England v China

Eight nothin’ going on 'cept in Brent England Women host China Women in a friendly at Wembley Stadium

Where are we and What's going on?

Underneath the Arches

The Lionesses host the Steel Roses in a friendly on a chilly but thankfully dry November evening in Brent. Wembley is pretty rammed with the “sold out” crowd numbering 74661. There are quite a few empty seats and plenty that seem to be struggling to find their allocated seats 🤷. It’s a great view from the back row of the lower stand.

Watching the warm up

The team news is in. Hannah, Kiera and LJ are still out injured. Anna Moorhouse gets a debut in goal/ Serena has finally realised that Maya is a centre back and not a full back. She is partnered by Esme Morgan. The fullbacks are Lucy and Niamh. The 6,8, and 10 are Captain Kiera, Georgia and Toonie. Up front is Lessi. Out wide are Meado and Hempo. Hemp is just back from injury and really flying for Man City.

Following her retirement from international football this summer, Fran’s England career and 77 caps are being celebrated tonight. She is presented with a framed 77 England shirt and flowers. Super Fran gets huge applause and it’s well deserved 👏. Thanks Fran, see you in Crawley soon.

We can see the ITV presenters in front of us. It’s Laura Woods, Anita Asante and Wrighty. Them and their desk on wheels disappear as the lights go down.

ITV crew

There is a quick performance by Self Esteem who sings 🎵Focus is Power🎵.

Self Esteem's down there somewhere

There is a light show to the music then a few fireworks. We stand for the anthems and suddenly it’s time to play. 🎵Come on England🎵.

Fireworks at last

Off we go...

The Lionesses kick off but China get the first attack. They get a corner on 3 but it’s well defended. England's first chance comes from a long ball from Maya to Mead. It’s off-side but the lino plays on. It appears we have VAR.

There is some good play from the Lionesses. Especially up the right wing. Lucy, Beth and Lessi are combining well. A run from Lucy leads to a cross to Mead, a great touch and a quality finish. 1-0 on 12 ⚽. It was coming.

It’s a Toone assist to Mead for her brace on 14 ⚽. 2-0.

Russo feeds a ball through to Georgia. She fires a low cross across the goalmouth and Hemp, with perfect timing, slides in at the far post to score on 16 ⚽. 3-0. 3 goals in under 4 minutes. Wow. Ruthless👍. Job done on the Asian Champions in under 20 minutes.

Hemp is on fire now. She hits a long curling shot just wide of the far post. Her next one is saved but it drops to Georgia who drills it home on 23. 4-0 ⚽.

It’s Rosso’s turn to get a couple of chances. The first is offside. The second is cleared and play carries on. Then there is a VAR check for a possible handball in the earlier attack. It’s an England penalty. Who’s going to take it? Georgia of course. She makes no mistake. 5-0 on 38 ⚽. England are toying with China who can’t get near the ball. 5-0 at the break.

There are some early (for Serena) changes at the break. Going off are Esme, Beth and Hempo. Replacing them are Lotte, Jess Park and Chloe Kelly. The finishers have arrived.

In a move down the right, Georgia combines with Jess and Lucy. Toone links it back up with Georgia who puts it in the far corner. It’s a hat-trick for Georgia and 6 for England on 52 ⚽.

The Lionesses' movement off the ball is killing the Chinese. They are trying to press but getting torn apart. The Lionesses play is not all passing in triangles. though. Maya is hitting some fantastic long balls over the top to Russo.

China get a rare chance, it’s rushed and way over the bar. England straight back on the attack. The chances come and go.

Captain Walsh is replaced by Lucia Kendall. Arise Captain Lucy.

It should be 7 as Chloe’s cross drops to Lucy, She crosses to Jess who chips over the bar. Lucy had a great chance to shoot there. They need to stop trying for the perfect goal. Just score. OK then. Russo presses the keeper who inadvertently rolls it to Toone. She is far too polite not to return it to the keeper via the net on 71 ⚽. 7-0.

Another Serena change and Lucy is replaced by Taylor Hinds. Arise Captain Alessia. Niamh swaps across to right back and Taylor slots in on the left.

It’s Toone assisting next as her pass to Russo ends up in the far corner on 78 ⚽. 8-0.

China are now stepping it up a bit and hitting on the break. It’s another rushed effort over the bar.

Alessia makes way for Aggie on 85. Arise Captain Georgia.

China get their best chance yet. It’s a good shot on target. Moorhouse saves, fumbles and recovers to keep a clean sheet. Still 8-0. There are 3 added minutes and China get one more chance. It’s a tame shot from the edge of the box and easily saved.

90+4 and it’s all over. 8-0 A Lionesses Wembley record.

We think it's all over..

What a great game to watch. Lots of goals from good progressive football. Just like the Lionesses of old, We thought it would be Beth getting the match ball following her quick brace but it went to Georgia for her 30 minute hat-trick. It was very much a display from the old guard up front though the defence had some more recent faces.

There were not as many changes as we had expected with the size and quality of the squad in all areas of the pitch. At least we got to see Baggers warming up in her England kit. Hope she’s playing in it soon.

We thought that some of the players who have Champions League fixtures coming up should have played less minutes as they have games coming up in the next couple of weeks. It was entertaining to see so many goals but without giving some of the newer squad entrants more of a chance, what was the point of the game. It was won inside 30 minutes. A sell out money earner for the FA and ITV? The players can only play what is in front of them and they executed it brilliantly. Utterly ruthless with very few wasted chances.

China didn’t stand a chance but never gave up. The 90 minutes was bookended by 2 Chinese corners after all.

That’s all for now. Time for a game of stop’n’go down Olympic Way heading for Wembley Park Station. Up next, more Lionesses at Southampton.

The other bits

POTM: Goes to the dynamic duo of Toone and Russo. They work so hard to make the goal happen as well as chipping in with their own.

Officially Opinionated: The ref had a really pedantic first 5 minutes. Insisting a Lionesses freekick was re-taken as it was about 10 feet too close to the Lionesses goal despite the fact that they played it backways anyway, Why?

She did settle down and was only sent to the VAR screen once. To be fair we didn’t think it was a penalty either and there wasn’t much complaint on the pitch. A good game that didn’t stretch her skills. The Lino on the tunnel side did seem a bit sluggish to start with but it looked like the caffeine kicked in eventually.

The Scran’O’meter loves a Spoons and the all-day breakfast 🍳🥓 rated a 9/10. The Wembley Pick ’n’ Mix was lovely and the same price as last season. Yum. The top was confiscated from our empty water bottle but we had a spare hidden under a hat. A bottle of Pepsi had already had the top removed but we had a spare for that too.

Spoons for Brunch

Basil Watch: We caught up with him for a selfie inside the ground and later saw him in the front row down below us.

We're only here for the Basil

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Chelsea v Barcelona

Ms Blue Sky-rocket Chelsea Women host Barcelona Femeni in the UWCL League Stage at Stamford Bridge

Where are we and what’s going on?

A big night ahead

The Blues play host to arch rivals Barca-moaners in the league stage of the new Swiss model Champions League. It’s a mild November evening in SW6. Basil is out on the Fulham Road collecting for a foodbank with his skills. It’s MD4 . Chelsea sit 5th in the new league having got off to a slow start and drawn away to FC Twente. Barca sit top having won all their games.

Champions League Nights at the Bridge

There are some surprises in the squad. There is no Millie on the bench as is LJ. LJ has not been selected for the next internationals as she is only just coming back from her last international injury. Sam Kerr is being rested for her upcoming international duties. Hannah is injured so Olivia Peng is in goal. In front of Olivia are Lucy Bronze, eNatalia Bjorn and Naomi Girma. Out wide are Sandy Baltimore and Ellie Carpenter. That’s 5 at the back which is unusual for Sonia. The midfield is Kiera Walsh, Erin Cuthbert and Wieke Kaptien. Up front are Allesia Thompson and Aggie Aggie Aggie. We expect Lucy and Ellie will fill in the gap at right wing between them.

The only Sam we'll see tonight 

There are no surprises in the Barca 11 but some new names on the bench as the senior squad is a bit thin. They still have Vicky Lopez and Kika Nazareth on the bench though. Gulp.

It’s a good crowd in the East and West stands. We’re joined in the West by Basil. There is the usual UEFA build up, a bit of Liquidator. We all stand for the anthems. The teams have one last huddle then it’s come on the Chels.

Off we go…

It’s a good battle as both teams try to press high and play out from the back. CGH is causing trouble down the right wing as usual. Luckily Payor’s control just fails her this time. CGH takes her own chance next but Naomi does well to block it.

Chelsea are weathering a bit of pressure at the moment. That pressure is soon relieved as Ellie’s run is picked out by Aggie. She smashes it from the corner of the box and into the net on 16 ⚽. 1-0.

Payor makes her next chance count on 21 but it’s ruled offside. Haha.

Sandy is getting space to run with the ball on the left. She crosses into a busy box but it’s eventually cleared.

Barca get a corner. It ends up at the feet of Payor and she puts it into the top corner on 24. 1-1.

Wieke combines well with Erin but Wieke’s shot is saved by Cata Coll. The combo is Walsh and Thomson this time but it’s into a side netting. They try again and it hits the post. Getting closer.

The ref calls play to a stop on 39. We don’t know what’s going on but she has a chat with the managers. Rumour in the crowd is it’s a technical issue with the broadcast. A power outage possibly. Time for some team talks for both sides. It’s all resolved, the emergency 50p has been found and we’re off again on 46. There are 9 added minutes.

Sandy is finding plenty of space again, not that she needs much. Her first effort is from range and goes over the bar. The second is an easy save for Cata Coll. She had better options there but is confident of her own considerable abilities. And we do moan regularly about players playing the pass when a shot is on so you go for Sandy.

Lucy’s ball finds Aggie in space. She misses but it’s off-side anyway. It’s still 1-1 at the break.

Chelsea have started sitting a bit deeper. Ellie is badly fouled by Brugts who is lucky to stay on. There is a blue wall at the edge of the Chelsea box. It’s not all solid defending as there is a very nervy backpass from Wieke to Olivia.

Barca are on top at the moment. It doesn’t stop a Chelsea break though. Erin ball finds Ellie. Ellie is on for a brace but she fires it just wide.

Barca’s pressure leads to a dangerous free kick. it ‘s well blocked by Lucy. They are finding their feet and starting to look like a Barcelona team. Bonmati’s dangerous cross finds no-one though and is caught by Peng.

Sonia makes her first change on 71 as Aggie is replaced by Kat. Kat makes her presence felt straight away as she heads home. Chelsea are in the lead again briefly only for it to be ruled out after a VAR review for offside. Boo.

We breathe a sigh of relief on 74 as CGH is subbed off only to groan as she is replaced by Vicky Lopez.

Lucy Bronze is in the way again as she heads clear from a dangerous free kick. Chelsea seem to be resurgent again. A great 1-2 between Ellie and Kat gives Ellie a great chance. Somehow she misses the target. Can’t be missing those at this level. She should be celebrating a hattrick.

This game is far from done. Chelsea sitting back and giving away a corner. The blue line is still holding somehow.

A late change swaps Pina for the in form Nazareth. Help. She doesn’t have enough time to be an influence. Chelsea get one last corner and it’s all over. Bragging rights and points shared. Neither side will be happy with that. First points dropped by Barcelona and Chelsea will feel it’s 2 points dropped at home. We’re done here and off back to Fulham Broadway tube.

On the train home

We think it’s all over…

That was a great contest. Two of Europe's top teams trying to better each other. The Spaniards have, almost, always had the upper hand in the past. It was a battle of equals today. Curse or bogey team or whatever, it’s a thing of the past now.

Chelsea will be the most disappointed that they didn’t come away with the win. Ellie had so many good chances that she should have had a hattrick. There seemed to be more momentum in the attacks down the right with Lucy joining in. How does she get up and down the pitch like that? From 6 yard box to 6 yard box. Amazing for a defender sitting in a back 3. Naomi on the left of the 3 was going nowhere. Ellie and Lucy made for great overlaps on the right.

One surprise tonight was only seeing one substitution from Chelsea. Is Sonia saving legs or not wanting to upset what was clearly working in the midfield and defence? Only she knows that.

There was very good pace in the Blues backline to stop the breakaway. If they hadn’t scored from a corner, they wouldn’t have scored at all. CGH who. There was some seriously dodgy defending by the blues in possession. Not what you need at this level. They were lucky this time but it was worrying to see. Very Brighton. Peng is a great keeper but seems to struggle to switch the ball quickly from left to right. She played the ball back into danger instead of away. It wouldn’t have been surprising if there had been a number of back-pass induced medical incidents in the crowd.

On the plus side, the Barca midfield will probably be having nightmares, seeing Erin Cuthbert everywhere they look. There is no escaping her sometimes.

In other news, Arsenal won at home to Real Madrid but Man Utd lost badly away to Wolfsburg.

Chelsea have Roma at home next followed by a trip to Wolfsburg. We have the European Champions “The Lionesses” facing China, the Asian Champions in a friendly at Wembley.

The other bits

POTM: Ellie got the goal and could have had 3 but Erin was everywhere. The Barca players will probably having nightmares featuring Erin for weeks to come. Hopefully longer. “She’s behind you” 👻🤣

Basil Bulletin: He was on the Fulham Road collecting for a foodbank and then making a noise in the West Stand.

Basil

Officially Opinionated: The officials had a good game. They clamped down on or ignored the Barca nonsense. A refreshing change for this match up at the Bridge.

The Scran’O’meter was disappointed to go past the Spoons on Victoria Station and straight to the Burger King. I suppose needs must on a school night though. The veggie thing was nice. 6/10.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Newhaven v Worthing

Rebel Treble Newhaven FC v Worthing FC in the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup at Ford Road

Where are we and What’s going on?

It’s been a while but we’re glad to be back at Fort Road after a break of 6 weeks. It’s a big cup game tonight on a chilly Winter evening by the Ouse. The Dockers ⚓ host the Rebels 🐟🐟🐟 in the 3rd round of the Sussex Cup 🏆. The Rebels are flying high in the National League South so are 3 whole divisions above the Dockers. It’s an understatement to say that it will be a tough night for the young Dockers team. Success may be a long shot but a respectable performance would be good for confidence. And a penalty shoot out would be a fantastic result even though it’s a school night. 

Winter coat weather by the Ouse

 The team sheet contains a new face. We’ve not seen Shay Togin before, so welcome to the Dockers, Shay. Roman is in goal with Richmond and Tom in front of him. The full backs are Harry and Ash. Elliot and Shay are in the middle with Blunty in front of them. Up front is Ezra with Noah to his right and Leo to his left. Lee is on the bench with Teddy and Dexter. The Rebels have squad numbers and names on their shirts which is always a bad sign. 

The line ups for tonight

Up for grabs tonight is a place in the quarter final. The “Ultras” are ready with their drums behind Roman’s goal. It’s going to be a tough physical battle. Let’s hope that it’s all about the football. Let’s go and grab that QF spot. 🎵Come on you Dockers by the Sea🎵.

Off we go..

The Rebels are well organised and able to dominate the ball. The Dockers are determined to make a scrap of it and are well able to break at speed. Ezra gets the first chance but his shot is low and saved. He gets another chance from a good free kick but heads it just over. It’s a good start. The Rebels get a couple of chances including hitting the post. 

Roman makes his first save on 27. He has no chance 2 minutes later when a screamer from outside the box flies past him into the top corner from outside the box. What a great goal. Shame it was for the Rebels. They get one more chance before the break but it’s wide of Roman’s post. 1-0 at half time.

It’s a busier time for Roman now that the Rebels have their feet under the table so to speak. After one save, he’s picking the ball out of the net again. The Rebels double their lead with another great shot on 50. 2-0. 

We think that the important 3rd goal is going our way when we get a penalty. But this is the Dockers so expectations are somewhat low. Ezra takes it well but it’s saved as is his follow up. Still 2-0. Oops. 

The Dockers fail to clear a corner and it ends up in the net. 3-0. 

The first Dockers change is Teddy replacing Noah on 62. On 64, the Rebels make all 5 of their changes in one go. Wow. You don’t see that very often. Ezra has run his legs off and is replaced by Lee on 70. Time for a consolation goal please Lee. Or anyone. 

Our subs combine to make a great chance but it’s saved. Worthing are still trying to extend their lead and the Dockers are desperate to reduce it. Neither happens and it finishes 3-0 to the Rebels. A well deserved win for the Rebels and a robust Dockers performance. It’s freezing; time to go home.

We think it's all over..

That was a great game and a good performance by the Dockers. The scoreline was respectable considering the difference in quality between the two sides. The Dockers not capitalising on their few chances is the only thing they need to worry about. They battled and defended well. And maybe a bit of penalty practice. If that had gone in, at the first or second attempt, 2-1 would have been a very different game. It quickly became 3-0 and that was the end of any real hopes. 

Worthing were a very good side and worthy winners on the night. Good luck to them in the next round of the competition and for the rest of the season. It’s been too long since we were at Woodside Road so maybe it’s time to get a visit planned. 

It’s a young Dockers side and we were worried that the occasion might lead to some over enthusiasm. We were wrong and it ended up as a good clean game of football. It needed the Dockers to be robust and physical and they managed to contain the Rebels very well. The goals were ones that any team would be proud to score. The first was a worldie too. 

There was some good noise from behind both goals. The fifth official was present but on his best behavior 😶. Must be some FA officials on site👮. The rattle was present too. The best banter of the night came from the away fans as the ferry arrived. 🎵You can sick your ferry up your a**e🎵. That’s a new one to all of us. 

In other news: there were some bigger scores in the cup tonight. The Hornets won 7-1 and Three Bridges won 10-0. All the other games finished 3-0. No cup shocks tonight. The Dockers are back to league action on Saturday and it’s a big derby game with Seaford. UWCL action up next for us as the Chels host Barcelona on MD4.

The other bits

POTM: Goes to the whole squad 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅tonight for a fantastic team performance. Everyone stepped up. Well done.

The ref had a good game but didn’t have too much to deal with. A few disputes over throw-ins but that’s fair enough. Well done too.

Programme patter :  There was a programme for the usual £1 and it featured Richmond on the cover.  Very good it was too.

Back at Fortress Road

The Scran’O’meter loved the hot chocolate ☕ 7/10. Just what was needed to keep the cold out.

Ferry Watch: Appeared at 8:50 and docked bang on time.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Brighton v Charlton

The Dolls of the Valley Brighton & Hove Albion v Charlton Athletic AFC Women in the WSL at The Peoples Pension Stadium

Where are we and What's going on?

The Seagulls host the Addicks in their final group game of the WSL Subway Cup. The chances of the Albion qualifying for the knockout stages are almost non-existent since losing to West Ham. It would, however, be good to go out in style tonight. That could be hard harder than it looks though. Charlton are 4 points clear at the top of WSL2 after 8 games. They are in the habit of winning and won’t want to lose any momentum tonight. The Seagulls are playing for pride.

Dario has chosen to use this as the opportunity to rotate his squad and rest some of the senior players. A few of the Under 19s will get a game tonight. The Seagulls also have a 6 pointer against Leicester at the AMEX on Sunday so both resting some legs and building experience through the squad sounds like a good plan.

The team sheets are out. Fran is unavailable due to illness. As expected, Baggers is in goal. It might be a back 4 with Maelys Mpome, Jorelyn Carabali, Marit Auee and Rachel McLauchlen. In the middle are Emily Gay, Fuka Tsenoda and Nadine Noordam. Up front are Rosa Kafaji, Tahirah Heron and Elliana Martin. That’s 3 youngsters getting a start.

Charlton aren’t new to women’s football having played at the highest level as Bromley Borough and later Croydon. It’s going to be an interesting game and anyone expecting a repeat of the Southampton result could be very much mistaken. Hoping for a good performance and not penalties as it’s a school night. It’s a small crowd of 566 all cramped into the West Stand. The Samba band is close by. Let's hope there's plenty to make a noise about. 🎵Let’s go Brighton, let's go!🎵

Off we go..

The first shot comes from the visitors. It’s tame and doesn’t trouble Baggers. Brighton soon start to occupy the Addicks half. They are being well supported by the noise from the ‘Atmosphere’ section. They are being frustrated and unable to create anything positive due to the Addicks harassing and closing down. Rosa receives the ball on the wing. She is tackled and it goes out. The ref flags for a Brighton throw so Rosa takes it. The ref then changes his mind and gives the throw to Charlton. What!

Emily Gay is playing well in the 6. Tahira Heron is getting good space down the right wing and she wins the first Seagulls corner on 14. Looks like Fuka Tsunoda is on corner duty tonight. Nothing comes of it though. Charlton are defending very well. They are sitting in a low block at times and denying any quality passing from Brighton.

They may be sitting back but they know how to break, Our hearts are in our mouths as Marit and McAteer tangle at the edge of the box. Fortunately, the ref doesn’t see anything wrong with it. However, the ball breaks clear and it takes a sliding tackle from Jorelyn to put it behind for a corner. The ball is recycled after the corner and the inbound cross bounces awkwardly, evading everyone in defence including Baggers, to land in the back of the net on 18. Oops. 0-1. Not how we wanted to start. It takes a couple of minutes for the scoreboard to update. It does eventually update. Boo. There is no VAR here to update the score after the fact. Plenty of time to get back at them.

Brighton are able to get the ball in the box, via Heron and the right wing but it’s very crowded. And the passing is not quick or accurate enough to break through this well organised defensive line. The Addicks are pressing too. They know that the Seagulls are prone to mistakes at the back when under pressure. A back pass to Baggers is in turn passed to Maelys but it’s too short. The Addicks striker pounces but is tackled and loses the ball.. The attacker continues her run though and flattens Baggers. The move carries on and the ball ends up in the Brighton net before Baggers can get to her feet. It’s thankfully ruled out and a freekick awarded for the foul on Baggers. Phew. Still 0-1.

Just a minute later and it’s fired just over Bagger's crossbar after more dodgy passing at the back. Need to tighten up Brighton. The Seagulls are pressing again but can find any spaces to pass into. Rosa is not getting much help down the left. She tries a shot from range but it’s over both the bar and the stand roof.

A poor backpass from Jorelyn is closer to the striker than Baggers but Baggers makes a good save. Phew. Charlton are getting better possession than Brighton at the moment.

Some good play down the Seagulls left at last as Rosa runs onto a through ball on 37. She puts in a good cross but Nadine’s touch lets her down and the keeper collects it. There is more space down the left now but for some reason all the effort is going into trying to play through the middle. Tahira is struggling with the physical battle on the right.

The Addicks are a very aggressive physical side and are winning individual battles all over the pitch. Another cross in, this one from Rachel, is claimed by the keeper who is having a good game. We have a good shout for a penalty as Jorelyn is caught from behind as she runs onto a ball in the box. Ref decision is a corner. Don’t know what he was watching. Jorelyn gets a good header on the corner but it’s just tipped over. The resulting corner is headed straight to the keeper. There is just 1 added minute. It’s 0-1 at the break. The sides are separated by a lucky bounce and some bloke in a yellow shirt.

There are 4, yes 4, changes for the Albion as they re-emerge. Going off are Rosa, Maelys, Nadine and Rachel. Coming on are Maisie 🎵she’s one of our own🎵 Symonds, Carla, Caitlin and Evie Milner. There are now 4 of the under 19s squad on the pitch. Caitlin goes in at centre back and Jorelyn moves across to right back. Evie slots in at left back. The drums 🥁 of the band get us going with Sussex by the sea, Samba 🪇 style.

Tahirah goes down off the ball on 49. It doesn’t look good. She is helped up by the physios to great applause but can’t walk so they call for the stretcher 🚑. She is replaced by Taylor Warren who swaps wings with Elliana Martin.

It’s transitional for a while and Charlton come closest with a cross that skims the top of the bar. Brighton start to gain some control in the game. Jorelyn and Maisie combining well up the right. Jorelyn has a good shot from inside the box but it curls just wide of the far post. From the corner, she gets another chance. It’s an improvised lob from the far post. It’s agonisingly close to the top corner as it skims off the bar. Seagulls are getting closer. 🎵There’s only one Carabali🎵.

It’s all Albion but the Addicks are so solid in defence, blocking passes and more importantly blocking runs inside the box. Caitlin hits the far post and Jorelyn misses an open goal. Taylor Warren is playing well down the left wing. It’s all much more positive. Carabali is on fire. The passing is much more creative now. Caitlin is pushing everyone up the pitch. Maisie and Jorelyn combining well on the right with lots of 1-2s. Maisie finds the best shot so far from outside the box. It needs a great save to tip it over the bar. The corner is too low and comes to nothing. Carla is getting the ball with her back to goal but is so well marked, she can’t turn.

The Addicks are still threatening to break occasionally. A fantastic run from Maisie results in a yellow card for Charlton’s Bradley. The free kick is floated in by Fuka, Caiten Hayes meets it but is denied by another fantastic save by Pederson. So close again. Another chance from Gay forces a good save. It looks like an equaliser might be coming soon with 18 to play. Who knew that Jorelyn was such a good attacking right back.

But, the Seagulls still can’t find a way through the close packed defence. They need to be careful though as Charlton make a fast break. Luckily the shot is into the side netting. Maisie’s cross looks like it’s met by an Addick’s arm but there are no appeals. The ball is now spending plenty of time in the Charlton box. It just never quite bounces right or there is always a defender on hand in the right place. Lots of crosses coming in from Brighton but the defending is great. Caitlin is playing as a 9 now and getting half chances. The Seagulls' best chance for a while comes as a fast break ends with the ball at Carla’s feet at the edge of the box. She drags the shot wide, or is it deflected. Goal kick so the ref thinks not.

The play down the right is good but the crosses are well defended and Carla and Martin can’t eke out a decent chance. There are 7 added minutes. A fantastic chance for Carla as a high cross loops in from Fuka. She gets a head to it but it goes just wide. There are some great crosses going in. Maisie’s rushed shot from the edge of the box is sliced so badly it goes out for a throw. Oops. Dougie Tuck would be proud of that. #sliceitliketuck The pressing hasn’t stopped this half and nor have the drums. 🎵Give me a B🎵. It can still go to penalties if we get a late equaliser. But it doesn’t. Defeat for the Seagulls at the Broadfield. Not what we want on the night but doesn’t really matter as we can’t progress in the cup having lost to West Ham. Home time now.

We think it's all over..

Firstly, we hope that the injury to Tahirah isn’t as bad as it looked and she is back running the wing soon.

It ended up as a good game with more of how we expect the Seagulls to perform. It wasn’t the result we wanted though. The Albion will have been viewed as a big scalp to Charlton. They wanted it, they went for it and they got it. It was a lucky bounce that beat the defence and Baggers. Could they have done better? Maybe, but if you don’t try, you don’t get lucky. The Albions tried lots but got very little luck. They could maybe have had a penalty or even two. Not lucky with the officiating either.

It was good to see so many youngsters getting their chance on the pitch. All of them did well and were improving the more minutes they got. A full 90 minutes in a senior competition will be fantastic for the development of Emily and Elliana. Next up is Leicester at the AMEX on Sunday. Hopefully, the full squad will be available for that. Performances at the AMEX have been slowly improving so we look forward to 3 points incoming. Leicester have struggled to get going this season so fingers crossed. We won’t be there but hope to make the away game to London City at Hayes Lane. Up next are Newhaven then Chelsea. See you then.

The Other Stuff

POTM: goes to Jorelyn for that storming performance down the right wing in the 2nd half.

The officiating was weird. Some very odd calls. Flagging the throw to Brighton then changing your mind after it’s been taken. It was a new one on us and probably everyone else. If it was a foul throw (it wasn’t), why didn’t he indicate that. And flag the earlier Charlton foul throw as such. He was lucky that it was an honest game of football with neither side interested in gaining an advantage with the dark arts. The teams may have rotated due to it being a cup competition but that’s not a reason for the PGMufcOL to do the same.

The Scran’O’meter was in its element with the lovely Margherita pizza 10/10. No latte, chips or doughnuts available today though. Unusually, we went for hot chocolate and it was lovely. 8/10.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Cup Football Under the Lights at the Broadfield

Sussex by the sea

Watching from the stand

Tranmere v Swindon

Blinded by the Whites Tranmere Rovers visit Swindle Town FC in EFL2 at The Nigel Eady County Ground

Where are we and What’s going on

The Rovers 🐶 face the Robins at everyone's least favourite fixture in Sunny Wiltshire. It’s going to be a tough one for the Whites today. Swindle are flying high in 2nd with big name manager Ian Holloway at the helm. Rovers are languishing in 16th. Not where we hoped to be. But with just a 7 point gap to the play-offs,anything is possible if we can a pre-christmas run together.🎄🏃🙏🤞. We haven’t lost on the road since late September so we seem to be travelling better than we play at home. Not that that is very hard. Our last away game was a 4-1 thrashing of Bristol Rovers.

The team is a little (or a lot) depleted and can only manage 5 outfield players on the bench 👀. In addition to the long term injuries, Blacker, Whittaker and Solomon all appear to be out. We still have Joe in goal.  Phew!. We're playing 3 across the back with Aaron McGowan, Nathan Smith and Patrick Brough.  Omari, Cameron are wing backs. Sam Finley and Richie Smallwood are the holding in midfield with Nohan further forward. Up front are Connor and Joe Ironside.

In the Swindle 11 is Paul Glatzal who had 2 disastrous seasons on loan from Liverpool to Tranmere in the Keith Hill era. He had glass ankles and managed a total of just 12 minutes before being re-injured in his 2nd season. He is signed to Swindle now so may have overcome his issues.

The Robins mascot has done the rounds and come into the away stands for some selfies with the fans which is nice to see. There are plenty of SWA here. Making up a good crowd of 8149. There are a good number of service personnel on the pitch for the last post. It’s followed by a few choruses of 🎵We wanna go home🎵. We love Swindon really. And we’re off. Come on you whites.

Off we go…

The SWA are in good voice for the kick off. The half is scrappy with little by way of chances either way. It gets scappiers as it goes on with Swindon getting a couple of yellows. Though nothing is done about their running off with the ball for Tranmere freekicks so regularly that it looks like they did that in training. Oli Palmer gets his yellow for moaning at the ref which he decides to continue after the whistle. Hopefully more of the same to come as Tranmere were improving towards the end of the half.

It starts well for Swindle. They get chances and corners. In the middle of that is a wild shot from Omari. The Robins come closer forcing Joe into a couple of good saves.

Tranmere’s highlight is moaning at the officials as Cameron is booked for taking too long to take a throw-in. What! A new one for everyone, that. It’s back to normality as Connor gets booked for a foul.

The subs start on the hour mark. Nohan, Connor and Joe Ironside are replaced by Dennis, Josh and Taylan.

It’s Sam’s turn to get booked now. Tranmere hit on the break but Dennis can’t hit the target. The Robins race down the other end. The shot is saved by Joe but the rebound goes to Oli P who scores from close range. Deadlock broken on 74.

One of the Robins promptly sits down to celebrate and maybe waste some time. Ref is not impressed but does nothing, again. At 80 minutes, pantomime villain, Ollie Palmer is subbed off and boo’ed off by the SWA. Rovers get down the other end but Joseph’s shot hits the post. It rebounds to Dennis out wide. He makes no mistake to level the score on 88 ⚽. 1-1.

Into 6 minutes of added time. It’s end to end now. Omari’s shot is blocked. He is then replaced by Jason Lowe. A Robins attack on 93 leads to a great shot from outside the box. It goes through a host of bodies and Joe has no chance. 2-1. It all goes off in the Tranmere dug out. No idea what happened or was said but Andy gets a red card. A second yellow or a straight red, we don’t know. It ends with a horrible atmosphere in the stands on 90+10. A quick round of applause for the boys and we’re out of here. 🎵We wanna go home🎵. We can now.

We think it’s all over….

That wasn’t a bad game at all. Despite the scoreline. The performance was OK for a side in 17th facing a team who are equal top. It was getting a bit heated at the end of the 1st half and we expected that to continue in the 2nd. It didn’t. Whether Ian Holloway’s team talk was with the boys in red or or the ones in black, we aren’t going to speculate. Much.

The changes worked much better for the Robins and they were able to get the upper hand for a while. We did use every available outfield player on the pitch today but couldn’t keep up. Tough to put a team together with so many missing. It’s going to be very tough if we lose any more.

We’re not sure what happened in our dugout but it all kicked off and Andy ended up seeing red 🟥. He does tell it like it is. Something that is not always popular. There were some players involved too so what was done and said we probably won’t ever find out.

As a club we are not in a great place. We move down 1 place to 17th which isn’t much better than last season. Andy still has the backing of most of the fans and his red card won’t harm that.

To cap it all, Paul Glatzal, him with the glass ankles, managed 78 more minutes without injury today than he did in the whole of his 2nd season at Tranmere.

It’s time to leave the worst away end that we have been to for a while (and Gillingham is much better now anyway) and join the traffic chaos around the closure of the M4. The things we do for the love of the Whites.

Some Other Stuff

POTM: Not really many stand out in what was an OK team performance, Cameron Norman 🏅 was his usual consistent self as wing back so get the away today .

The officiating was poor but consistent in the first half. It was so different in the second half. He seemed to take against Tranmere from the off. He stopped ignoring the Swindle theatrics and started throwing yellow cards around. And who knows what he sent Andy off for. Idiot.

The Scran’O’meter doesn’t do prison food so had a packed lunch on the way and a KFC on the way home.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Sunshine in Swindle 

Arrived at the County Ground

Brighton v Man Utd

Thorn in my off-side Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United in the WSL at The Peoples Pension Stadium

Where are we and what's going on?

The Seagulls host the Red Devils on a sunny day in Sussex. It was pouring with rain earlier so the pitch will be a bit wet. No sprinklers required today. Hope it’s not too soft for a bit of nifty footwork. We were here to watch the Seagulls beat Southampton just before the international break. The break provided a few bits of news. The good news is that Baggers got a late call up when Hannah dropped out. She didn’t play but it’s fantastic news that she got the call at last. The bad news is that Michelle was injured in the Australia game. It’s her ACL 🤯 so that’s her season over. We’re really gutted 😭 for her as everything was just starting to come together and she was building a reputation as an England supersub.

Our new Lioness, Baggers, is on the bench again today. Chiamaka is in the goal. In front of her are Moeka and Caitlin. Wide of them are Charlie and Marisa. In the middle are “Captain” Maisie and Jelena. Up front are Fran and Carla with Kiko and Rosa on the wings.

The Red Devils have got a formidable line up. Now boasting 3 ex-seagulls as they have signed Zigioti from Bayern Munich. They also signed Fridolina Rolfo in Barca’s big summer clearout. And swapped Jess Park and a few quid for Grace Clinton. A bargain that. They don’t quite have the Gunners array of international stars on the bench but they do have Rachel Williams who is a late goal specialist. If we attack these the way we went at Arsenal then who knows what can happen. We are going to beat them one day.

We’re 7th in the league, just behind newcomers and big spenders, London City. The Samba band 🥁🪘🪇, now newly branded as the “Gulls Aloud”, have had a good warm up in the fan zone. Hope that they make a good noise during the match. They might need to drown out the Toone army although there are a lot less red shirts in the home end than previously. Let’s hope we get plenty to make a noise about, It’s our remembrance game so the managers lay wreaths . The last post 🎺 is played. And we’re off. Let’s go Brighton, let’s go.📣

Off we go…

It starts with some good passing and moving from both sides. Brighton fans making a noise and getting behind the team, There is some really good build up play from Fran, whose running brings in Maisie and Jelena in to it. Fran’s shot is blocked, it drops to Maisie who hits it over the bar. There is an interesting battle developing on the right wing with Kiko and Anna Sandberg. It’s already a little feisty. Park makes a good run and takes a shot from range. It’s tame and easily collected.

Brighton are pressing high and Utd are sitting in and waiting to break. At the 9th minute, we sing a song for our No. 9, Michelle Agyemang to show her she’s not forgotten. Some good Reds build up see the ball with Ziggi but her shot is deflected. Brighton get their first corner on 14. 🎵Let’s go Brighton, let’s go🎵. It eventually goes out for a goal kick despite the ball not going out. Utd seem to be making the decisions now.

Brighton are still pressing with Kiko and Fran linking up well on the right. They need to keep the ball but don’t and Jess Park goes storming up the pitch. It needs a good block. Carla gets her first real possession but it’s well defended by Sandberg. It’s a really energetic game but there are few real chances. Terri shoots just wide after Parks run and cross. The Reds are starting to get the better of the Seagulls with some half chances coming. Seagulls are wasting the ball when they get it.

There is more good play from Kiko and Fran down the right but there are no real chances coming from it. Utd are creating better chances but can’t finish theirs either. 🎵Come on Brighton🎵.

Brighton are playing from back to front. We hear from the Utd fans for the first time as they heckle Chiamaka with “You’re s**t ahhh”. Cankovic is on target from the edge of the box but it’s straight at the keeper. Play stops as Riviere goes down. Is she injured? It looks like it but she plays on. Mallard hits over from outside the box. Way over and into the car park.

🎵Maisie Symonds, she’ one of our own🎵 is having a good game. Brighton are getting to the final third then trying to find the perfect pass. Fran and Carla combine well after a Utd attack breaks down. Rosa makes the wrong choice and blasts over when better options were available for once. Utd break with Toone forcing the best save yet from Chiamaka. She drops it but recovers before it gets poached by the opposition.

It’s very transitional now, lots of end to end play. There is plenty of energy in attack both ways but little quality at either end. The Kiko-Sandberg scrap is on-going. The deadlock is apparently broken when Terri scores from the middle of the box. It’s off-side but given anyway. 0-1. Not fair. We’re into the 3 added minutes. Kiko and Rosa break but again there is no finish. Toone gets a chance with the last kick of the half. We’re behind at the break but it feels very harsh.

There is a change at the restart as Maelys comes on, replacing Rosa so Marisa will play further forward. Minami moves across to play left back.

Brighton are straight on the attack with Maisie and Fran. It’s a good move but without much support, Fran chips/crosses to no-one. Kiko and Sandberg have started round 2 of their territorial dispute. A cross from Maya threatens to go into her own net and it panics Chiamaka. Brighton are starting to look very hesitant in defence. The energy seems to have gone out of the game a bit except for Kiko who looks to have won Round 3 with Sandberg. Brighton's dithering at the back continues and it’s making us all nervous.

Toone’s run and cutback finds Jess Park. 0-2 on 58. It was coming. The Reds make 3 changes with Hannah Blundell coming on for her first appearance since having a baby. Also arriving is ex-Barca star Fridolina Rolfo and youngster Simi Awujo.   Off are Toone, Malard and Riviere. Swings and roundabouts with that lot.

And Brighton haven’t learned. Still dithering around at the back. Getting pressed and losing possession. Dario decides to change things up and Rachel replaces Carla. She goes to the right wing and Kiko moves across to play centrally. The change seems to work and Kiko soon breaks but hits the post. Not just hits it, we can hear how hard she hit it. Left the post ringing.

The Brighton tempo is up now and they are pressing higher. Some precise passing (thats’ a first today) from Jelena and Marisa releases Fran. She hits a great shot into the bottom left corner on 68. We have a goal back. 1-2 ⚽. Need to keep this up.

Rolfo hits a good shot and it’s deflected wide off Minami. Goal kick apparently. Ha Ha. Sums up the officiating this half. Is that lino watching the ball at all?

It gets scrappy as Brighton press from an equaliser. Kiko is playing centrally now so she won’t miss Sangberg who is replaced by Gabby George. Ziggi is replaced by Naaslund. It allows them to dominate for a while.

The Seagulls next change is to replace Caitlin with Nadine. Marisa moves to full back and Minami moves back to central defence again.

Utd come close to extending their lead as Terri's header is tipped over the bar by Chiamaka. She catches the corner. Brighton are pushing for an equaliser as the clock runs into the last 5. It’s close as Kiko heads just over. Brighton are caught up the pitch and Utd break. The Seagulls defence is out of shape and out of breath getting back. Naaslund fires home from the edge of the box on 90.

There are 5 added minutes. 🎵Come on Brighton🎵. It’s still end to end. At last, a long curling cross from Marisa catches out Maya. Kiko capitalises and chips the stranded keeper ⚽. 2-3. Just need one more 🙏. Brighton are pushing for the equaliser. The ball just won’t quite drop right. The band is still going strong 🎵Come on Brighton🎵. It doesn’t happen and it’s a 2-3 loss at the whistle. Close game that.

We think it’s all over..

That was a great game. It’s not the scoreline that we wanted or deserved. We really believed that we could level it at the end. The performance was patchy at times with the insistence on playing out from the the back verging on suicidal at times. Especially with so many changes in the back line. We just invited the press and the 2nd Utd goal was inevitable. By the time it came to their 3rd, Charlie was exhausted, having played full back in the 1st half and centre half in the 2nd. Perhaps a bit more squad depth would mean a bit less moving players around during the game. Does seem to disrupt things as they take time to adjust. We had plenty of possession but could do with a little bit more risk taking in front of the opposition goal. We seem happy to take risks in front of our own goal.

The Samba band made a good noise. In contrast with the Man U fans who had nothing other than heckling Chiamaka like 12 year olds. The Toone Army notable by their absence. That’s surprising as it’s not far from their preferred habitat in Surrey. It’s another performance against the Reds that doesn’t get the result it deserves. We’re done here and looking forward to a trip with Swindle with the SWA.

And some other stuff

POTM: Fran 🏅 was as energetic as ever and really driving the team. She was involved in everything and that partnership with Kiko is really starting to work. Frantastic.

The officials had their heads turned by one of the big 4 playing on Sky. It’s boring now that you know what’s coming and it’s as poor as expected from the PGMufcOL.

The Scran’O’meter loves the chips here. 10/10. The Latte 7/10 and doughnuts 8/10 were good too. Yum. Thanks. Scooter seemed to enjoy his sausage and awarded it 10/10.

See you soon.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

The Last Post

Sunshine in Sussex

A cuddle with Sally