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

I'll Stand (and fall) By You

Brighton & Hove Actually Women face Aston Villa Women in the WSL at Villa Park

The Albion are away to the Villains on the last day of the season. This time we are at Villa Park which is a new ground for us. It’s a bit of a nothing game for the Seagulls as 5th place is secured, unless Liverpool beat Chelsea and there is a 10 goal swing. Villa, who are a bit of a bogey team this season, can move up from 9th if they win, depending on other results. We are hoping 🙏 to carry some momentum from Arsenal on Monday but a hangover is equally likely. Villa are in-form and Brighton don’t play well against teams that sit back and play on the break. It’s the last game for a few of the Brighton players. No sign of Poppy so presumed gone. Hope she pops up at Real Madrid to run on the overlap 🏃‍♀️with Linda Caicedo next season. Although it was rumoured that she was going to the NWSL last year so maybe she’ll pop up at Angel City. Good luck Pops wherever you end up.  Guru is in the back three with Caitlin and Marit. Kiko and Marisa are out wide.  Jelena and Maisie are in the middle. Across the front three are Nikita, Michelle and Bruna. Maria, Pauline and Dejana are all leaving at the end of the season but we expect to see them all for a cameo late in the game today. The Villains have announced some leavers too. Rachel Corsie, Jordan Nobbs and Mayumi Pacheco are all on the bench for their last game. No start for Lucy Parker. Good.  Rachel Daly starts up front with Ebony Salmon. In goal is ex-Arsenal keeper DeAngelo. We are in the corner of the Trinity Road Stand. The tunnels is right down the other end and that’s where the wheelie bins of fire are welcoming the players on the pitch. For one last time this season, let’s go Brighton.

It starts fairly evenly until the 5th minute when Ebony Salmon beats the offside trap and outpaces Guru to score from outside the box. 0-1. The Albion come close to an equaliser but Michelle’s shot is saved. Rachel Daly starts fouling anyone who comes near. Michelle comes close from a corner but her header is saved. She is then booked for a nothing foul. The ref explains that it’s her third foul when in reality it’s her first. Keep up, ref. Long way to go yet. The lino has missed a couple of howling off-sides. She can’t keep up with the play and we’re not sure she is even watching. Villa are pressing as we head into injury time. Katie Robinson (who) makes a good run and plays a through ball to Chastity Grant who puts it on a plate for Rachel Daly to tap home. 2-0. The Villians camp out in the Albion penalty area with a succession of corners but we manage keep the ball out of the net. Michelle comes close to another booking but just gets a talking to from the ref who doesn’t seem to like her. The Seagulls need to get themselves organised for the 2nd half.

There is a change for the Albion as, unsurprisingly, Michelle is replaced by Rachel McLachen. It’s not long until Rachel Daly is,, finally, booked for a tackle on Nikita. We think that was more than her 3rd tackle. It's a bit more end to end but Brighton struggle to find each other going forwards. The Seagulls get a succession of corners. Nikita gets a thumping header on the third one but it goes just wide. So close to the important 3rd goal. The subs start on the hour mark. Fran replaces Bruna. There is a big cheer from us as the Viilian of the peace, Daly, is replaced by Jordan Nobbs. She gets a warm welcome as it's It’s an emotional last appearance in Claret and Blue. Fran wastes no time in making a chance as it goes just wide from close range. Jordan is making an impact too as her assist is put just wide by Ebony Salmon. Albion come so so close to pulling a goal back. Kiko hits the post, it rebounds to Fran who hits the other post. Unbelievable, how is it not in the net. Has someone put magnets in the ball? Fran and Jordan both miss chances. The Albion get a clear and obvious corner but the officials change their minds and award a goal kick. Are we watching the same game? Katie Robinson (who) is subbed off so we can stop ignoring her now. Villa get the important 3rd goal on 74. When it’s 10 to go we start making some changes. Dejana and Pauline come on for the last time as Albion players. They replace Cailin and Marit. A big chunk of our defence has left the pitch. The Villians bring on a couple of leavers too, It’s Gabi Nunes and Rachel Corsie replacing Ebony Salmon and Anna Patten. Nikita is caught offside again in the last action of the 90 and we’re into 6 added minutes. Deki is booked for handball. Don’t worry about all the ones you missed though. Kiko hits on the break but it’s saved and cleared. It’s only cleared as far as Pauline who lobs it forward to Nikita. Nikita takes it wide and hammers it at the near post. D'Angelo catches it but carries it with her into the net⚽. It doesn’t cross the line by much but that doesn’t matter.  It’s a goal and we can finally celebrate. We’ve got the bit between our teeth now but we can't get another before the whistle. It’s time for shirts to be donated, flags, hats and shirts to be signed. Goodbyes are said and a group photo taken. Time to go home bus 🚌.

The Seagulls definitely had a hangover from Monday. They looked slower to the ball and sloppy on it. There were formation changes again which has been a bit of a theme this season. It must contribute to the level of inconsistency from game to game. We did make enough changes but weren’t clinical enough with them. It was never going to be 0-0 with how frail both defences are. I doubt we will see Michelle or Bruna again so a big thank you for your efforts and good luck with the rest of your careers. Saying that, both of you would be welcome back for another loan season. We live in hope. The big name bias had an impact today. Like Katie McCabe is allowed to get away with thuggery that would see normal players booked so Rachel Daly had an extra level of tolerance applied to her behavior. Poor Michelle did little wrong but was targeted by the ref to protect Daly. The third goal seemed to make it too big a hill to climb but that was when we played best, where we had some momentum. The momentum dropped with the changes. It did pick up again right at the death. Only sheer determination from Keets saw the ball in the net. Energy improved with the changes but it became more fragmented. That energy ended in a goal that helped us see out the season on a bit of a high. It’s been a fantastic season for the Seagulls who were looking down and worrying about relegation last season. To be the best of the rest is a big step up. To achieve that even when there were so many disappointing performances just shows the level the team has reached. And we came within a poor refereeing decision of beating Chelsea in their "invincible" season. There are some sad departures but there will hopefully be some exciting new signings. The WSL is back in September. Can’t wait. There are a couple of games to go for us before the end of the season. First up is the FA Cup final where Chelsea can complete their treble. See you there.

POTM: goes to Nikita for the most consistently aggressive performance, holding the ball up, chasing it down and tackling like a woman possessed. And scoring a goal through sheer willpower giving us something to cheer.  Well done and thanks Keets.

The officiating had a big impact on the game today and not in a good way. The inconsistent treatment of different players was awful. Rachel Daly seems to have joined the untouchables.  The ref seemed to take against Michelle from the start when there was so much worse committed by others. She missed too many key moments, got big and small decisions wrong. And she was much better than the lines person on the Trinity Road side who couldn’t keep up with the play. She was guessing when the ball went out, and got so many decisions wrong from offside to corners. BUT. The officials are as they and need better training and support to manage games better and make better decisions. The PGMufcOL need to step things up for the women’s game. Try again next year.

The Scran’O’meter decided to stay at Oxford Services enjoying the lovely all day breakfasts.🥓🍳 🍄

No bottle tops were in evidence today. All drinks were draft.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

At Villa Park with Sally 

Here be Villians

Statue of a bloke

In the shade

It's  a big lion

(Your Lard Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher

Horsham FC play Littlehampton Town FC in the Sussex Chalenge Cup Final at the AMEX Stadium

One last outing to the AMEX this season for the Sussex Senior Cup🏆 . It’s the Hornets 🐝 again. This time their opponents are the Marigolds 🧤. We’re in the south end of the West Stand with the Lardy Army 🧈 supporting the Hornets who have just been crowned 👑 the Isthmian Champions 🏅. Up to the NLS for them next season. They are also the holders so looking to retain the cup tonight. The Marigolds (I’m glovin’ it) finished 18th in the Isthmian South East after an unremarkable season leaving them 40 places below the high flying Hornets. We haven’t seen the Hornets this season but remember some of the players. We also recognise Ole O from Lewes who moved as part of a recruitment raid on the Rooks by Horsham last summer. No Dougie this year as he has gone back to Bognor. Some season he has had, leaving the Hornets who get promoted ⬆, to join the Rocks who got relegated ⬇. Coincidence? Or is he still on the Hornet's payroll to sink their rivals. Probably not, he hasn’t played much and isn’t that influential on the pitch these days. There are no fireworks or taking the knee tonight. There are lots of photos as it’s a big occasion for non-league players. Let’s get going as it’s 5 minutes late for kick-off already. Blood and guts non-league football incoming. Hopefully 🙏🏼.

The Hornets are on the front foot and put the ball in the net in the 3rd minute. It’s disallowed for off-side to zero protest. There follows lots of scruffy football with the Hornets trying to play their passing game and the Golds trying to play long. Most notable event of the half is the Gold keeper collapsing in pain and having to be replaced. It’s level at the break. 

The Hornets looked a little leggy or maybe hungover from the league win in the first half. Need to step it up now. They do for a while and get a series of corners. It’s the Gold who look the most up for it though and their tackling becomes even more spirited.  The Golds keeper looks to be injured as he sits down, Zinsberger style. Are we going to see another keeper change? He recovers and we start. Wonder who would have gone in goal? The Golds have their tails up and look full of energy. They need to be careful of the outlets for that energy as their rate of bookings goes up as well. The ref is filling up his little black book but is being mostly fair with it. Although he does miss a big 2 footed tackle on one of the Hornets. They are applying all the pressure as we go into 6 minutes of injury time. The Gold fans have started to make themselves heard but it’s limited to “Your support is effin shit” (which it most certainly isn’t) and “we hate Horsham” although they play in a different league. Weird, predictable and boring. The Lardy army haven’t stopped singing with old favorites like “Start spreading the lard” and “The Yellow and the Green” despite looking second favorites to win it from here. The Hornets break out of the Golds press but are stopped by a challenge within sight of the Golds goal. Into the last minute as Hammo steps up to take the free kick. He hasn’t scored from a direct free kick all season but no-one will remember that because he sticks this one in the top corner ⚽ with just seconds left on the clock. Unbelievable scenes in the Lardy end. It’s still chaos in the stand as the whistle goes straight after the restart . Some last gasp win for the Yellow and Green.

Wow. That’s 3 big wins for us in 6 days. The Hornets retain the Cup 🏆. Littlehampton must be broken 😭 to lose that so late on. They looked most likely to score as the clock ticked down but a free kick shattered their dreams with almost the last kick. Made up for the Lardy Army who have got behind the Yellow and Green for the whole game. We could hear them still singing in the ground from the Bridge car park. The Hornets looked slightly off the boil tonight. Too much celebration after their promotion or a bit of complacency from the holders. Makes no difference now. The Golds were certainly up for it and a little bit too committed in some of the tackling. They tried to apply some level of dark arts but were fortunately beaten by a side focused on quality football. We are made up for the Hornets. They have been building to this for years and to do the double is amazing for them. The Lardy army certainly played their role in the season and tonight. Hope the Hornets are back next year to beat another opponent. This is the last of 4 visits to the AMEX this season. Hope to get to a few more next season. The U23 final was also tonight and Newhaven lost to the all conquering Hassock who have won everything this season. Congrats to the Robins.

POTM: There can only be one winner here. It goes to James ‘hammo’ Hammond for the goal. He won the game with that kick. Congrats. That won’t be forgotten for a while. 

The officials had a mixed night. Missed a few fouls and offsides. It was certainly busy for them and they managed to upset both sets of fans. Ref will need to add some pages to his little black book after that. 

The Scran’O’meter downgraded the Veggie pie 🥧 from 9/10 to 8/10 due to the temperature or lack of. Bottle tops were removed as usual for fortress AMEX.

That's it for men's football now. See you in Birmingham for the last game of the WSL season.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

AMEX under the lights

Winners again

Brighton v Arsenal

Take A Canc On Me Brighton & Hove Albion Women face Arsenal Women in the WSL the Peoples Pension Stadium

To cut a long story short..

What a fantastic win. 4-2 to the Seagulls. One of the games of the season with a brilliant performance from front to back. Going forwards and backwards they deserved the win. It's just a shame that the crowd's demands for 5 weren’t met. That goal from Jelena was something else and we’ll no doubt see it again come the goal of the season reviews.

Where are we and What's going on?

The Seagulls are back at home to play the Gunners in the last home game of the season. This is the 14th meeting between the teams. Arsenal have won the first 13 of those. We haven’t scored against them either with our deficit sitting at 23-0. We live in hope because the Albion won their last game away to Everton 3-2 with a last minute Nikita Parris header. The Gunners had a great win on the same day beating Lyon away to qualify for the Champions League Final. They played midweek after that and lost 5-2 to Aston Villa. We hope that Brighton don’t feel the backlash from that. We have lost 4-0 and 5-0 to the Ladies from North London already this season. Let’s hope that they stumble again today. It’s been scorchingly hot but has cooled right down today. It looks like rain so we’re in the stand early. A win today would secure 5th place in the WSL (theoretically unless we lose by 10 goals to Villa) because Liverpool lost away to Everton and can’t catch us. The Gunners sit 2nd behind Chelsea who have secured the title again. Man Utd have secured Champions League football for next season. A Gunners win today secure them 2nd place. If they don’t win, it’s winner takes it all when they play Utd at the Emirates next week. The calculators are really looking forward to a well deserved rest at the end of the season. They have been a bit busy with all the permutations. 

Back to today's match. Melina is in goal on the team-sheet but there is a late announcement that there is a change and Baggers ❤ is in goal. The back 3 are Dotti, Guru, and Caitlin. There is no sign of Poppy. More on that later. Marisa is on the left and Marit on the right. Jelena, Maisie and Fran are in the middle. Kiko and Nikita are up front. Michelle can’t play as she is officially a Gooner. 

The Gunners have rotated a bit. Zinsberger is in goal, That’s good news but expect her to stop the play for a nap or 2. The backline is Fox "who", Catley "who". Williamson "who" and McCabe "who". The middle 3 are Mariona "who", Frida "who", and Little "who". Across the front are Foord "who", Russo "who" and Mead "who". There is plenty of firepower on the bench with Stina “who” and recent loanee Chloe Kelly ❤. Let’s hope they don’t use them today 🙏. We got 55 minutes in the Zinsurger sitting down for treatment sweepstake 🤞. 

We’ve had a high 5 and a selfie with Sally. Scooter has arrived and is tucked up in his bed. The spare rows between the season tickets are fortunately filled with Brighton fans. There are not many red and white shirts in the West Stand🎉. The North is rammed with red and white. They will no doubt make themselves heard. There are fireworks and the acrid smoke ends up choking us in the West Stand. We need a fearless start from the Seagulls. Let’s go and get them.

Here we go..

Brighton are straight into their press. Pushing the Gunners back. Jelena plays a great through ball to Kiko. Her first touch isn’t great and she is shepherded wide. She passes it back to Jelena who forces Zinsburger to tip it over the bar. A great chance inside the first 30 seconds. And what a message to send to the visitors. The corner is taken short but it’s saved by Zinsberger. The Albion are attacking again but it’s offside against Fran. Still pressing high but the cross is collected by Manuala who is by far the busiest Gunner on the pitch. She is fouled in the area. Takes a short free kick, Mariona’s backpass very nearly ends up in the net. Nervy times for the Arsenal defense. They recover quickly and break down the right through Russo. Brighton are caught out by a fantastic early low cross to Foord. Foord is hampered by Baggers and puts it wide. The 6th minute is notable for it’s lack of an attempt on goal. Arsenal are starting to build a bit of passing rhythm. They get in a couple of good crosses but Baggers catches them all. We are impressed with Marisa’s defending. Poppy’s influence is turning her into a thug at left back. Love it. Marit almost puts into her own goal with a dreadful backpass. She fortunately hits it wide and Baggers scrambles after it but doesn’t manage to stop it going out. The away end is noisy as the resulting corner is cleared. Baggers catches another cross from Russo. Brighton are harrying the Arsenal defence and Nikita thinks she is fouled only for the ref to give it to the visitors. Caitlin manages to dispossess Beth Mead “who”. She plays in Jelena who crosses to Fran on the edge of the box. Super Fran curls it into the top corner on 16 ⚽. 1-0. Frantastic. Stick that up your Arsenal. The Gunners are straight down the left wing. A Foord cross finds the head of Russo but she clatters it into the post. Phew. It’s cleared and we get a freekick in the middle of the pitch. Pressure off for now. Arsenal “who” are struggling with the Brighton press. Marit bundles over McCabe. Marit is walking away when McCabe quickly fires the free kick straight into Marit’s back. Someone’s not happy. The first Seagulls booking comes on 21. Marisa’s challenge on o Fox is late but she makes no contact and the ball is already out of play. Silly us thinking it was a level playing field out there. Arsenal playing like they are rattled with crosses being over hit. It’s a bit more open now with both teams finding space. Arsenal not clicking up front despite a bit of possession. Baggers is picking crosses out of the air. She makes a good save from Kim Little. The Arsenal pressure is building and Caldentey puts in a great cross to the far post. Foord meets it, Bagger parries it and Foord scores at the second attempt on 29. 1-1. The singing section making themselves heard, urging the Seagulls back into it. Kiko’s shot is blocked by Little. Caldenty tries a bit of Barca trickery in the box but she is outnumbered about 6 to 1. It’s cleared and Kiko is held back by McCabe. Clearly a yellow. But no, it’s Katie “untouchable McCabe. She is allowed a much higher threshold and doesn’t get booked for anything less than GBH. How silly of us to forget that clause in the rules. The Gooners singing her song to encourage her some more. The ref has clearly been fed an updated script as we aren’t even allowed a throw in now. Baggers is forced into another good save as Mariona blasts it from the edge of the box. Seagulls fans getting behind the girls as they soak up the pressure. A great long ball in from Leah “who” Williamson is easily claimed by Baggers. Our late change of keeper is not causing us any issues. Baggers has been busy but is having a great game. Fran is decked on the edge of the Arsenal box by none other than Katie McCabe. Apparently it’s not even a foul. Arsenal pressing and probing at the other end. The Seagulls are sitting deep and we are praying for half time to come coon. It’s Frida’s turn to test baggers but she makes the save, “We love you Brighton we do”. What we love most is a great Brighton attack as Jelena’s long ball finds Kiko on the wing. Kiko’s cross finds Nikita but it’s behind her and her tame shot is easily caught by Zinsberger. Brighton are pressing and win a corner. The home fans are really getting behind the team now. The corner is cleared but Jelena appears from nowhere to hit a ferocious volley almost through the back of the net on 43 ⚽. Boom. Pick that out. 2-1. Goal of the season candidate incoming. Zinsberger gets nowhere near it but collides with Dotti and needs treatment. Dotti is then booked for being fouled by McCabe and not saying thank you. Brighton hit on the break through Fran and Nikita. Nikita is poleaxed but that’s allowed apparently. The half ends with no more excitement. 2-1 to the Seagulls. How much more excitement can we take? The ref receives some polite feedback from Fran as they walk off. Perhaps reminding her that there are 2 teams on the pitch and that one set of rules apply to both. Save your breath Fran. She has her orders. We’re glad of the break too. Need a lie down after that!

Second half

There is a personnel change for the Seagulls at the break as Fran is replaced by Nadine. Wonder if that’s an injury worry or a tactical change? Nadine playing in the 10 so who knows. Nikita picks up a loose ball in the middle, plays a forward pass for Kiko to run on to. She gets to the ball first but it shepherded wide by Leah. Brighton sitting back and looking to play on the break. There is an awkward moment in the Seagulls box as the ball runs around loose after Little shot is blocked and loops into the box. It started in the middle when the ref decided it’s ok to foul players leaving us out of shape. Arsenal press but are dispossessed. Marit plays a great looping cross to Nikita. She gets to it just before she is flattened by Zinsberger just inside the Gunner box, The ball goes out for a goal kick. Zinsberger took out Nikita without getting close to the ball but the ref must have been reading her script at that moment as she didn’t see it. The Brighton press is getting to Manuala as the ball keeps coming back to her. She gets caught out and has to play on the weaker left foot. She only manages to clear it as far as Marit. Marit lobs it into the box and Jelena lobs it over Manuela, from very close range ,into the net on 53 ⚽. What a great touch. 3-1. Dodgy keeper. The Brighton press claims another victim. The ball is won back in the middle. A long ball to the already running Kiko. She is onside but gets ahead of McCabe and slots it into the net over the stranded Zinsberger on 54 ⚽. 4-1 to the Albion. They are playing like a team possessed. It’s great to watch. Russo’s shot is easily taken by Baggers. Getting the feeling at Brighton are not done yet either. Beth Mead gets a great chance to get one back but heads it straight into the hands of Baggers. The Gunners make some changes exactly on the hour mark. Off are Little, Mead and Manuum. On are Walti, Blackstinius, Kelly. It’s the big guns that they probably wanted to save. It’s a very big ask to get back into this, even for this lot. A last change is to take off the increasingly grumpy McCabe. Maybe before it comes to blows with Zinsberger. She is replaced by January signing and USA international, Jenna Nighswonger. Arsenal setting up camp in the Seagulls third now. Chloe and Stina combine to test Baggers but she saves it well. Albion haven’t read the script and are still pushing when they get the ball. With Stina on the pitch, the Gunners can play over the press. Lucky we’ve got Baggers. Down the other end and the ball is turned over again by the pressing Seagulls. Kiko’s cross is headed just over by Nikita. There is a sudden outbreak of Tequila in the home end. That reminds us of being home with the SWA and makes us laugh. We’ve not seen Seagulls this persistent since we last tried to eat chips on Brighton beach. A Gunners corner and Leah runs into Marit’s shoulder then rolls around on the floor claiming to have been hit in the face. I wonder what Serena makes of watching her captain’s theatrics? Baggers makes another good catch ahead of an incoming Russo. She gets flattened but hangs on to the ball. What happens next is a contender for comedy moment of the season. As Baggers goes to kick the ball, the Arsenal fans behind the goal are shouting "You're S**T Ahhh” at her. There is indeed, a S**T keeper on the pitch but you might want to look at the one at the other end who is having a very bad day at the office. Baggers is playing a blinder after the late call up. If they’re being ironic, then it’s comedy genius off the scale. But they’re not, and we’re the ones laughing. Arsenal are threatening but looking a bit disjointed since the changes. And starting to look a bit desperate. Russo is playing deeper but looking tired. Brighton are defending well, getting plenty of bodies on the line. Brighton, still looking to break with Kiko not quite able to get on the end of Jelena’s cross. “We want 5 becomes the home fans chant”. I wouldn’t bet against it. Gunners close to reducing the deficit but Stina’s header goes just wide. Yet again the fans behind the goal, getting the 2 keepers mixed up. Foord gets into the box with the ball and is tackled by Nadine. Is it a foul? The half a second that Foord waits before throwing herself to the ground says it’s not. Desperate measures from the Gunners now as they are trying to play the ref instead of the ball. 15 to go and they need 3 to draw. There is a dodgy moment in the box as the ball eludes Baggers grasp but it’s cleared. Nikita and Kiko both ready for the break away. Kiko gets a sitter, is right in front of the goal but takes an extra touch then puts it just wide under pressure from Fox. So close to 5. Come on Brighton. When we break now, we are looking to keep the ball and pin them back. It provides the back 3 with a breather. Kiko and Nikita causing problems for the Gunners. Nikita wins the ball and is then hacked down by Walti. Ref waves it away as it’s not in her script and then books Nikita for complaining. We don’t need to read the script to know what it says. The big team wins. No level of damage to the integrity of the game is unacceptable. To prove the fact. She books Nadine for telling the truth after Mariona backs into her. Your truth is not wanted here. It’s hectic in the Seagulls goalmouth but the defensive wall is holding strong. The clock reaches 90 and it is time for some Brighton changes. Going off are 2 goal hero Jelena, Nikita and Maisie. Replacing them are Rachel McLaughlan, Dejana and Charlize. There are going to be 7 more minutes. Hold on to your hats, it’s going to be bumpy. The Gunners are going to be increasingly desperate. Oh dear, they can’t stay onside. A goal from nothing for the Gunners. Caitlin’s pass to Dejana is intercepted by Mariona who finds the space to curl it into the top of the goal on 90+3. Not even Baggers is stopping that. 4-2.Hopefully it’s just a late consolation prize. The whole Brighton team are in the box and blocking everything that comes in. Russo gets her best chance and a save from Baggers sees it out for a corner. Baggers sits down to receive treatment. A goal keeper receiving treatment getting boo’d by Arsenal fans is more than irony can take. Irony is broken, it is no more. The Gunners have a corner. Nighswongers looping shot is tipped onto the bar by Baggers. The ball remains in play. Guru heads it clear as Russo collides with her and lands in a heap. Arsenal play on with Russo still crumpled on the floor in the 6 yard box. The ref waits until the chance has gone before stopping play. Brighton are doing enough to slow it down and the whistle eventually goes at 90+9. A first goal against Arsenal and first points. Best team won on the day. There is a lap of honour from the squad with extra applause for the leavers in their last home game. What a bunch of heroes.

We think it's all over..

Blimey. To win both halves 2-1 and come so close to a 5th goal was outstanding. Should have saved some of the fireworks for the end. What a gutsy performance. Bodies on the line at the back and confidence up. We’ve seen flashes of that before but it all came together today. Arsenal have had better games but with a squad full of so many world class players, you would expect them to find a way to win even when playing badly. Brighton have really taken a step up today. 4-2. Wow. I don’t think anyone had that on their bingo card for today. Certainly not the Gunners. They will have wanted to get 2nd place tied down but now it goes down to the last game. That is Man Utd at the Emirate so not ideal. The Gunners are ahead so only need a draw. They finished 3rd last season and have progressed to the Champions League final having started in the qualifying rounds so maybe 3rd isn’t so bad. Makes it a long season though as qualification is before the start of the WSL. The Seagulls have secured 5th place, best of the rest, providing they don’t lose by 10 goals or more to Aston Villa who have made a late charge up the table. Another win would be good though. There were some fantastic performances out there today. First mention is Baggers who stepped up at the last minute and played a blinder. How many saves did she make? Loads! Manuala only touched the ball 4 times and those were to pick it out of the back of the net. The back 3 were immense. Using Caitlin for the outball worked great. A massive shift from the midfield including 2 goals. And 2 strikers on the scoreboard. Gutted for Nikita, she came so close to adding a 5th. No scruffy goals for the Albion today. All top draw goals. There is some more team news. The leavers at the end of the season are Poppy, Guru, Dotti and Pauline. We are certainly going to miss our favourite left ball thug, Poopy. Guru and Maria will be missed too. We have loved watching Pauline play but have not seen her much since she came back from injury. It was funny watching Zinsberger, knowing that they were behind and she wouldn’t be able to sit down to waste time. The one frustration of today is that a performance like that has been in this team all season, it just needed letting out. The Seagulls have one more game this season. We’re off on the coach to Villa Park. In the meantime, there is the County Cup Final at the AMEX. Can’t wait. Good luck to the Gunners in Oslo. Shame we can’t be there.

Other Other bits:

POTM: It’s so tough to choose today. I think it has to be shared by the 2 hero’s of the day. They are Baggers and Jelena. Two outstanding performances in a team where everyone did their bit. Thank you. We will remember this match for a long time to come.

Officially opinionated:

The ref didn’t want to rock the boat in which the Gunners are flying high in the league so it was always going to be tough on the Seagulls. And it was. We got all the cards, none of which were particularly deserved. If the ref booked someone for descent, it was because she didn’t like a bit of honest feedback. Playing a “Big” team in the feature match on Sky will always be the same unfortunately. It should be shocking but it’s normal these days.

The Scran’O’meter loved the doughnuts 🍩 and lattes ☕. 8/10 and 7/10. Yum.

See you soon.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Silly Sally

Clouds, no rain yet

Fireworks

Scooter

Ska Band

Let's Sway Together

Tranmere Rovers face Newport County In EFL 2 at Rodney Parade

The White's last game of the season is away to the Exiles. Hoping we get a welcome that’s as warm as the Welsh weather. The Rovers finally secured their place in the Football league next season with a win against Crewe last Saturday. Been a while since the Kop has seen scenes like that as it was bouncing for 90 minutes with white smoke at the end ushering Andy Crosby as the new Pope. Prenton Park is our church after all. A win today would move us away from the relegation zone and give history a very different view of how close we came to going over the cliff edge. Today we can climb to a heady 20th or 88th in old money. That needs Accrington to lose which is something we always like to see. We're certainly up for it today, hope the players are too. The team is the same as Andy has settled on with LOC ,Tom and Jordan as a back 3. Sam Taylor makes a rare appearance but it’s nice to see him as wing back opposite Cameron Norman. Jake Garrett gets a start alongside Merrie in the middle. The front 3 are Dennis, Morris and Patrick. No idea what music they are playing at Rodney Parade, maybe they need to invest in a better sound system. It’s a dead rubber game with both teams safe but both are also hurting after poor seasons. It could be really flat as the players' minds start to head for the beach but we remain hopeful that the boys want to go out on a high after last week's euphoria.

There is no taking the knee here or fancy fireworks here. Straight into the football. The Exiles get in the first shot in but Luke saves it from range. The football is not great. It’s scrappy and broken up with a few half chances either way. Neither set of fans is generating much noise. The first decent chance comes on 23 as Newport score from outside the box through a host of bodies. Not what we want but we don't rollover these days. There is a tussle between Cameron Norman and the Exiles no. 14 Kai Whitmore on 27. Cameron ends up on the floor and Whitmore stamps on him. The ref is the wrong side to see it and so gives a yellow card. The fans are warming up a bit. And some, it’s sweltering in the stands 🥵. The SWA are in good voice and the Exiles chipping in now and then. The Lino on the far side is missing some howlers of offsides. Tranmere's first decent chance comes from Sam Taylor but it’s high and wide. Lee O’Connor is marking their striker Kyle Hutlin. It is comical as Lee is getting the best of the ball, even in the air, despite being 5’9” to the Exiles 6’ 9”. The Rovers equalise on 41 ⚽ as Jake Garrett's speculative long range shot is deflected and loops over the keeper. The SWA can smell blood and are bouncing behind the goal. The Whites are pushing for a second but it’s still level at the break. Time to cool off in the shade 😎.

There’s a change for the Rovers at the break as Josh Davison replaces Sam Taylor. It’s all Tranmere now. Morris sees his shot blocked. We finally take the lead on 51 as Kristian Dennis ⚽ volleys in from a Norman cross. It’s a great shot. 1-2 to the Rovers. The Tequila 🍸 is flowing in the away end.  Dennis is replaced by Harvey Saunders on 63. That injects some energy 🏃‍♂️. The Exiles No. 14 poleaxes Jake Garrett on 66. It’s an easy second yellow and off he goes. Bye👋. Saunders has an impact as he sets up Omari Patrick to score from just outside the box on 70 ⚽. Josh Davison has to drag him across to celebrate with the SWA. Newport can’t cope with the Rovers attacks. Their fans start to stream out of the ground. “Is this a fire drill?” echoes round Rodney Parade. Wood comes on to replace Omari on the left. He starts to get some great crosses in. There are more changes on 77 as Josh Hawkes replaces Cameron on the right and Connor Jenning replaces Garrett in the middle. There is an immediate impact as Josh Hawkes sets up Josh Davison who blasts into the bottom corner on 78 ⚽. The SWA have shown great restraint, waiting until we’re 3 goals clear to start singing “We’re winning away” . Very sensible 👍. The Exiles Kyle Hudlin is subbed off on 81. It’s a shame as we were enjoying watching Lee humiliating him. It’s all Tranmere as we try to inspire Kieron Morris to score with his new song, “When the Tranmere rhythm starts to play…”, as he runs past us down the wing. The crowd are baying for more, singing “We want 5”. The fifth doesn’t come and it’s still 1-4 at 90+6. That’ll do. The home end is already empty but there is no-one leaving the away end. it’s bouncing as the players come over. There are a few lucky recipients of shirts and gloves. Andy Crosby is the last to leave the pitch to huge applause. Love him.

That was fantastic. What a day out and what a performance from the Whites. They never looked out of it at a goal down and the equaliser kicked off a momentum that never stopped. Not sure that Newport got another decent shot after the goal. Losing a player can’t have helped, ha-ha, but he was lucky to be on the pitch that long as he was as the first yellow should have been a red for stamping on Norman right in front of us. Today was very different from the football played under Adkins. Who knew that this team of players could actually play this well. Unbelievable Jeff. The SWA were awesome today too. There were a lot of empty seats but people probably migrated to the stand behind the goal to sing with their mates. The count is in. There were 811 in the away end out of a total of 5,465. That’s a fantastic turn out with nothing at stake at "not the best" of awaydays venues. The home end emptied long before the away end had finished singing. It’s new to us but we are loving Sway the Tranmere way. “When the Tranmere rhythm starts to play….” The subs worked well today. Well, as much as we love Harvey Saunders for his energy and endeavour, he isn’t the best with the ball at his feet. But he did play his part today running the backline ragged and getting an assist to boot. There will be a few in this group that we won’t see again. Connor Jennings must number amongst them. He has been a great servant to the club, twice, and a shining light in dark times. Hopefully they can find room for him next season. There are a few more that we would like to see again including Omari, Dennis LOC and Merrie. There are also a few (and some) that we would happily pay for a taxi to come and collect. The news from elsewhere is that Accrington lost 🎉 so we moved up 2 places to 20th 📈. Deceptively clear of the trap door. So it’s goodbye to the 24/25 season in League 2. Definitely one to be filed away as “Don’t go there again”. Will Andy Crosby be with us next season? We hope so if he’s not too busy being Pope. And then there's the impending takeover to come. Fingers crossed 🤞.  Will the new shirt sponsor be Fenty or maybe Rihanna be designing the 3rd shirt. It’s not going to get dull in the world of Tranmere any time soon!

POTM: goes to Cameron ‘Storming’ Norman,🏅 creating loads of space and putting in loads of great crosses including 2 assists. Well done.

The officials were generally OK. The ref couldn’t have seen the stamp on Cameron so was never going to give a red. He did the right thing and the yellow got the job done in the end. The lino at our end must have forgotten his contacts as he couldn't see the Exiles players even if they were yards offside. Useless. Can’t remember any offsides at all so maybe the one at the other end was no better. Or they were waiting for VAR to do their jobs for them. Mike Dean was spotted in the ground so maybe it’s the league 2 VAR pilot.

The Scran’O’meter has decided that the yummy Greggs was out of scope so is unable to comment on the catering today. Except to moan about the bottle top police who confiscated the bottle of water that we took to Stamford Bridge last week and have taken to Wembley a few times. Bastards. Bottle in the ground had the tops removed. Good job we had some spares. 🤣

See you at Crawley.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Sunshine in Wales

Downing St, no thanks, Newhaven please

Fast train to Wales

Rodney Parade

Rinse and Defeat

Chelsea Women host Barcelona Femeni in the UWCL Semi Final Second Leg at Stamford Bridge

The Blues host the Garnet and Blue in a repeat of the two previous Champions League Semi Finals. Getting boring now. We were here last year to see the Blues lose having come back from the away leg with a narrow lead. That’s not the case this year. They got battered in Spain and got a late consolation to make it 4-1. A big ask to get anything today. They have to play it as a one off and just try to win it. Sonia got it horribly wrong in Barcelona and needs to do something very different tonight. The Blues squad is missing LJ who was injured on international duty. Sam Kerr is nearly back but not quite ready yet. Natalie Bjorn was injured in the away leg on 81 minutes. The 3rd goal came straight after that change which unfortunately had to happen when defending a corner. The line ups are out. Hannah is in goal with Millie and Naomi G in front. Naimh is left back opposite Lucy on the right. In the middle are Erin, Kiera and Sjoeke. Sandie, JRK and Mayra are up front. Guru is on the bench having played 30 minutes in the away leg. The Garnet and Blue have the last 2 Ballon D’Or winners on the pitch. The core of the team is still Spanish but some of the pace on the wings come from elsewhere in the the shape of CGH and Rolfo. Are they wingers or whingers, we’ll see later. Last year there were loads of Barca shirts in the Shed. This time we are in the West Stand and the stewards were stopping away fans outside and sending them back to the ticket office. The sun is shining but we’re in the shade. Bet it’s toasty in the East Stand. We didn’t see Basil outside. He will make his presence known when the match starts. We have clackers so will be joining Basil in the percussion section today 🥁.

The Spanish champions are on it from the whistle with Aitana and Alexia getting early chances. The Blues pick themselves up a bit and it gets scrapy and broken up for a while. It’s Chelsea’s turn to get a couple of chances but Sandy misses and Sjoeke’s shot is saved. It’s 25 minutes played when Aitana picks the ball up in her own half. The Chelsea defence are out of shape and she runs clean through them to smash it past Hannah from inside the box. Knife through butter springs to mind. Or maybe it’s plant based spread these days. 0-1. Need to stop that happening again. The Chels need 4 goals to level it now. The Blues keep their heads up and get a flurry of corners and chances. It’s Sandy with the chances, forcing a block and a save. It’s soon all over for the Blues as Payor puts in a CGH cross from close range on 41. 0-2. Pina hits a long curling shot from wide. Hannah looks like she leaves it but it curls into the top corner. Hannah’s third touch of the ball is to pick it out of the net again. There is another bunch of chances to extend the lead with shots from Pina (saved) and Batlle (blocked). Chelsea are trying to press but are far too sloppy in possession. They really need to be clinical with every chance but that’s not happened yet. First half is over. 7-1. Playing for pride in the 2nd half.

Sonia makes two changes at the break. Aggie replaces Mayra up front. Ashley Lawrence replaces Naomi and slots in at left back with Niamh moving across to centre back. It’s scrappy for a while but neither side able to control the ball for long. Chelsea get a couple of chances. Sandy comes very close but it’s just wide and Sjoeke blazes over. Not clinical enough at all. Sonia makes some more changes on the hour mark. Nothing to lose now. Kaptein replaces Baltimore and Kat Merario replaces Erin Cuthbert. Not sure who is playing where now. Barca make some changes too. CGH goes off (hooray) to be replaced by Paralluelo (oops). Also leaving the pitch are Parades and Pina and coming on are Fernandez and Brughts. The changes seem to disrupt the Spaniards and Chelsea get the upper hand for a while. Kat misses (again) and JRK’s shot is blocked. A couple of corners result in a good header for Nusken but it’s saved. Can’t afford to not take these chances. It now slows down with neither team able to do anything with the ball. Hermano replaces JRK who hasn’t been at her best. At 75 minutes it all goes a bit mad. Alexia starts it with a miss. Nushen has a shot saved then Lucy misses. It’s Parallelo up next but somehow Hannah manages to make the save. It’s still end to end as Lopez has her shot blocked just after she comes on for Pajor. Hermano takes her turn but shoots over. Selma Paralluelo sees another great shot scrambled away by Hannah. The chances come for Chelsea again as Aggie gets her head on a corner but it misses the target. Lucy’s shot is saved. Millie’s is blocked and Kat misses a sitter🤦🏼‍♀️. Not her first. She needs to find her shooting boots quickly 👢. The clock hits 90 as Paralluelo finally gets her goal. It was coming, she‘s been a real handful. The consolation finally comes on 90+1 as Kaptein puts it past Cata Coll into the top corner ⚽. We celebrate like it’s a winner. All over. 8-2 on aggregate.

Well that was awful. A carbon copy of the away leg. Barcelona are good but Chelsea didn't even step up until the very end. Not sure why the same tactics were supposed to work today when they failed so badly last weekend. Emma tried to out Barca Barca with a high pressing game and it worked a treat in the first leg. Barca figured it out, changed tactics and won the home leg and the tie. Barca adapted to the Chelsea press by playing long before and it worked again today. It’s made worse by the fact that Arsenal overcame their home leg deficit to beat Lyon away. A Barca v Arsenal final will sting the Blues even more. We aren’t going though, so good luck to the Gunners, hope you can get it done in Lisbon. Enough moaning about the game, it’s always nice to be at the Bridge even though we didn’t see Basil. That’s our Champions League fun over for this season. We’re already looking forward to some group games on freezing nights in North and West London.

POTM: is difficult due to the totally lacklustre performance in which no-one really did themselves proud. It goes to the person who created one of the standout moments. It was a Milliedozer sliding tackle. Nothing like a bit of petulant thuggery to get a cheer from the crowd. Thanks Millie.

The following may contain moaning👇🏼

Ref: Refs always seem to be frightened of the reputation of Barca and so are afraid of giving controversial decisions against them. Hence they get away with everything. It’s the opposite for Chelsea who are not allowed to touch the Barca players at all. The same effect happens is the WSL when ‘lower’ teams play Chelsea. No ref wants to stick their head above the parapet and be the one who ends the 20 game unbeaten run. Also inconsistent with the rules when she stopped the match for a head injury while Chelsea were in possession, then she gave the drop ball to Barca. QED.

Basil watch: No sign of him, before, during or after the game. Very sensible but hope he is OK.

The Scan’O’meter had a day off but will be pleased to hear that all bottles and top were allowed in.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Nice day for it

Back at the Bridge

A different bridge

Deja Vu

Knocking on Haven's Door

Newhaven FC host Peacehaven & Telscombe FC in the SCFL Premire League at The Sports Park

It’s Easter Monday so it’s derby day for the Dockers as they visit the Tye to play the Haven. There is more at stake than the usual pride as it’s also a 6 pointer today. The Dockers are 1 point behind the Haven with 2 games to play. Lose today and Newhaven finish below the Haven for the first time in the 5 years that we have been watching them. The Haven can make the play-offs with a win today. The Dockers are on a 9 game winning streak which has restored a bit of respectability to an otherwise poor season. The Sports Parks has had a big upgrade since we were last here. At least the pitch has been replaced with shiny new 3G. The stand is better too and the Haven Ultra’s have their own little stand behind the goal. There are about 15 of them. They’ve got plenty of flags and a drum. Doubt this place is a library. The comfy seats are still here. They apparently came from the Depot Cinema in Lewes. Thanks. They are lovely and comfy. The fence in front of the seats is worryingly low. The front row may not be the best choice. Probably good for a ball in the face. The guy next to us has a BIG rattle. Don’t tell Wookie, It’s massive. It could get noisy here. The Dockers are rolling out their R’s today with 2 Rogers and 3 Robinsons in the 11. Jonny is in goal. In front of him are Henry and Richmond. Bailie and Little Robbo are the full backs. In the middle are Charlie and Blunty. Up front are Jake and Alfie with Manni and Lee out wide. Will the game be as bad tempered as it usually is? Probably. It’s a derby so the form book goes out the window. Let's put these back below us in the league.

The Haven get the first chance on 6. Jonny saves it with his feet. Their next attack breaks down and the Dockers are away down the other end. Jake gets in a shot but hits the post. The Ultras are making their presence known. Making a good amount of noise. The “You’re s**t ahh” is unrelenting for Jonny. He is nearly caught out by a back pass. Not really a pass, more of a shot as he has to chest the ball to control it. There is a late tackle on Lee and big brother Jake runs over to have his say. The guilty Peacehaven player decides to go flying over. Ref not getting involved despite the feedback from the 5th official. It seems a medium level of violence is permissible today. The next Dockers chance falls to Manni, after a neat back heel from Jake, forcing a good save. We thought the football rattle was loud. He also has a cow bell. We may be deaf in one ear for a while after this match. Peacehaven come close but miss on 39. The Haven No. 5 is seeing zero of the ball when they have possession. None of them will pass to him. Is he unpopular, rubbish or both? Don’t care but it is funny. See the 5th Official for details. Jake goes down injured on 40 and is down for a few minutes. He is back up but injured and is subbed off for Sidders. Richmond moves across to RB and Sidders slot in in the middle. Lee moves across into the 9 and Little moves up to left wing. There are a couple more minutes but no goals. 0-0 at the break.

Lee gets the first half chance of the half. The Haven now start to take control and get a few chances and Jonny is called into action. The deadlock is finally broken on 57 as Haven score with a shot from outside the box through a crowd of bodies. It’s still pretty fiesty. from the Haven who are then throwing themselves down when tackled The Dockers get a corner on 65 and forced a save out of the Haven keeper. Time for Newhaven to make some changes. Warwick replaces Manni and Corey replaces Osei. The Haven double their lead from a tight angle on 79. 2-0. Long way back now. With time running out Alfie heads over on 85. Sums it up really, too many Dockers marginally off their game today. It’s nearly 3-0 on 90. The Dockers frustration starts to show as Little gets booked for an off the ball incident on 90+1. The Ultras don’t hold back. “Take your flags and go”. Thankfully, it’s all over on 90+6.

The Dockers will be very disappointed with today but the bubble of their 9 in a row has well and truly burst. It’s double bragging rights to Peacehaven. It feels like we never play well here. We had a lot of half chances but were trying too hard. Peacehaven were more focused and clinical with 3 chances and 2 goals. And a bit more physical. The sun almost came out on the 551 crowd. Or should that be 552 as the lino on the stand side was pretty much a spectator too. He wasn’t keeping up with the play. There is just one game left but there is nothing to play for. We’re going home deaf in one ear with no points. It’s a derby and these things happen. We’re back here for the next installment on Boxing Day. A lot of football to watch between now and then.

POTM: Goes to the Lino 🏅 on the far side for being the only official to not be shocking today.

The officials were not great today. These derbys are always feisty and need someone that can manage that. Ref got played and got way too much wrong. Probably just the most obvious of a number of poor performances out there.

The Scan’O’meter loved the hot chocolate 8.5/10. Yummy. Thanks.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

At the Sports Park

Team news

97 Tears

Brighton & Hove Albion Women face Chelsea Women in the WSL at the Peoples Pension Stadium

It’s the Seagulls 3rd game in the big playground this season. Today, Liverpool are the opponents in the penultimate home game. It’s a six pointer as the Albion are 5th in the WSL with the Reds just a point behind. Man City are 13 points clear in 4th so this is the battle to be the best of the rest. Since we last saw them play, Maddie has been injured against Man City and will miss the rest of the season. Big loss that. And during the international break, our Michelle became a national hero scoring a worldie for the Senior Lionesses against Belgium in Belgium. It was her first senior goal after just 53 seconds on the pitch. She was with the U19 squad when she got a very late call up to replace the injured Russo for the trip to Belgium. The rest is history, literally. She gets a rare start today. Also starting from the Lionesses squad are Fran and Nikita. Maisie starts after her first senior Lioness call up too although she didn’t get to play. At least her talent has been recognised👀. The Liverpool news is that Matt Beard 🧔 was surprisingly sacked 💰 in February. Acting in his place is Amber Whiteley. She took them to the FA Cup semi-finals last week but they lost to Chelsea. They took the lead in that match through an Olivia Smith goal with her trademark fast break and diagonal rocket into the net. Hope we don’t see that today but she is lethal. We were a bit surprised to see her today as she went off injured last week. We have yet to see the Albion win at the AMEX but we are hoping to break that duck 🦆 today. We lost to Everton here at the AMEX a year ago today. Hopefully we’re not completing the Merseyside double today. It’s a very sunny ☀ April 🌧 day and it’s toasty 😎 in the front row of the East Stand. There has been a bit of a wheelie bin malfunction and some have been taken away. The remaining display is a bit half-hearted. It’s time for “Sussex by the Sea” and then we’re off.

It’s a horrible start. Olivia Smith is straight down the wing and smashing it in from an angle. Identical to the goal at Chelsea last week 😡. A week to prepare for that exact danger and we’re behind in a minute. Mustn't swear, we are in the Family Stand 😶. Drat, Damn and Whops. It restarts and we make some noise to get behind the team. They can’t keep the ball though. It’s all Liverpool with misses from Fisk, Kiernan and Fisk again. The Seagulls manage to get a shot in but Nadine misses her chance. There is an impromptu drinks break as Olivia receives treatment on 31. Rinse and repeat on 39 except the play doesn't stop this time so she is left rolling around on her own. The Seagulls get caught playing out from the back and Kiernan makes it 2-0 to the visitors on 43. Long way back now. A goal before the break would be nice. Olivia Smith, having needed treatment twice, is flying down the wing. This time Poppy keeps up and absolutely flattens her 🥊. Well in, Popps. More treatment is required and after wasting loads more time, she is replaced by Kapocs on 45+6. Poppy is booked which is fair enough. The half ends after 8 added minutes, mostly due to Olivia Smith sitting down. The is a brief relief from the heat as we get a lovely cooling spray at the halftime sprinklers.

Brighton need something now. Dario makes 3 changes. Rachel, Poppy and Nadine are replaced by Dejana, Kiko and Marisa. Maisie drops into the left centre back roll vacated by Poppy. It is better! There is more aggression in the midfield and the ball is moving forward. We start to get chances.  Nikita gets caught offside. Michelle puts Kiko’s cross in the net on 48⚽. 1-2. A good start. We can’t get any momentum built and it is scrappy for a while. Fran misses from another Kiko cross. Nikita is booked for a late tackle. Michelle is injured and there is another drinks break while she gets treatment. It's now Frans turn to get booked. Michelle takes a shot from the corner of the box, it’s well high and wide as it curls into the stand but Rachel Laws was still injured in the action 🤷. More work for the physios who are earning their money 💰 today. Liverpool get a corner and Bonner is injured in the action. On come the physios again. The clock is ticking down as Bruna replaces Jelena on 81 to big cheers. She is back from Barcelona after treatment for an injury. Melina makes a good save from Holland. Bruna misses down the other end. It’s all Brighton now. Laws is booked for time wasting. Albion get a string of corners but no goals. Auee is replaced by Charlize on 90+7 as play restarts. It finishes on 90+10 with a 1-2 loss.

Not a good day for the Seagulls. Another goal for Michelle. Shame we couldn’t get more. Albion had a week off to train while Liverpool played an big FA Cup game yet it was the opposition who looked well organised and full of energy. Not having a plan for Olivia Smith and being caught out in the first minute is unbelievable. Disappointed that we underperformed when it mattered and now Liverpool have moved above us in the table as we swapped 5th and 6th places. West Ham drew so at least we didn't drop any lower but need to buck our ideas up or we will be dropping rapidly down the table. Three games to go including Arsenal at Crawley. Enough moaning.  It was a nice day out and we got to test out the new fan zone which is very much a work in progress. We did get excellent value today as we got an extra 15 minutes for the same price although Liverpool players were sitting down for most of it. They are a bit fragile on the wrong side of the Mersey. We do wonder if Smith was fit having gone off injured last week and the needed treatment 3 times today before being subbed. Maybe she is just being massively over dramatic. Who knows? They were a bit of a one player team without her. Full marks to Poppy for putting her out of her misery today. 

POTM: Is awarded to Melina for some great saves and trying to distribute the ball quickly even if no-one wanted it.

The ref got played by the Reds today with all their falling over and rolling around. She got a few names for her collection as well.

The Scran’O’meter tested out “The Terrace”, the new fan zone. The Ultra Cheese Melt toastie was nice getting 8/10. The ordering system needs sorting out though. The catering on the concourse was very slow at half time. Not Arsenal slow but bad enough. And the AMEX stewards and staff are the last remaining outpost for removing bottle tops 🍾.

See you on Monday if it's not too foggy on the Tye.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

In the AMEX with Sally

Smokey in here

Checking out the new fan zone