The WSL2 winger who could be in for a breakout season

Ava Baker

I try to limit highlighting loan players in the WSL2 as there are plenty of players at the clubs who don't always get the spotlight they deserve. But I do have some exceptions. Ava Baker is one of the youngest players to have ever scored a top flight WSL goal and has been developing since leaving Leicester in 2024 at last season's WSL2 champions, Birmingham City, with her also having a 6 month loan spell at a resurgent Ipswich Town. I think it's pretty fair to say that because she doesn't play for one of the biggest clubs, that she maybe doesn't have the same amount of hype (outside of Birmingham and Ipswich fans) that some other players in her age group have.

The Birmingham City loanee has returned to the Tractor Girls after a very bright loan move in January. Baker still got fairly limited minutes last season as she played just over 400 league minutes for the second season in a row. It's not really a surprise this past season as she had a resurgent Veatrikki Sarri & former PSG starlet Océane Hurtré This season it seems that she has a clearer path to a starting spot as I'd imagine new signings, Megan Hornby (signed from relegated Portsmouth) will take over the starting Rw slot from Brighton's new winger in Sophie Peskett, and Tegan McGowan (also signed from Birmingham but her contract ran down) will compete with Baker for the starting Lw role under David Wright.

Baker has got a real air of confidence and a direct approach to her game. She always looks to stay wide when the ball is on her side in order to facilitate 1v1's against her fullback. Her pace makes her a threat on and off the ball as she can be a target for balls in behind to get her in the final. I think she's a bit inconsistent in tighter spaces but this is still something that she can improve on with more chances to get into those scenarios. This is also influenced by her turning circle being some she can improve on as it can sometimes look a little stiff when she turns 180 degrees.

As a traditional winger that holds the width which can allow her fullback behind her to stay inside like when she would come on for Birmingham, her carrying is at a really good level as she often looks to take lots of small touches to keep the ball close to her and allowing her the time to choose to go down the line or cut inside. She keeps a very upright posture when she carries the ball which is really noticeable when she first receives the ball. This can then play into her change of speed when she often looks to push the ball ahead of her to really take her fullback on in a battle of pace.

One aspect of her game that really stands out is her defensive work rate. It's not just that she's a willing presser from the front, but she tracks back very well and will put her foot in when she's deeper on the pitch. Her being a willing defender and a hard worker will only continue to endear her to her coaches and the fans.

Her weaker left foot is actually better than I remember since I've gone over her match footage again. It's not at the level of comfort where she can comfortably carry on her left, but her passing and in particular her ball striking on her left foot is at a pretty decent level that still has plenty of room to grow with increased game time. This is still a big help for her since she has shared minutes across both wing slots and her only goal from last season came on her left foot after a nice flick to get past her defender.

The ball is played into space near the box w/Baker having her back to goal.

She then gets the ball with her body parallel to the goal.

She then drops her shoulder and pushes the ball on the outside of her right foot past the defender.

She's created the space to push into the box.

Baker then has enough time and space to place the ball low into the far corner in her left.

 

On the whole, Baker is a really exciting prospect that has a good chance to make a name for herself in the WSL2 this coming season. There are aspects of her game that will get smoothed out with reps such as some refinement to her first touch. But I have very high hopes that she will continue to develop with Ipswich. Her goal against Sunderland was very good, and I can also recommend her performance against Charlton (for Ipswich) where she was one of the best players on the pitch in the first half.

 

 

 

 

Some thoughts about how Spurs have retooled this summer.

 

This summer transfer window has seen Spurs Women's team act incredibly fast by bringing in 6 players before the end of July with one of those players being defender, Alice Sombath, brought in for a reported club record fee, surpassing the reported £375k spent on Signe Gaupset back in November of 2025. What's so interesting about this window so far is how they've ultimately boosted the quality of depth in the squad while also adding some much needed variety of player profiles. 

The forward line

Up front Spurs have looked to replace the goal output of Beth England with Kirsty Hanson & Shekiera Martinez from Aston Villa & West Ham respectively. Martinez might be the more one for one replacement for England with her aerial presence and pure penalty box efficiency, whereas Hanson is more of a runner off and on the ball who can stay on the shoulder of the last defender, and can score from almost anywhere. Hanson is 28 now and Martinez is 25 so both players are certainly in their attacking primes so Spurs will hopefully get the best out of both for multiple seasons.

Both Martinez & Hanson can play on the wing or through the middle, although - if I had to guess - I'd imagine that Martinez will be the starting 9 if Martin Ho is to stick with his 4231 base structure of last season based on that she doesn't need the ball as much outside the box even though she is a decent carrier. That would push Hanson out to the left wing, which wouldn't automatically make her a 1v1 option out wide, because she could still be used as an inside forward to really attack the central areas on and off the ball. Later on, I'll suggest how they could both work as part of an alternative front line.

The centre of midfield 

Victoria Pelova crossed the North London divide as a free agent to presumably come in to partner Signe Gaupset in the Spurs double pivot. Although, she could end up rivaling Olivia Holdt in the number 10 role as well as she's a very attack-minded player that likes to be on the ball in higher positions. Her best season for Arsenal saw her start 20 games in 2023/24 where she registered a respectable 2 goals and 5 assists in the league. From what I have seen and read of Pelova at Arsenal (which admittedly isn't as much as I'd like in terms of watching) she does look comfortable in central areas, seems proficient enough on both feet in order to be press-resistant and can play a killer ball when she's high up the pitch. I think there might be more of an emphasis put on her to progress the ball with her passing ability rather than her carrying as Gaupset really excels in that area, which isn't to say Pelova can't carry especially well, it's more the case that the deep progression has improved under Ho, but being able to play out from central areas wasn't as consistent as it could be last year.

If Pelova is to take over from Drew Spence to partner Gaupset in the midfield engine room, then she'll be played as part of a - to steal a phrase from Shadow Football on Youtube -piston midfield, which loosely means that as one player goes forward, the other drops back to cover gaps in behind. Neither Pelova or Gaupset are particularly known for their ability to shield a back line so it's something that I hope is trained into Gaupset particularly to round out her game even more as Spurs have been caught out in transitional moments a lot in recent years and it remains one of their key weakness. The likely thinking is that, against teams other than the top 4, Spurs will look to dominate on the ball and they were already capable of progressing the ball consistently through central areas before finding the wide attacking-midfielders and the fullbacks to then create the threats out wide in the instances when Olivia Holdt often receives in central spaces.

The central defence

The other signings that I want to talk about are the two central defenders that Spurs have brought in. I already mentioned Alice Sombath briefly at the start who arrives as Spurs' record signing after joining from Olympique Lyonnes. Caitlin Dijkstra was signed earlier in the window and was seen as the likely usurper to Clare Hunt's starting spot, especially while the Australian is recovering from a knee injury with no definitive timetable of her return mentioned as yet. Both players have plenty of Champion's League experience between them and will add some extra leadership to a very youthful back line. 

Both players are naturally right-sided players so that does cause something of a dilemma on paper if we're to assume that Martin Ho is going to continue with the same base 4231 framework of a starting XI. As mentioned above, Hunt is still nursing a knee injury and hasn't - as of writing - begun any recovery on the grass as yet which suggests the immediate inclusion of one of the new arrivals. On the other hand, 20 year-old starlet Toko Koga had a fantastic debut WSL campaign on the right-side of the central defensive duo and was one of the best ball-carrying defenders in the league with her looking almost like a number 8 at times with how effortlessly she was able to glide upfield. When you zoom out a bit however, she still looks a bit raw defensively and probably needs to get a bit stronger to match up with some of the top number 9's in the league, but she's still got plenty of years ahead of her in her career so they're only minor concerns. So does that all mean that Koga is going to lose her starting spot? I'm not sure but it's part of a hypothetical point that I'll get onto later.

Both actually put up good long passing numbers which is something this team has never really made particularly great use of in the past couple of seasons. Sombath put up 5 long balls per 90 with an accuracy of 79%, and Dijkstra similarly put up 5 as well but on a lower accuracy of 59%. This is particularly exciting with the addition of Hanson up top who can chase long balls while providing a threat in behind, which is something that - for as good as she was last year - Cathinka Tandberg struggled to do as she often got caught offside which denied her some really valuable attacking chances. 

How Spurs will likely lineup and how I'd like to see them lineup next season

As things stand I don't really see Ho drastically changing the base structure or playing philosophy as Spurs should look to remaining a front-footed team that presses high up the field and makes the most of spaces opening up before opposition teams can close them. Here's how that will likely look. 

Spurs base 4231     I've written before that I'd like to see Spurs try a back 5 as I think you could really maximise Ella Morris and Julie Blakstad if you allow them to play as wing-backs rather than as lopsided fullbacks in a back 4. I say lopsided because Blakstad often had a tendency/was instructed to stay narrower and deeper when Spurs would build up, whereas Morris would stay higher and wider to basically provide the width on the right flank herself. Blakstad was signed off the back of her developing into an exciting left wing-back herself so allowing her and Morris to have a shuttling role with more of an attacking emphasis in the wide areas also compensates for Spurs' wingers, with the slight exception of Hanson, not being as efficient in wide areas in 1v1's. Moving to a 3412 structure on the ball would allow Spurs an extra body in the central defensive line to deal with counters, and off the ball you can still fairly easily adjust to a 442 in order to match up the front 2 with opposing back 4's where they can limit the opposing CB's passing options. Also, in certain game Spurs could try Amanda Nilden out as a left-sided CB. Granted her game time there was out of necessity while Clare Hunt was injured/her and Koga were out at the Asian Cup, but she held her own there defensively and she could be a decent asset on the ball with her crossing from the left side, and this could allow her to operate in more inside left spaces. Spurs in hypothetical base of a 3421

Wilma Leidhammar: The Birminghammar

 Wilma Leidhammar: The Birminghammar

Wilma Leidhammar joined Birmingham City for a league record fee in the WSL2 and hasn't looked back since. Her league debut ended with her scoring off the bench away against Portsmouth in late January which saw her leave Hannah Coan stumbling for balance before she dispatched a composed low finish to round off the scoring in a 4-0 rout. Leidhammar essentially came into a new look Birmingham central midfield spine as the season as she took over the number 10 role from club captain Christie Harrison-Murray, while fellow Damallsvensken alum, Asato Miyagawa joined Chelsea Cornet in the double pivot to replace Ji So-Yun, who returned to the Seattle Reign in January. In 11 league appearances, with 9 of those being starts, the Swede managed to score 7 times and added a completely new threat to this Birmingham City side.

In September 2025, I wrote about how Birmingham's wingers and full-backs were really the driving forces behind their attacking threat in the early stages of the season (and throughout really as Lily Crosthwaite ended up being named league player of the season) yet since the Swede's arrival, they added an extra goal threat through the middle which the strikers in front of her couldn't really replicate. They did have some rocky moments near the end of the season with the 3-0 home loss vs Ipswich being a particular anomaly, but that attacking midfield 3 of Veatriki Sarri, Lily Crosthwaite and Leidhammar was arguably the most complete attacking trident in the league.  

The joy of watching the young Swede comes from how effortless she makes football look when she's at her best, as she picks up pockets of space so easily to create dangerous passing options for her teammates to find her in behind the opposing midfield line. She's got quite a tall frame as well which she uses well when she receives the ball to block off defenders and bring her teammates into play. The Swedish u-23 captain is equally capable of receiving the ball on either foot and can even carry on her less favoured left foot to a decent standard to add an extra layer of unpredictability to her game. When she's at full stride, she doesn't look quick but there's a real elegance to how she plays as it almost looks like she glides on the ball as she has a very high level of technical security on the ball.

She finds space ahead of her and is at a good angle to receive the ball 

She then traps the ball on her left a little out of stride but is still able to burst forward.

With the ball, she then shields her opponent to create more space.

Even though this pass was offside, Leidhammar spots the run in behind which she quickly played on her left.

While they do have different roles in possession for their club sides, I think there's parts of her game that look strikingly similar to her cross town rival's starlet midfielder, Lucia Kendall. As alluded to before, Leidhammar has such a high technical floor when she's on the ball and her ambidexterity mirrors Kendall's game quite similarly and both of them have excellent spatial awareness when their team has the ball which allows them both to find themselves in excellent areas to receive the ball. The main difference between the two however is that the role they play in attack, Leidhammar has a freer role closer to her striker, whereas Kendall usually plays as part of a midfield 2 with more defensive responsibilities. 

One thing that she will find in the WSL this season though is that she's much less likely to find herself in quite the amount of space that she was against some teams this past season. Part of this was because, in the first few games that she played, she did come on as a substitute in her first game and teams weren't as aware of the threat she posed when Birmingham had the ball. I don't expect this to be a massive problem for her but it could be an adjustment now, especially since Crystal Palace and Charlton will be joining The Blues in the top flight, and Charlton are all too aware of her quality.

Speaking of that Charlton game, that really highlighted an aspect of her game that is another excellent part of her game; her aerial prowess/threat from set pieces. The opening goal of that game saw her position herself at the back post to nod home from a looped cross from Oceane Hurtre in the first half where she out-jumped Jodie Hutton. Her positioning for the goal also saw her take advantage of the space where Lily Crosthwaite would usually have been, but instead the English winger helped to create an overload in the middle/near post. 

Leidhammar is ready to jump for the ball before Hutton.

She jumps highest and is able to squeeze the ball in at the near post.

 

Her second goal against The Addicks really showcased her physicality in the box as she received the ball from Lee Geum-Min's mishit header with her back to goal and her first touch was perfect to allow the ball to run across to her right side where she could angle her body to be parallel with the goal before hitting the ball over the keeper and beyond the Charlton players on the line to win the game.

Her 1st touch allows her to shift the momentum of her defender. 

She's then able to rifle the ball into the top of the net in heavy traffic.

 

Despite her not registering a league assist yet, I think this an aspect of her game that is still good as she does have an eye for a killer pass near the box where she can slip through her teammates, but it's not the most outstanding element of her game. She constantly scans before receiving the ball which enables her to get a clear idea of where the other players on the pitch when she's looking for the ball and gives her the extra time to make the right read. Her scanning isn't just an asset for her offensively, she's at the very least average on the defensive end for an attack-minded number 10 that does track back and can cover passing lanes quite well.

Here she is on the shoulder of the defender and about to be played in down the line.

She sizes up her defender and spots the space in behind for Rebecca McKenna.

McKenna breaking into the open space.

Leidhammar plays the ball into the space for Mckenna but the chance comes to nothing.

 

Leidhammar was one of the best players in the league this past season and I really think that she can have an explosive debut season in English top flight football and potentially make some noise for next summer to attract interest from some of the bigger name clubs in women's football.

Spurs 25/26 retrospective and what I hope to see next season

This season has seen a marked improvement from Spurs' 11th placed finish 1 year ago. If nothing else they're a more watchable team than they were last season as they have been able to establish more of a threat whenever they enter the final 3rd which was an aspect of their game that was lacking last year. The counting metrics suggest that there's been a sign that the club is moving in the right direction to establish themselves as the best team outside of the top. 

Their attacking numbers have improved by 7 more goals compared to last season with 33 (with one game left which is a caveat throughout this). They've also conceded 7 fewer goals compared to last season with 37 compared to 44, but the defence overall has remained leaky and has meant they've been the 4th worst team for goals conceded in the division with 44. Another interesting stat in terms of goals is just how different their home and away form has been as they have so far scored 11 and conceded 12 goals at home compared to 22 scored and 25 conceded away. 

Recruiment successes 

Spurs recruited excellently in the summer and the winter windows with Toko Koga, Cathinka Tandberg, Signe Gaupset, Maika Hamano and Julie Blakstad all making a meaningful impact in their first season/half-season as Spurs players. The real standouts of the 5 players I've mentioned, though, have to be Toko Koga and Signe Gaupset. 

Koga was signed off the back of a stellar debut season in Europe with Feyenoord and was seen as a really exciting prospect in a position that Spurs have struggled to really nail down starters for in the past. Her presence was sorely missed during her time away with Japan at the Asian games from February to March as her and Clare Hunt had been the first choice starters up until that point and Spurs struggled for form. On the ball, she's one of the most exciting defensive prospects I've seen recently, and her level of technicality on the ball is rare for a 20 year-old defender. There have been times where she's either been caught out in terms of pace and strength but these are things that she can still realistically work on in terms of improving her positioning and general conditioning so that she's less likely to get knocked off in 50/50's.

Signe Gaupset was the brightest star in an underwhelming Norway in team in the 2025 Euros and already had a connection with Martin Ho from their Brann days. It was still a huge surprise when her signing was announced in November for a club record fee that's believed to be north of £350k. The Norwegian starlet was immediately placed into the starting xi in January against Leicester. She actually started as a LW and was unplayable with her desire to take on her opponent and attack the box. Ever since then she has been pushed back into a double pivot role where she has seemingly been vocal about the fact that she prefers to be a central player. Alongside Drew Spence, Spurs now have one of the most forward-thinking midfield lines which sees Gaupset look to get on the ball in central and deep areas to slink past opposing midfelders and constantly get Spurs up the pitch.

Olivia Holdt's superstar rise

Staying on the theme of individual levels, Olivia Holdt was able to establish herself as a player of the season candidate on the back of some excellent games despite not always getting the nod earlier in the season. Holdt was really the talisman for Spurs in the run up to December as the team's primary creator, and she became the main example in Spurs' resurgence as a team full of excellent ball-carriers. Her 1.8 successful carries per 90 (Fotmob) is pretty impressive given that she's a pretty high volume carrier on nearly 3 dribble attempts per game. The Dane possesses one of my favourite attributes in football which is that she's equally proficient on both feet when it comes to shooting and passing. Her goal in the 5-1 home loss vs Man City and her assist for Beth England away at Man United (more on this game later) are the best examples of this ease of play from Holdt. Holdt's goal catalogue this season has been really excellent and she's shown that she can score all sorts of goals, from long-range screamers to being able to run in behind/exploit space off the shoulder of her defender to finish 1v1's. When you watch her, you just think that she can make something happen which is why she's the best player that Spurs brought in during the Vilahamn era.

Some key games

The two games against Manchester United in the league feel like pretty big indicators to me that this team can really take the next step this season and be more competitive in the games against the rest of the top 4. Both games against the Reds were significant for different reasons: the first showed just how clinical Spurs could be as they put away 3 goals in 61 minutes before eventually succumbing to a 3-3 draw as the Lilywhites looked like they could've scored from every chance they got before United's late surge; the reverse fixture saw Spurs dominate the possession and create some really good chances towards the end but were let down by some poor finishing which saw them drop 2 points from what was a winnable game. The one thing I didn't mention about the 2nd game was that United still created some dangerous chances and did expose the Spurs back line too easily where they could have scored had it not been for the presence of Lize kop who had one of her most confident performances in a Spurs shirt.

United have cooled off a lot since December but they're still one of 2 teams we're yet to beat in the WSL or any domestic competition. The other team that we haven't beaten is Chelsea and in both of these games, Spurs were arguably unlucky not to at least take a point from either result. In the away game, Spurs defended pretty well and got into the final 3rd fairly well but were massively out-shot and couldn't really trouble Hampton. The home game however was much better despite the scoreline. For 40 minutes it really looked likem Spurs could get something with Gaupset really pushing Spurs up the field. Unfortunately Keira Walsh scored from a corner that wasn't well defended and then Spurs just couldn't really threaten Chelsea enough afterwards. Like United, Chelsea have been worse this season but they're still ahead off us financially and historically so it's a start to actually be more competitive in these games.

The players who have left this season 

In terms of players that have left since matchday 1, Spurs have allowed more senior players to leave on loan than they have for quite a while. Anna Csiki has had 2 loans this season to West Ham and Roma, Martha Thomas was allowed to join Liverpool in January on loan and Kit Graham was allowed to join Ipswich for the final 6 months of her contract on loan. Ash Neville being sold in early January was certainly a shock for most, especially since she was among the club's longest serving players and a firm fan favourite. Finally, in the week building up to the final home game against London City Lionesses the club announced the expiry of Charli Grant, Luana Buhler, Amy James-Turner, Josefine Rybrink, Kit Graham (as mentioned earlier), and, most shockingly of all, club captain Beth England. 

Now if I'm being a bit brutal the only one here that's a genuine surprise is Beth England. That's not to take away from the contributions of the others mentioned, but they had all either lacked game time due to injuries or players being brought in to take their spots. England's signing back in 2022 was a record fee for a transfer between WSL clubs and she near single-handedly saved the club from relegation in her debut half season. She leaves the club as an icon that has played a huge part in getting Spurs to where they are now.

I think the club in general is also trying to age the squad down, as Drew Spence is now the oldest player still at the club at the age of 33, with the 2nd oldest behind her being Martha Thomas & Molly Bartrip who are both 29. Of the 7 players that have been brought in, Julie Blakstad was the oldest at 24 and I think there's a decent chance that this a theme that will follow in to the summer window. 

What I hope to see next season 

Spurs really need to improve defensively if they really want to have a chance at cracking the top 4 and going for the Champions League slot. The squad, as it stands when Anna Csiki and Martha Thomas return from their loans, will have 24 senior players going into the summer and there is a decent chance that a few players will either get loaned out or sold. It feels like the recruitment will be very important to add in quality depth that can either immediately go into the starting team or be an able replacement for when injuries pop up. 

The main positions I hope Spurs recruit, in order of importance, are a number 6 that can add another layer of solidity in front of the defence and still be a solid ball-progressor, at least 2 centre-backs that are mobile and competent on the ball (ideally one of them would be left-footed), a back-up number 9 that is either at the same level or beyond Cathinka Tandberg in order to maintain attacking threat, and finally I wouldn't be opposed to bringing in a back-up keeper that's more experienced than Eleanor Heeps. Heeps has very little experience at this level, although she has been decent in the few games she has played for Spurs, so just making sure that there isn't a noticeable drop-off if/when Lize Kop isn't able to play seems a sensible move.

Structurally Martin Ho has stuck with the basic formation of a 4231 that has been a constant since his predecessor Robert Vilahamn, but he has developed this team into a team that is capable of pressing high and turning those moments when they do win the ball back into dangerous chances. The framework of the team isn't that rigid either as there's a fair amount of positional freedom for the midfielders and the wide players to drift into areas of space that aren't in their nominal zones to either create overloads or just exploit gaps and move the ball up the pitch quickly. Toko Koga and Clare Hunt have been given licence to be very aggressive when following the player they're marking out of possession which has been exploited against them at times even if they have largely been quite good at it, so finding a compromise to this risk could help put less pressure on their goal next season.

I'd like to see Ho try out a back 3 in bigger games next season - provided that they have adequate centre-back quality and depth - and also look into playing a 3 player midfield in other games, to have that extra player centrally in midfield to screen defensively, and match up to other teams that can look to outnumber Spurs in those midfield areas when they come up against 3 player midfields. Moving to a back 3 would allow Spurs to try out a 3421 where you can make the most of Ella Morris on the right who is incredibly attack-minded and, as we've seen since she's returned from her ACL injury, has left her flank exposed at times so this would allow an extra player further back to cover. Spurs' wingers also don't really flourish in wider areas, so by moving to have 2 players behind the 9 to act as 10's that can play in the inside channels, you allow the wing-backs to have more licence to create from wide while having 2 players infield of them who can have freer roles to exploit spaces in central areas. This might also be a way to move Signe Gaupset higher up the pitch where she can be at her best.

End 

To wrap up, this season hasn't been perfect and there have been games where Spurs have won in an ugly fashion, but they have also made themselves a much better team that looks set up for future success. This feels like another really important summer coming up. The worry I have is that because the club has yo-yoed so many times from one season to the next which makes me hope that the club is making sure to try to arrest that trend. 

Breaking down Sophie Peskett's performance vs Southampton 28/03/2026

Breaking down Sophie Peskett's performance vs Southampton 28/03/2026

The day I stop shouting about how good Sophie Peskett is, is the day that I die. Overly dramatic tagline out of the way, I think she's one of the best players in the WSL 2 and she doesn't get nearly enough plaudits online for how good she has been this season. Yes, the obvious part is that she plays for the team (Ipswich) that sit 2nd bottom in the league with only 3 league games to go in order to save themselves from a one season spell in the 2nd tier of women's football in England. That just doesn't do her, or the club, justice though as they have massively improved since the turn of the new year, helped by a busy January transfer window where they recruited 9 new players which have really allowed their performance levels to improve.

Peskett is one of the most direct wingers in the division, and this game was the best example of this that I’ve seen this season, as she constantly looked to take on her opponent in central and wide areas. Generally she is more of a touchline winger but, because she has such a high level of technical competence with her left foot, she looked to play in the inside right channel a lot as well to cut inside to either play the ball forwards to Princess Ademiluyi, who was Ipswich’s number 9 for the day, or to get a shot off in and around the box.

Peskett takes the ball near her own box and looks to take the ball upfield.

She moves towards the wide channel and slows down to bait Palmer in before bursting past her.

She then passes the ball up to Ademiluyi to try to establish play in the Southampton half.

Ademiluyi tries to trap the ball under pressure but Peskett's run got Ipswich into the other half quickly.

Speaking of Ademiluyi, she exhibited really good chemistry with Peskett as the England u-19 international so often found Peskett with 3rd player passes. Her hold-up play was excellent all game to hold off defenders. Ademiluyi looks like a really exciting prospect that is starting to establish herself in this Ipswich front line and she has a gravity around her that makes it nearly impossible for opponents to dispossess her when she traps the ball and her movement in the box ends up creating space for her teammates like Peskett to use. 

Ademiluyi contesting a bouncing ball with Peskett about to run beyond her.

Peskett looks to carry the ball into the boxin a 2v2 with 2 players behind her and Ashworth-Clifford to her left.

She gets a shout/is aware of the late run behind her from Kit Graham arriving near the top of the box.

Graham gets her shot off but gets blocked just in front of the goalkeeper.

Ipswich often push Peskett high up when they have a throw on their right flank and will often have their number 9 behind her to win the first ball. While they didn’t end up bringing Ademiluyi deeper for this throw, this did present Ipswich with one of their best chances all game and showed off how effectively Peskett can find space for herself and exploit it. 

Boswell finds Peskett in space from a throw.

The ball cycles to Leah Mitchell infield and immediately finds Peskett in the space behind 4 Southampton players and she scans to her right to show her where the space is.

She then runs into the space near the box with Palmer bearing down on her.

Again she shows her change of pace and awareness to move away from Palmer.

She then fakes onto her left foot again towards the centre of the box on her left foot.

She gets a well-hit shot off on her left foot that looks to be going towards the top corner but is well saved by Fran Stenson.

One of the things I have noticed when watching her is that she picks her head up when she has the ball and doesn’t get tunnel-visioned which shows as she made the right decision on the ball so many times this game. She really gave Southampton’s Aimee Palmer a tough game on and off the ball, which might seem strange on paper given that Palmer was one of the Saints’ double-pivots on the day. Ipswich really thrive when they’re able to hit teams on the counter-attack since David Wright has been in charge and this really makes the most of Peskett’s desire to constantly play forwards and into big spaces.

Colette Cavanagh wins the ball near the halfway line and Peskett is narrow to pick up the loose ball.

She looks to turn on the ball and attack the space in the centre of the pitch.

Another example of her slowing down to then create space approaching the box.

She cuts the ball across to Ademiluyi in the middle of the box.

One aspect of her game that maybe doesn’t get highlighted as much as her attacking capabilities is how she works as a presser in this team and her general off the ball play defensively. In this game she wasn’t perfect in terms of always tracking her full-back (Jess Simpson) but as the game went on she did largely hold her own and didn’t allow Maria Boswell to be isolated as often in the 2nd half. Her positional awareness is good defensively, which will occasionally see her move into the passing lane on the wide flank to cut out passes, but she’s also really shown a knack for being on the right end of turnovers in the opposition’s half where she’s been able to rack up easy assists. This game showed this exact scenario for her assist to Lucy Ashworth-Clifford in a moment that was foreshadowed in the first minutes of the game.

Graham plays a ball through towards Ademiluyi through the middle.

Ademiluyi and Goddard both go down near the box.

Peskett picks up the loose ball and takes the ball inside on her left foot past Collett.

Ashworth-Clifford is an offside position so isn't a viable pass option so Peskett opts to shoot under Stenson despite having more of the goal to aim for to Stenson's left.

Later on, Bourne fumbles her pass backwards allowing Peskett to nip between the 2 centre-backs.

She gets into the box to open an angle for either a shot or the cut across.

She gets her head up to see where Ashworth-Clifford is in the box.

Her low pass sets up Ashworth-Clifford to make the score 1-1.

One slight downside to her being so willing to use her left foot this game was that she often wasn’t able to get enough on some of her riskier passes which made it easier for the opposition defenders to cut out her attempts at progressing the ball. This game was also not the best showcase for her crossing, which has actually been pretty good this season. Part of this has been that she’s put less emphasis on attacking the byline and actually looked to cut the ball back/across the goal frequently in this game.

Overall this was a really positive performance from Ipswich’s star winger and it’s one that I’d encourage anyone with an interest in the WSL2 to watch as this was a really good showcase of a player that played to get the ball into the final 3rd and make chances for herself and her teammates.