Finding the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time after an excellent finish from Signe Gaupset to separate the sides at the break, we netted three goals in an eight-minute second half spell with forwards Martinez and Nilden at the heart of those. Stepping off the bench just after the hour mark, Martinez doubled our lead just seven minutes later, after some outstanding work from Victoria Pelova in the build-up, before Martinez was brought down inside the box and we were awarded a penalty which Eveliina Summanen confidently converted.
Julie Blakstad added a fourth on 76 minutes as she forced the ball home from close range before Nilden rounded off the scoring in the final minute to ensure a positive end to our pre-season work, with the Women’s Super League opener up next – at home to West Ham United on Sunday (6 September).
It was the visitors who went close inside the first 60 seconds when Emily Syme’s effort from distance grazed the top netting. Our best opportunities in the first 40 minutes of the contest came through a series of corners by Matilda, and particularly one, an in-swinging delivery from the right-hand side that crashed against the crossbar. Kirsty Hanson was a lively outlet for us on the right as she fizzed a low ball across the face of the goal but Cathinka Tandberg, at full stretch, was unable to get a touch at the back post.
We managed to find the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time, Olivia Holdt with a lovely, chipped ball in between their defence to find Gaupset on the right of the box and she made no mistake from that angle, firing her effort into the roof of the net for her second goal in pre-season.
Martin Ho made six changes across the first 15 minutes of the second half and one of those was Martinez, who played a key role in our next goals to ensure a healthy advantage over the Robins. Toko Koga played a lovely ball over the top to another substitute Pelova, who showed incredible determination to beat the defender to the bouncing ball before advancing into the box where she unselfishly slid it across to Martinez for her to tap home and open her account in a Spurs shirt.
Martinez was then denied by the Robins’ goalkeeper, who got enough of a touch to tip her low drive around the post, but shortly after, we were awarded a penalty. Martinez was brought down as she tried to get on to the end of a cross from the far left and Summanen stepped up to power home the spot-kick to extend our advantage. Three minutes later and we had our fourth of the afternoon, Drew Spence picking out Nilden on the right who fizzed a low ball into the box that the visiting keeper was unable to hold and Blakstad reacted quickest to force the ball home.
Pelova struck the outside of the post from a tight angle as we continued to push to add to our scoreline while, at the other end, Lize Kop was called into action to push away Emma Bissell’s fierce shot from the left of the box. In the final minute of the action, we grabbed our fifth and Nilden’s first goal in a Spurs shirt, Dijkstra with a lofted pass behind the Robins’ backline for the young forward to race on to and she showed complete composure in that scenario, spotting the keeper off her line before lifting it over her from just outside the edge of the box and into the back of the net.
That completed our pre-season preparations as focus now turns towards our WSL season opener against the Hammers – and tickets are still available to buy!
Line-ups
Spurs: Kop, Wijk (Morris 46), Koga, A. Nilden (Dijkstra 46), Blakstad, Summanen, Gaupset (Spence 46), Holdt (Pelova 46), Hanson (M. Nilden 46), Tandberg (Martinez 61), Vinberg (Ahtinen 61). Substitutes (not used): Panengstuen.
Match data
Goals: Spurs – Gaupset 45, Martinez 68, Summanen 74, Blakstad 76, M. Nilden 89.
Venue: Hotspur Way.
Weather conditions: Sunny but the odd spell of rain, 21 degrees.