The Camden Town FC side that narrowly lost to Tottenham in the semi-finals of the Senior Capital Cup at Cheshunt FC. Picture: WUSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Published: 25 February, 2016
by STEVE BARNETT

CAMDEN Town FC skipper Catherine “Kit” Needham believes that Sunday’s narrow cup defeat against Tottenham proves that the club has what it takes to tackle the very best. 

In what was dubbed “the biggest game in the club’s history”, Camden were looking to pull off a memorable giant-killing as they went head-to-head against Spurs in the semi-finals of the Senior Capital Cup at Cheshunt FC in Hertfordshire. 

Fans wouldn’t have been able to tell that two leagues separated the teams as they played out a closely fought cup contest. Tottenham edged in front on the stroke of half-time when Wendy Martin’s effort just slipped past goalkeeper Kirsten Thomson. 

Camden manager Erik Turnblom changed formation in the second half, bringing Abbie Brandon into the midfield and pushing a second striker up front. Spurs struggled to handle the extra threat with Ellie Taladianou and Nicolle Houston both going close to levelling the scores. 

The deserved equaliser came in the 70th minute when substitute Brandon pounced on a loose ball before rifling a shot into the top corner from 25 yards. 

With shot-stopper Thomson capping a player-of-the-match display with a string of excellent saves, it looked like Camden could pull off a major cup upset. But in the final minutes of the match Martin’s shot deflected into the path of Riana Soobadoo, who found the back of the net to earn Tottenham a 2-1 victory. 

Needham insists that there were plenty of positives to take from the defeat. 

“It was a challenging game but we weren’t overwhelmed,” she said.

“We saw the defeat as a testament to how well we’re competing at such a high level. 

“It was the biggest game that Camden have ever played in. To think, just five years ago when I joined, we had one team and were playing two divisions below where we are now. 

“We now have two teams, and were part of a cup semi-final line-up that included Tottenham, Charlton and QPR.” 

Needham added that Camden now want to send out a signal in their remaining games in the Premier Division of the London and South East Regional League. 

“The cup game gave us a lot of confidence,” she added. “We have an opportunity now to finish the season strongly, and finish as high up the table as we possibly can. 

“We’re the only team this season to have taken points off league leaders AFC Wimbledon, having drawn with them twice, so we know we can compete with any team in the league. We want to show that in our remaining six games.” 

Hooke’s debut winner

CAMDEN Town’s second string bagged the bragging rights on Sunday when they beat Islington Borough 1-0 in Division Two North of the Greater London Women’s League. 

Striker Jennifer Hooke made a debut to remember as she scored the winning goal at Regent’s Park, while Camden winger Rosie Neilson was voted player-of-the-match as she terrorised Islington’s defence before limping off late on with an ankle injury.