Wembley as they enjoyed extra-time victory over Everton in the Women’s FA Cup final thanks to Park’s late assist

Skipper Steph Houghton held aloft the Women’s FA Cup after the 3-1 extra-time success over WSL rivals the Toffees
City boss Gareth Taylor handed the hotshot the chance to live out her dream of playing at Wembley when he brought her on against Everton in the FA Cup final.
With the score locked at 1-1 she produced a moment of magic, slipping an inch-perfect through-ball to Georgia Stanway to poke home the winner.
The youngster has been clocking up more minutes this term and she is itching for another opportunity to shine against the Toffees this Sunday in the league.
Park added: “it’s still quite unbelievable really that I’ve come as far as I have done.
“I just want to keep progressing and I love the game. To be at probably one of the best clubs, is just phenomenal.”
The forward has 12 goals in 13 games for the Under 19 England side and dreams of one day pulling on a senior Lionesses shirt.
She admitted: “My biggest aim to be playing for England, because its my country.
“I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully the minutes that I’m getting at the club will maybe give me an opportunity in the coming years with England.”

Aguero has a dazed reaction in amazing behind-the-scenes tunnel footage after 2012 Premier League winning goal More

REHANNE SKINNER is targeting a top-half finish in the women’s top-flight for Tottenham after their challenging start to the season. 
And the new Spurs boss has talked up the club’s “positive plans” for the future ahead of her first game at the helm. 

Rehanne Skinner wants to see Tottenham finish in the top-half of the WSL Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Skinner took on her role as Tottenham manager following the sacking of joint head coaches Juan Amoros and Karen Hills with the team currently second from bottom in the table. 
Prior to her appointment Phil Neville’s former England No2 had enjoyed glittering success in North London as assistant manager for local rivals Arsenal.
Whilst working there the former Three Lions coach helped the Gunners lift two WSL trophies, two League Cups, and one FA Cup during a three-year spell from 2010. 
And the Tottenham manager, whose team play Brighton next in the league, hopes to help her side progress whilst building on the foundations put in place by her predecessors. 

Skinner told Tottenham’s official web site: “I think it’s important to look at where the club has come from and the foundations that were built from the previous managers that’s really important here 
“Now we are just kind of looking to move things forward even further from what those guys put a lot of time and effort into achieving. 

“The squad is a fantastic squad. There is an awful lot of experience here. 
“And the biggest thing for me is trying to ensure that I tap into all of those experiences from those players and make sure that we utilise it to our benefit as a squad. 

“That can help us move forward with where we want to get to and obviously get some results in games and start to move forward from that perspective.
“I’m really happy to hear how the club is embracing the women’s team and how they want to move it forward in the Spurs family.” 

Alex Morgan and her Tottenham team-mates will be after maximum points from their game against BrightonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Skinner plans to utilise the talents of Tottenham’s squad which includes England international Ashleigh NevilleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Tottenham, who claimed a respectable seventh-place finish last season, are yet to register a win in the WSL this term. 
And the team, who made headlines in the summer after sealing a stunning temporary deal for US star striker Alex Morgan, have picked up just two points from their first seven games. 
Skinner is optimistic that her side, which includes talents such as England defender and club player of the year Ashleigh Neville, will reverse their fortunes. 
Skinner added: “There is always the results side of things and progressing through to the top of the table. 

Rehanne Skinner hopes to see a reversal of fortunes for her new team in the leagueCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“Obviously we want to try and finish in the top-half of the table. That is something I have spoken to the players about already. 
“It is something that would be a great step for a club that is relatively new to the WSL at this stage. 
“But while I say the club’s relatively new, the players are incredibly experienced so we have got to kind of bring that out now and move forward and push on to be competing at the top of the table.”

Tottenham signing Alex Morgan shows off her skills on the training pitch More

CARLA WARD has shutdown speculation about her future as Birmingham City boss following her side’s solid start to the season. 
The October Manager of the Month is reportedly a top target for West Ham following Matthew Beard’s departure, according to BBC Sport. 

Carla Ward says her future is at Birmingham despite rumours linking her with West HamCredit: Rex Features

Birmingham, who struggled towards the end of the curtailed 2019-20 season with just eight senior players in their squad, have enjoyed a decent run this term following Ward’s appointment in August. 
And the former Sheffield United gaffer, 36, has seen her new club rise to sixth in the top-flight following their 11th place finish last season. 
Ward’s side are three points and one place behind title runners-up Manchester City ahead of their upcoming game against Everton. 
Meanwhile, West Ham, who are on the hunt for a new head coach, are currently winless in the league and ninth in the table. 

Ward told Birmingham City’s web site: “Naturally when there is speculation it’s overwhelming if I’m honest because I have only been in this division a few months. 
“For me, I came to this football club to do a job and that was to maintain WSL status.  My future is here, I don’t want to go anywhere else. 

“The job is half done. It’s not done yet, so as far as I’m concerned right now, it’s about the players, the staff, the football club. 
“I had great conversations with the board and I can honestly say that after those conversations we are very much on the same page and both want the same things for Birmingham City Women. 

“They can’t get rid of me just yet!” 

Ward has been touted as a possible replacement for Matt Beard following his West Ham departureCredit: PA:Press Association

Ward’s Birmingham side have enjoyed a decent start to their tenth season in the WSL Credit: Getty Images – Getty
December is set to be a tough month fixtures-wise for Birmingham with tricky pre-Christmas clashes against Arsenal,  Everton, and Manchester City. 
But Blues keeper Hannah Hampton, 19, is optimistic about her team surprising the WSL’s big guns after claiming three wins in October and November. 
Hampton told SunSport:  “Everybody wrote us off in the summer. 
“Nobody thought we’d have a chance so those two wins in October really helped with the belief in the group. 

Hannah Hampton (right) reckons Birmingham’s October wins have boosted their confidenceCredit: Rex Features
“We’ve got a great set of girls and I think we just have to concentrate on getting as many points as possible to stay in this division. 
“We know how much of a big job it is and how we’re going up against sides who have spent a lot of money this summer.
“We’re going to give it everything we’ve got and see where it leaves us at the end of the season.”

Lionesses in training More