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 🐾

England v Portugal

If you're Aggie and you know it England Women host Portugal Women in the Nations League Group Stage at Wembley Stadium

Where are we and What's going on?

The Lionesses 🦁 host the Navigators 🧭 at Prenton Park South. Let’s hope the Navi’s lose their way tonight. It’s matchday 5. These 2 met on match day 1 back in February when they played out a draw in Portimao . We have beaten Spain since then but a win and a loss against Belgium leaves us 2nd in the group behind Spain. England need to win tonight to stay within touching distance of the semi-finals. That loss away to Belgium could prove costly. Spain are building form as Portugal and Belgium are dropping away. The Lionesses also need to start building some momentum going into the Euros. 

Heading for the Arch

There is some good news on the team front. LJ, Georgia and Alex are back from long term injuries. Hempo gets a start but the others are on the bench. The biggest news (shocking even) is that Mary Queen of Stops, announced on Tuesday that she was retiring from international football with immediate effect. The news shocked everyone including Serena who now has a squad of only 26 instead of 27 tonight. Millie has also dropped out to allow her long term recovery. Take care Millie. Hope to see the fully functioning Milliedozer back soon. She is replaced in the squad by Lotte. Lessi is also missing due to an injury picked up as Arsenal beat Barcelona 🤣 in the Champions League Final 🏆 in Lisbon last Saturday. Ella Toone has also dropped out due to an injury sustained in the football 7’s at the weekend. She missed the final which they lost to Bayern Munich. Not sure if her injury was sustained in the football or the pre-match “displays”.  So the 27 squad is down to 23 for this fixture. Hoping that Tooni and Lessi are back for Tuesday. Inevitably, Hannah is in goal.  Leah and Esma Morgan are central with Lucy and Jess Carter are out wide. Kiera, Grace and Jess Park are the 6, 8 and 10. Up front are Beth, Aggie and Hempo. Brighton duo Nikita and Fran are on the bench as is loanee Michelle. Hope we see all of them later. 

Ex-Seagull and midfielder Tatina Pinto starts for Portugal. The Navigators have never beaten the Lionesses.  Long may that continue. 

It’s nearly time to start. There are fireworks and wheelie bins of fire. We hold up our to cards to make the St Georges flag for the national anthem. We clap the players as they take the knee then we are underway. The cards are quickly rolled into clackers to make some noise.  Come on Inglund

Fire and Smoke

Off we go..

The Lionesses are aggressive from the kick-off. They press high. Jess Park ‘liberates’ the ball and Aggie shoots across Pereira to score in the 3rd minute ⚽. 1-0. Take that.

We have barely stopped cheering when Hemp gets clear down the left. The ball is scuffed by Aggie but Beth’s shot bounces up and Lucy is on hand to head it in ⚽. Five minutes gone and 2-0. 

The third goal is going to be a big one.  Jess C and Hempo are causing havoc down the left . Serena has found a good combo there. Portugal finally get a chance but it skims off the outside of the post after a corner. 

We haven't seen much of Serena. She pops out every now and then. Working on a pint at the bar? It calms down a bit now but England are still fully in control. A Lucy Bronze cross finds the head of Aggie and it’s 3-0 on 26 ⚽. Portugal are struggling to defend and England have their tails up. 

It’s Beffy’s turn to score as she pickpockets the defence and slots it home on 29 ⚽. It’s done now. England ruthless and Portugal helpless. 

Aggie’s first Wembley start results in a first half hat trick as she makes it 5-0 on 33 ⚽ with some great play after a long ball from Leah. We are excited and exhausted. The Lionesses have been devastating. 

It’s so close to 6 as Beth puts in a great cross but Lauren launches herself at it but doesn’t quite reach it. It’s Lauren who now turns provider as she puts in a great cross but Grace can’t quite get to it. Into 3 minutes of added time. Enough for another goal or 2. Portugal get a sniff of a chance but it’s still 5-0 at the break.  Aaaand breath.

Are we are going to see Serena make some early changes to rest legs or will she stick to the usual plan and make the changes at the hour mark? It looks like the latter as the starting 11 come out for the restart. Hope we will see more ruthlessness (and goals) but are expecting Portugal to be a bit more organised now. It turns into a more even game as the Navigators finally discover some composure. 

There are chances at both ends before the changes start. Lucy, Lauren and Esme make way for Maya, Chloe and Alex. It’s all like for like with Maya back in her old Brighton job of right back. Alex’s left foot will help with long balls out to the right. 

We don't see why but Chloe seems to fall out with the Portuguese no 21 Ana Capeta. It’s not going to end well. 

Portugal in a rare foray forward and earn a free kick about 30 yards out. She goes for goal but it goes just over. 

Alex’s left foot pays off with a long pass to Beth. Chloe heads home from the resulting cross on 62 ⚽. 6-0. Chloe loves a goal at Wembley apparently 👕🏃. 

There are more changes on 67 as Super Fran Kirby replaces Jess Park who has had a fantastic game in the 10. 

We nearly get a 7th but Alex hits the bar and Chloe can’t head the rebound on target. 

There are big cheers on 75 as Georgia is welcomed back to replace Kiera who has also had a good game. The changes have taken the fluidity out of the Lionesses but it will be some good minutes for the returning players. 

We get just one more chance. Beth and Aggie are involved. Two starters still full of energy and creativity. Only a good save prevents Aggie’s 4th and England’s 7th. 

There are only 3 added minutes but the scoreboard clock stops at 90 for some reason. It’s soon over and the Lionesses have sealed 3 back to back home wins in the Nations League scoring 12 goals and conceding zero. It’s time for Sweet Caroline as we head for Wembley Park and the Metropolitan line.

A win at Wembley

We think it's all over..

Wow. What a performance and result. We've not seen the Lionesses perform like that for a while and never at Wembley. Really needed that. Us and them. Unbeaten at home since that awful Germany game. Everyone played well and worked really well together. 

The changes disrupted things a little but Serena will have learnt a lot from that. We wanted a Norway style 8-0 but there are big names missing and she quite doesn’t have the super-subs option that she would like. Grace was the least fantastic but charging the defence with the ball at her feet was maybe her assigned role although she did keep running into roadblocks. No moaning though. Fantastic team performance. 

It was, in reality, all over in 5 minutes. Done and dusted in 30. And a first half hat trick for Aggie was something special to watch. Serena may have lost her headache over her choice of goalkeeper but she now has serious competition for the no. 9. Nice problem to have. She will be pleased to have Alex and Georgia back and Hempo straight back in and on fire. 

The crowd was about as was to be expected tonight at 48531 which is a little over half full but that seems normal for a Friday evening. It’s time for a summer break now after what has been a mixed season. There have been good times and not so good but it’s ended on a bit of a high. 

Time for some R’n’R now before the Rover coaster starts it’s journey all over again.

The other bits

POTM: can only go to one player and it’s the first half hat trick hero, Agatha Beever-Jones ⚽⚽⚽.

The ref and officials did well, kept it flowing and the players safe. Thanks

Basil watch: We were early so no sign outside the stadium. Saw him at a distance inside but couldn’t find him for a selfie.

The Scran’O’meter loves the Victoria Station Spoons and gave the BBQ burger 🍔 a 7/10. We’ve also got the hang of bottle tops here as we took an empty bottle in with the lid hidden under my hat.

See you next season.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Treblemaker

Chelsea v Manchester United in the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final At Wembley

We are back at Prenton Park South as the Blues take on the Reds in a repeat of the final 2 years ago. It’s the World's greatest cup competition and the 2 previous winners are trying to get their hands back on the famous trophy. The Blues are up for the treble having already won the WSL and the cup formerly known as the Conti Cup. The Reds are trying for back to back trophies. They lost to Arsenal in a 7 goal thriller so finished 3rd in the WSL. The season ends here with the FA Cup Final which is as it should be. We’re way up in the cheap seats with a good, although distant view of the whole pitch. The pitch is looking great after yesterday's men’s final but it did get a good watering afterwards. #PepsTears. We’ve had a selfie with Basil, fallen out with the security and made it up to the lofty heights above the dugouts and tunnel. The team sheets are out and the surprise it that it’s 3 at the back for the Chels. In Blue are Mille, Naomi and Natalie, Running up and down the wings are Lucy and Niamh. It’s Erin and Kiera in the middle. Up front are Aggie, Mayra and Sandy. Hannah is in goal as ever. Only Millie and Niamh remain from the winning team 2 years ago. The Reds have gone for a back 4 with Millie Turner and Maya Le Tissier centrally in front of Phalon Tullis-Joyce. Aoife Mannion is on the right and Gabbi George on the left. There is no Jade Riviere today. Miyazawa and Jansen are in the middle. Bizet and Galton are either side of Grace Clinton who is the 10. Terri is up front. The two goalkeepers are joint holders of the WSL seasons Golden Glove. We’re expecting this to be tense and nervy with so much at stake. But we’re hoping for an end to end goal fast. There are loads of people on the pitch. Oli Murs  🎶 comes on and does a new song that nobody knows and then “Dance with me tonight”. No sign of Troublemaker. There are wheelie bins of fire 🔥 joined by a few fireworks 🎆. It's not as exciting up here as it is near the front. It’s all cleared away very quickly and we’re off. Go Chels.

It’s all Red at the start with them dominating, mostly via Bizet on the right. A succession of corners leads to nothing. The Blues can’t hold onto the ball. It takes 10 minutes for them to settle into the game and start to get forward. It’s down the wings mostly, primarily on the left with Niamh and Sandy. It’s a bit end to end with chances for both teams. It’s so close on 20 from Ramirez but somehow PTJ keeps it out. The Reds are defending well but the Chels are starting to dominate. Cuthbert is everywhere & is fouled by Bizet after a corner. It’s a pen to the Blues which is eventually confirmed by VAR. It’s fun watching the spidercam hovering above the groups of players like it’s trying to eavesdrop. Sandy takes the spotkick and makes it count in front of the Utd fans ⚽. 1-0. There are 5 minutes added but the Chelsea confidence is up and the Reds are chasing shadows. Advantages Chelsea at the break.

A change for the Reds as Tooney replaces Millie Turner with Jansen dropping back into defence. They get an early chance as the ball in from Bizet finds the head of Terri but Hannah makes an easy catch. It’s a good start for the Reds. The first yellow card goes to Galton for a choke hold on Lucy. Terri hits on the break but Girma has the pace that has been missing at the back when holding a high line. Toone forces a better save from Hannah. Clinton is the next to get a yellow card for bringing down Erin. It’s soon reciprocated as Erin is booked for a foul on Grace. Leah Galton goes down in a tussle with Lucy. Play goes on as Lucy flags for it to stop. The ref eventually notices and gets thanked with a chorus of “you’re not fit to referee”. We beg to differ. She has let it flow without it getting too niggley. Kat Macario comes on to Gabby George puts in a great cross and Erin puts it just wide of her own net. Macario’s first shot is miles wide. Another Red change and it’s another defender replacing an attacker as Mannion is replaced by Malard. It’s Gabby George booked next for poleaxing Aggie. No regrets there. The Blues are starting to control again. with some nice attacking moves. Sandy is in the middle of it all. Aggie makes way for youngster Weike Kaptein. The Reds haven’t given up and are still looking for an equaliser but they are starting to tire from chasing the ball. Ten to play and it’s time for supersub Rachel Williams who replaces Bizet. Kat Marario makes it 2 on 85 as she heads home a Baltimore freekick ⚽.  2-0. It feels like job done now and the crowd can feel it. There are fans heading for the exits 🏃🏼‍♀️. Not in the Blue end, that is bouncing. It’s too big a hill to climb for the Reds now. They might get 1 back but 2 now is not going to happen. Getting 1 back would make it tense now though. It’s 10 minutes added on. Will we see the important 3rd goal? We do see it and it’s Sandy Baltimore from close range on 90+1 ⚽. Nine miserable minutes for the Reds now. The rate of exodus increases🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️. Some late changes as Baltimore, Bronze and Cuthbert are subbed off to great applause. JRK, Guru and Nusken are the replacements. The Reds defence are in for a torrid few minutes but they hang on and it stays 3-0. It’s time for a party in the Blue end 🥳. The other end have mostly sat tight and are backing their club despite the loss. Blue is certainly the colour today. The medals 🥇🥈 are handed out, another cup is raised 🏆 and the party starts. Invincible? Up to everyone else to prove otherwise.

That was a very Chelsea performance. It took a little while to get a grip on the game but after that it never really looked in doubt. Erin was causing so much grief for the Reds that the penalty was inevitable. Sandy was unstoppable with 2 goals and an assist. The attendance was a bit lower than last year at 74,412. There were a good few empty seats around. Maybe bought by hopeful Arsenal fans thinking they would make the final 😶. The Blues formation change helped be more aggressive out wide in possession. Chels couldn’t cope with Utd initially but the Reds will regret not making it count when they had the best of the possession. Would have starting with Toone have given them a better chance of an early goal? Maybe. Planning to stay in the game is never a smart move against such a good team. The Reds needed maximum aggression from the off. This season has been a fantastic start for Sonia in her “transition” season. Other teams are going to need to step up if the Blues are not going to run away with it again. The big prize still eludes them though. It would be great if Arsenal could do the job against Barca in Lisbon. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼.  That's it. Another domestic season comes to an end. A fitting end today with a Blue treble confirmed. Just the Lionesses 🦁 to go now before the summer break.

POTM: goes to Sandy Baltimore 🏅. It was a real breakthrough game to show us how world class she really is. Two goals and an assist for the third. Fantastic performance. Well earned.

Ref: Despite the protests and the abuse from the Man Utd fans, she had a good game. No VAR intervention required as she got it just right. It was fairly physical but she only intervened when needed. Congrats. Hope we see more of you in the WSL.

The Scran’O’meter loves a ‘Spoons’ breakfast but was disappointed by the decision not to purchase Pick N mix.

Basil watch: He was at the top of the steps. Later on, he was in the Chelsea stand behind the goal and up and down the aisles.

Bottles tops were confiscated along with the bottle and the contents 😡. You can only take in empty bottles.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

We're a long way up

It's final day

Winners making a mess

Pre match show from Oli

Met Basil outside

England v Spain

Here Come The Spain Again England Women host Spain Women in the Nations League Group Stage at Wembley Stadium

Where are we and What's going on?

Underneath the Arches

Prenton Park South

The Lionesses host La Roja at Prenton Park South. It’s matchday 2 of the Nations League. England are in a tough group with Spain, Belgium and Portugal. They need to start well tonight. A draw away to Portugal on matchday 1 last Friday was not the start the Lionesses needed. They need a big step up in tempo and efficiency tonight. This is the first meeting between the two teams since THAT World Cup Final. There have been loads going on since then including the Rubials trial which has just finished. Jenni Hermosa is not in the squad. Hope she is doing OK. 

There are some big names missing from the Lionesses with Georgia, Alex and Hampo all absent due to injury.The squads have been announced and Hannah is the keeper with Mary on the bench. Millie and Leah are on guard duty in front of her. Out wide are Lucy and Niamh. So 4 of the 5 at the back are from Chelsea. Kiera, Grace and Ella make up the midfield. Russo is up front with LJ and Jess Park alongside. Plenty of attacking quality in there. 

Speaking of attacking quality, La Roja have Pini, Paraluello and Lucia Garcia up front. Aitana is in midfield but there is no sign of Alexia. Mariona starts as does Ona Batlle. 

There is an England fan wearing an Arsenal ‘Mariona’ shirt near us but at least there are none of the Ona Batlle Barca shirts in sight. The crowd looks small but it’s a Wednesday night in February. England need to be on it from the whistle tonight. Hopefully Spain will be distracted by the on-going fallout from the behavior of Rubiales. With the Euros this summer, we need to get Spain accustomed to losing. 

Tonight is the launch of the new FA campaign “Made for This Game” to unlock equal opportunities in football for women and girls. There are lights and fireworks. We hold up our cards for the National Anthem. And we’re off. Come on Ing-ger-lund.

Got any marshmellows

Off we go..

Spain start well and control the game for 10 minutes or so. The Lionesses then start to gain some control back with both teams making chances. It's LJ looking most likely as she comes very close. There is a big penalty shout for a foul on Leah but it’s waved away. 

The deadlock is broken on 30 when some good play from Grace and Lessie lands near Jess who toe pokes it home ⚽. 1-0. Now we need a second to settle our nerves. 

Spain get some chances to level it from Parallelo and Pina but Hannah is having a good night after a very quiet start. The ref shows her colours (Red maybe?) or not, when she doesn’t book Pina for a clear shirt pull on Kiera.  Advantage the Lionesses at the break. 1-0.

It’s all Spain for 5 minutes with Selma Paralluelo and Lucia Garcia causing problems for Hannah and the defence. It’s mostly pot shots fortunately.  

England are slowly coming back into it with Grace wasting a good chance after some good play by Lucy and Jess. 

All of a sudden the flood lights go out. The teams have team talks in dark as we all light up our phones to help out. It takes a couple of minutes for someone to find 50p 🪙 for the meter and the lights come back on 🕶. 

The Lionesses get more chances from LJ and Jess as do Spain with Aitana. 

Serena starts to make her changes on 63 with Nikita and Chloe replacing Lessi and Jess so it’s like for like tactically. 

Aitana learns first hand about the Milliedozer as she is launched into a low orbit 🛰 by the Chelsea captain. No love lost there. 

Nikita is booked for moaning at the ref. The Lionesses have to ride out an onslaught from the Spaniards. It seems to go on and on and on.

 Another change sees Tooney replaced by Jess Nas. Hopefully she can use her pace up front to give the Lionesses back line a bit of a breather. 

LJ has a good chance on 85 and Chloe can’t get hold of it either and the chance has gone. Chloe is booked for showing full commitment to the cause for time wasting on 89. 

It’s backs to the wall for another 5 minutes but they ride it out and suddenly it’s all over. There’s no real after party as it’s a school night and time to get the last train home 🚂.

We think it's all over..

That was finally a decent England performance.  They could actually have scored a few more. It might have been less tense then. The Lionesses certainly matched the world champions at times and kept them at a distance when they couldn’t. And got 3 big points. A big win with the Euros coming up and setting the world to rights after the World Cup. Let them know they’re not invincible. 

The lights going out was very funny and at least it wasn’t another Swindle as this time they came back on. Need to remember to bring some 50p’s next time. It’s a shame about it being such a small crowd but it does make it easier to get out afterwards. 

The front 3 worked well with LJ and Jess feeding off Lessi’s workrate. LJ has hugely improved as a defender to add to her unreal attacking skills. Nikita is a good sub for Lessi, working the defenders and they start to tire. 

Portugal are top of the group with 4 to play. England have a double header with Belgium up next. We’ll see you at Wembley for Portugal on matchday 5 when a place in the Nations League final is up for grabs.  Failing that, we might see the return of the Arnold Clark Cup in the spring next year.

The other bits

POTM: LJ had a great game creating chances from nothing. Just shame she couldn’t get a goal. And the new tracking back superpower.

Ref: She could have done worse. She did give a bit too much leeway to some of the big name Spanish players. She didn’t seem to enjoy the constructive feedback provided by Nikita.

Basil watch:  Met him at the bottom of the Wembley Park stadium steps.  

Basil on Wembley Way

Scran’O’meter was pleased to see the pick’n’mix price hasn’t gone up. Bottle tops can be taken in on empty bottles but Pepsi came with lids on. Some progress but no consistency🤷.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Jess The Three Of Us

England Women host USA Women in a friendly at Wembley Stadium

The Lionesses host the Stars and Stripes in a 'friendly' at Prenton Park South. Emma has brought her Olympic Gold medal winners to get revenge for their defeat here 2 years ago. Both sides have a few missing, among them are LJ and Hempo. The defence looks better than against Germany with Jess Carter in the middle and Alex on the left. Mary, Leah and Lucy make up the backline. The midfield is the usual duo of Walsh and Stanway but they are joined this time by Jess Park in the 10 role. Up front are Jess Naz, Beth Mead and Russo. Lyon’s Lindsey Horan starts as does the Gunners Emily Fox. Emma did her press conference in a Camden pub pulling pints. Hope she is not looking that happy and relaxed at the final whistle.

The light show and fireworks are better than last time. The National anthems play and were off. The Lionesses get some good early possession with Jess Naz and Jess Park lively up front. It’s a very even game and that’s keeping the crowd quiet. The momentum shifts backwards and forwards. Mary makes a good save on 33. The US start to get the better of the possession but are unable to break down the Lionesses defence. The game really needs something in the second half.

There are no changes for the hosts at the break. The USA replace Emily Sears with Yasmine Ryan. They are better from the start. The ball is soon in the back of the Lionesses net courtesy of Linday Horan on 49 but it’s ruled out for off-side. Phew! and Ha-Ha in equal measure. Rose Lavelle is playing really well and we are struggling to find the answers, only just coping with the USA pressure. We start to get a bit of energy with Bronze and Park working well together. Against the run of play, the ref gives the US a penalty for a handball by Alex Greenwood. The ref cancels it after she watches it back on the VAR replay. Phew! and double Ha-Ha. The visitors make some changes and we can see Chloe and Fran ready but there is a big delay before they eventually come on for Jesses Naz and Park who have had a mixed game. It's a bit of an end to end for a while with the U.S. getting some joy down their right with Lavelle but Greenwood and Carter are equal to it. It ends goalless and thrilless.

The was not a great watch but a big defensive improvement form England compared to last time. The defence looked solid which is a huge relief. Jess was more comfortable in the middle and Alex is awesome on the left. Both have great long pass in them too. It was two very good sides nullifying each other although the U.S. will be the most disappointed not to have taken the win. Mary Queen of Stops was at the top of her game tonight . She brings great presence in big games. So the draw means that Emma and Serena will be going Dutch on their post match pub crawl tonight 🍸🍹🍷🍺. Enjoy, it’s been well earned🍻.

POTM: She’s back! Mary 🏅 kept the score level when the going got tough🧤.

The ref had a good game with the assistance of VAR to get the big decisions right.

The Scran’O’meter loves a Spoons brunch on Victoria Station. Should have stayed there.

Bottle top news: There is no news. The stewards weren’t interested and all bottle tops remained intact.

The stewarding was excellent but the numbers were incredible. expecting a protest with the USA in town perhaps.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Smokin'

Pyro time

Hello

Near the front

Prenton Park South

Seven Goals, I'm Miserable Now

England Women host Germany Women in a Friendly at Wembley Stadium

The Lionesses face 'Die Nationalelf' at Prenton Park South. It's their first meeting since the EURO Final here 817 days ago. That went quite well.  It's a friendly today as the both teams have already qualified for next summer's Euros in Switzerland. There is no surprise in the line up. Hannah is in goal with Leah and Millie in front of her. Lucy and Jess Carter are out wide. In the middle are Kiera, Georgia and Tooney. Up front are the three Omigo's, Hempo, Meado and Russo. Is that a stale line up and are there better players able to bring more energy. Thankfully there is no Oberdorf,(ACL), Popp or Madgull. Germany is trying something new for a friendly. Sounds like a good idea. Will the experience of England shine against the fresh energy of the young German squad. With AKB in goal, let's hope it doesn’t come down to a penalty shoot out. There is a fantastic light show linking to the crowd’s mobiles along with the wheelie bins of fire and fireworks. Great show, hope the football isn’t a let down after that. We held up our white card to help make up the St Georges flag during the national anthem. Hope it makes it to the telly this time. Time to play.

It’s a bad start for the Lionesses. In the first minute, Leah’s pass to Millie is miles short, it's intercepted and player through to Dallman.  the ball.  Millie clips her heels as she chases her into the box. It’s a yellow for Millie and a penalty for Germany. Gwinn makes no mistake putting it past Hannah. 0-1. A long ball from Kiera on 10 finds Ella. She is ushered wide but back heels it to Russo who buries it. But, the off-side flag goes up as Tooney was off for the initial long ball. Boo. Gwinn doubles the lead on 11 with a move straight from the off-side free kick. It’s long to Gwinn who puts it in after just 2 touches in the attacking half. 0-2. Hannah only touching the ball to pick it out of the net twice so far this half. It’s the Germans turn to be dodgy at the back. Russo is the beneficiary but it skims the inside of the post and away to safety. Beth nicks the ball on the German touchline. She gets a cross in but it goes out for a corner that comes to nothing. Another long German ball splits the England defence and Klara Buhl hits it home on 28. 0-3 down inside half an hour. It could be going better. A couple of minutes later and it’s a lifeline for England as Hemp’s cross is judged by VAR to be handled by Gwinn and awards the struggling Lionesses with a penalty. It’s two penalty specialists, with Georgia taking on AKB. Georgia wins out and it’s a goal back ⚽. 1-3. The Lionesses have the momentum and don’t let up. Russo drops deep and picks out Beth who puts it on a plate for Georgia ⚽. It’s back to 2-3. Can we level before the break. The ref misses a clear corner after an AKB save. Then Toone is clean through but puts it wide. Germany are threatening as well but both defences are wide open. Lucy comes close to levelling before Germany are kept out by Hannah. Hannah makes a great late save tipping it onto and over the bar from a great Dallman blast. Half time and we all need a breather. Phew.

We’re back and Jess Park has replaced Tooney. Germany put the ball in the net on 50 but luckily it’s offside in the build up. Good goal though. Phew. Germany are destroying the England defence, such as it is, and another goal is surely coming. It comes on 70 but it’s not deserved. It’s another penalty but neither player contacts the ball and it’s a VAR howler. Gwinn makes no mistake though. 2-4. It’s end to end and Hemp looks to have scored on 76 as she picks the ball up out wide and runs like she does and fires home. No mistake but she was offside. Bum. Hemp is involved again as her free kick is dropped by AKB. Lucy is on hand to capitalise on the mistake ⚽. 3-4. Germany still threatening. There are still goals in this. Or maybe not as it ends with a loss. An exciting loss though. And breath. Ooops.

It was a good game and the best entertainment we've had watching the Lionesses for a while. A shame the result didn’t go our way but a big learning exercise for the whole group. The defending (what defending) was awful. Too many passes going astray. It was better on other parts of the pitch and if the defence had been a bit more switched on, could have been a great victory. Three goals scored and some very near misses could have been a good result. Two good goals too from good attacking moves almost like the lionesses of old. The 2nd German penalty was a dubious decision but VAR will be VAR. Or not in this case. Plenty of work for Serena before Tuesday. It’s friendly so she has plenty of time to experiment. The crowd was low for a Lionesses game at Wembley. The 47967 being just over half full. It looked more than that but there were plenty of empty seats. Maybe a Friday night is not the best time for holding it. Not exactly family friendly. And nor are the hotel prices if you need to travel and stay. Ticket prices are still great with a £15 a ticket giving a great view of the corner.

POTM: Georgia got the 2 goals but the award goes to Russo 🏅 for leading the attack all night. She didn’t score but it wasn’t for lack of trying and the penalty wasn’t her fault. She was at the heart of everything good so this is well earned.

Ref got some right and some wrong but so did VAR. She let the game flow and the players play which is what we came to watch so well done.

Basil Watch: Met him in the stand at half time and got a good selfie.

Bottle top update: All bottles confiscated. Boo.

See you back in Sussex on Tuesday.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Prnton Park South

İn the concourse 

Home sweet home

Light show

There's only one Basıl

Ticket To Rides

Tranmere Rovers faces Boreham Wood FC in the National League Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium

Wemberleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The Rovers are back at Wembley and are this time up against The Wood in another National League Play-off final.  Prize for the winner is promotion back into the football league.

What a game that was!  Down to ten men when Liam Ridehalgh is sent off for a two footed tackle after just 48 seconds. All 3 subs used in the first half.  Score 1-1 at half time thanks to a goal by Andy Cook on 6 minutes and a Borehamwood equaliser in the 8th minute of first half injury time.  Finished 2-1 to Tranmere with a 80th minute goal by Lord Norwood of Birkenhead.  It just trickled over the line in slow motion.  The Whites are going up, the whites are going up.

Tranmerekat Rovers going back to the football league.  Ta-ra to the bin league, wer'e going back where we belong.  The band of heroes have done it.

POTM : Take bow James Norwood 🥇, grafted for every one of the 103 minutes, provide the cross for the first goal and scored the second. Special mention 🥈for Connor Jennings for coming back from the dead, literally, to provide the cross for the winner.

Hope Rides is OK. Still love him.

League 2. Sounds good. See you there..

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Underneath the arches

 

Only me here

 

Get in

 

The Whites are going up

 

My ticket to Rides