Emily Baker celebrates.
Image by: Geoff Penn
PUBLISHED
18:18 19th April 2015
by James Hilsum
ALBION 3
Taylor '26
E Baker '82
Barton '86
TOTTENHAM 2
Martin '33
Bergin '60
- Amy Taylor gives Albion the lead
- Wendy Martin and Avilla Bergin respond for Tottenham
- Emily Baker scores on her first-team debut, before Kirsty Barton scores Albion's third
- Albion are second and one point behind leaders Portsmouth
Amy Taylor gave Albion the lead, before Spurs responded through strikes from Wendy Martin and Avilla Bergin. Emily Baker and Kirsty Barton then both struck in the final ten minutes to give Albion a memorable win.
The result leaves James Marrs’s side in second place and one point behind league leaders Portsmouth, who recorded a 1-0 win at Cardiff City.
The game started in frenetic fashion, as Bianca Baptiste fired an attempt wide of the right-hand post, while Albion had a penalty shout turned down when Barton was challenged inside the box.
Fliss Gibbons then raced into the Tottenham half and saw her subsequent effort blocked, before Martin shot wide of the target at the other end for Spurs.
Bergin then had a golden opportunity to give the North Londoners the lead, but headed over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
Spurs were left to regret that missed chance, when Taylor fired the ball home from close range after some superb work by Lucy Somes on the edge of the area.
Faye Baker was then forced into a fine point-blank save to preserve Albion lead before Martin blazed a follow-up effort over the crossbar.
Spurs did equalise just past the half-hour mark through Martin, after the forward drilled a low shot past Baker into the bottom corner.
Both sides had chances to take the lead before the interval, as Baptiste showed some superb skill on the edge of the box and forced a fine save by Baker, before Barton shot an an attempt over the goal.
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Tottenham struck next on the hour mark, after Bergin worked herself into space on the edge of the box, which Baker got a hand to but could not prevent the strike going into the top left-hand corner.Albion had chances to equalise when Sophie Perry tested former Seagulls’ keeper Toni-Anne Wayne with a strike from distance and Taylor struck a close-range shot straight into the hands of the Spurs shot-stopper.
Somes then struck the woodwork from deep inside the area, but Albion eventually managed to bring themselves on level terms thanks to Baker.
The young defender capped an assured performance on her first-team debut by slotting home Perry’s ball in the box to make it 2-2.
Then, just four minutes later, a memorable comeback was completed after Barton took advantage of some confusion inside the box and fired the ball home to give the Seagulls all three points.**
ALBION: F Baker; Ashton-Jones, D Cooper, C Cooper (Gurr 45), Perry; Blackie, E Baker, Barton; Taylor (Talbut-Smith 90+1), Somes, Gibbons. Subs not used: Burt, Markham, Baker-Carroll.************************
[h=3]ALBION V WATFORD****
[/h]SATURDAY 25TH APRIL, KICK-OFF 12.15PM
Original article