I do like end of year round-ups, and I couldn't really think of anything more in depth this month (as I've had a bit of a break from watching football since I moved earlier this month). So, while this might not be the most tactical or interesting thing I've written, I wanted to look back at some parts of my year with football
The first Women's football match I actually attended was actually in 2024 (this is relevant I promise) when I went to Leicester's final game of the 23/24 season. I do support Spurs but I am from Leicester and it was easy enough to get there, and honestly this game just highlighted how accessible games can be as I got the bus there. Anyway, Leicester got torn apart by a Liverpool team that featured most of the same players that they still have, as of writing this. Leanne Kiernan bagged a 2nd half hat-trick and Leicester looked pretty dejected by the end of it. I did go by myself and I honestly can't recommend it enough to just go to a game if there's a team nearby you, as you never know who might end up becoming a big name (Taylor Hinds played and has since become a Lioness) and it was just cool to actually be there in the stadium. This did also start me off on wanting to go to more games where I could.
Since that game I did go to both Spurs games this calendar year at the King Power which, despite them only drawing the first game while they were enduring a pretty serious slump at the start of the season, seemed like something of a turning point as they did play one of their better games in the final few months of Robert Vilahamn's tenure with the club. The 2nd game by comparison had some really good periods of play from Spurs while highlighting just how special Olivia Holdt really is with her excellent chipped goal to seal the 3 points. The losses of Ella Morris (probably my favourite Spurs player), Maite Oroz & Jess Naz to ACL injuries has been impactful and they're just 3 of many players that have been afflicted by those dreaded 3 letters this year.
The team does look so much better under Martin Ho and they clearly look a lot better coached as there's a more recognisable shape and he seems adaptable with his team selection without being chaotic so far. Spurs still need time to get to the point where I and other fans think they can get to, as the direction of the club looks to be solid. Toko Koga & Cathinka Tandberg have really elevated Spurs on and off the ball since arriving in the summer as record transfers (before Signe Gaupset eclipsed them both to be the current record signing back in November) as they've really shored up the defence and forward line respectively. There's still a huge emphasis on playing out from the back and shorter passes when building up with the midfielders so I hope that the team can keep improving in that area as getting the ball into the middle and final 3rd consistently remains an area that can seem fairly labored.
Back to other games that I went to this season. I went as a neutral to 2 other games in lower divisions. The first game was Loughborough Lightning's season opener against West Bromwich Albion in August for their game in the National League's Northern Premier Division. The game was a pretty enjoyable 1-1 draw and the ground was really cool as you could be really close to the pitch or in the stand as they didn't have assigned seating. It was a good experience to see football at that level as the national league doesn't have the same glamour of the top tier but plenty of players have loans or dual-registration periods with clubs at this level.
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| Loughborough players warming up. |
In September I watched Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace in WSL2 with my brother. It was a win-win because he really likes Nottigham (the city) and I'd wanted to go to a game at that level for as long as I've been watching the league (which has been about a year and a half now). I was - and still am - more familiar with Palace's players as they got relegated from the WSL in the 2024/25 season, whereas Nottingham had been promoted at the end of last season from the Northern Premier Division to play their 1st season of 2nd tier football. Annabel Blanchard was the player who I wanted to see the most as she arguably showed enough last season for a WSL side to take her on as a bench player or higher. The game was a bit scrappy but the atmosphere, contrary to what you might have seen on the stream where the camera was above the fans and was pointed over to the empty stands across from where we were sitting, was great from both sets of fans. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah was another player I'm glad I got to watch in person and she did score Forest's consolation goal in their 1-2 loss. Freya Thomas (a former Leicester player) also looked really good here and is one of a few players I've found to be an interesting player to watch. She can get the play moving out from deeper areas, and she looks really comfortable arriving late in advanced areas almost as a number 10 from her nominal double-pivot role.
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| Nottingham Forest playerse warming up. |
To change gears a bit I want to give some honorary VF (an abbreviation of the name of this blog) awards I want to highlight the WSL 2 player that I want to give some shine to and also talk about a club that could be on the up.
Even though they're still bottom of the league at this point, Ipswich have one player that I just love to watch and who massively passes the eye test (I like stats and eye test for what it's worth). Sophie Peskett is someone that I have briefly mentioned before but I think she's got massive potential to make a name for herself this season and beyond. She did win the league's player of the year, was top scorer in the Southern Premier Division last season, and was also the first Ipswich Women's player to sign a professional contract so she does have accolades to her name already. At her current level though she looks an excellent winger that can play on either flank as she has started mostly on the right, but has played on the left in some league games this season. Her volume of touches isn't as high as a lot of other wingers in the division but when she does get the ball, she's fast enough to take on her full-back for pace down the line, or she's adept enough on her left foot to cut inside and look for a killer pass into Rianna Dean. If any Ipswich fans do end up reading this eventually then cover your eyes for a second. I think she's got huge potential to make a move next season either to an upper table WSL2 side or even a lower table WSL side.
As for the club I mentioned, even though they're fighting out for promotion this season they don't get quite the same attention (in some aspects due to Birmingham and Charlton being the top 2 sides so far) I think Bristol City are a real club to keep an eye on. Off the pitch they were taken over a few months ago and are now separate from the men's team so there's real scope for them to improve quickly. Summer signings Sophie Ingle and Vicky Losada have added some much needed experience to a fairly young team with promotion aspirations and added extra layers of creativity and defensive solidity to this Bristol side. They took youngsters Olivia Hibbert-Johnson and Vera Jones on loan from Brighton and Chelsea respectively and both players look like they could really make an impact now and in the future. The one player who they've managed to keep fairly hidden who could be their next big sale (as they have previously let on that they plan to sell young players that they've developed to the top tier sides) is midfielder Malaika Meena. Meena arrived in January 2025 after playing for 3 and a half years for Wake Forest University in the USA. An England youth international, Meena is a number 8 that has huge potential and she has a very well-rounded game that will translate to higher levels.
Anyway, thanks for reading if you got this far. Happy New Year.
