Our preparations for 2026/27 Women’s Super League campaign continued with an entertaining 5-3 win over Birmingham City in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hotspur Way on Sunday.
Toko Koga and Cathinka Tandberg netted in the first half, but we were pegged back twice by the visitors. The Blues took the lead in the early stages of the second half before we stormed into a comfortable lead – Caitlin Dijkstra netting her first goal for the Club followed by lovely strikes from Olga Ahtinen and Olivia Holdt – to earn our second win of pre-season.
It was another valuable workout from Martin Ho’s side with a number of players getting key minutes in a hard-fought contest while defender Hanna Wijk also marked her return to action from an MCL injury suffered in April, as we continue to work towards out WSL season opener at home to West Ham United on Sunday 6 September (12noon UK).
Reflecting on the performance, Martin Ho said: “We started well in the first 15 minutes and then we looked a little bit disjointed. We didn't win enough duels, we were second to a lot of balls, which isn't good enough for us as a level, and then we gave them too many transitions.
“We weren’t close enough in terms of preventing them. We went in front, they pulled it back, they went in front and we pulled it back, and then we scored some really good goals at the end.
“In the last 15 minutes, we had spells and a little bit in between, but the mentality was good because you come back, you push when you go behind, you keep pushing - we had that and we've continued that from last season. But some of the duelling defensively and some of the play with the ball, we need to be a little bit more disciplined, a little bit more controlled. There are still small parts to iron out and I'm sure we'll get there by the time we start.”
Toko gave us the lead after four minutes, tapping home from close range after Julie Blakstad managed to get a flick to Caitlin Dijkstra’s cross from the left, but that was cancelled out four minutes later when the visitors grabbed a leveller.
Tandberg restored our lead on 16 minutes with her first goal of pre-season as she picked out the back of the net from the six-yard box with a side-foot volley after Blakstad put it on a plate for her fellow Norway international, following good work from Kirsty Hanson in the build-up.
We were pegged back once again just after the half hour mark and despite Tandberg striking the woodwork in the closing stages, we went into the break all square. Wijk was introduced at the break for her first appearance since suffering a MCL injury in April.
The visitors took the lead for the first time in the contest nine minutes later but we were back on level terms just after the hour mark, Dijkstra rising highest to Matilda Vinberg’s corner to head home at the back post. We restored our lead on 66 minutes thanks to a low curling effort from around 20 yards out by Holdt, just four minutes after her introduction.
Holdt turned provider for Ahtinen on 74 minutes with the midfielder sending a low, powerful strike from the edge of the box into the back of the net to complete the scoring for us on another productive afternoon in pre-season.
Starting XI: Panengstuen (Kop 62), Morris (Wijk 46), Koga, Dijkstra, Blakstad (A. Nilden 46), Spence (Summanen 62), Pelova (Ahtinen 62), Gaupset (M. Nilden 62), Martinez, Tandberg (Holdt 62 (Pierre 90)), Hanson (Vinberg 46). Substitutes (not used): Jackson, Hills.
