Report and reaction as Albion beat Spurs 1-0 in the WSL

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Fifth of the season by Fran Kirby earns Seagulls a 1-0 win at Brisbane Road.

Bruce Talbot

2025-03-16T16:45+00:00

Fran Kirby fires Albion in front just before the break at Brisbane Road. 📷 Kyle Hemsley.

Albion ended their eight-match winless run in the WSL with a deserved win over Spurs at Brisbane Road.

Fran Kirby’s well-taken fifth goal of the season just before the break was the difference in a scrappy game and Albion had further chances while Melina Loeck was rarely tested at the other end. Spurs lacked bite without injured top scorer Beth England and Albion moved back into fifth place in the table after ending a run of six straight away defeats.

Fran Kirby celebrates with Rachel McLauchlan, whose assist was her third in successive matches. 📷 Kyle Hemsley.

Guro Bergsvand took the captain’s armband for Albion in the absence of the injured Vicky Losada and Spurs made the early running, but Martha Thomas couldn’t keep an early effort on target.

Albion’s ball retention and passing improved as the half wore on and they created their first chance on 32 minutes when Kirby took a pass from Rachel McLauchlan but her right-foot shot from outside the box was always rising over the bar.

Marisa Olislagers, who’d scored when the teams drew 1-1 in December, went closer seven minutes before the break with a right-foot strike from 25 yards which Tottenham keeper Lize Kop pushed away for one of five corners Albion won in as many minutes.

Nadine Noordam breaks forward. 📷 Kyle Hemsley.

Kop raced out to save at Kirby’s feet and Nikita Parris’s shot was blocked but Albion’s pressure was building and it paid off three minutes before the break. Olislagers’ volley deflected off Molly Bartrip to Rachel McLauchlan who intelligently laid the ball back for Kirby to steer a right-foot shot into the far corner from six yards. After a slow start Albion deserved to be ahead at the break.

Fran Kirby celebrates after scoring her fifth goal of the season. 📷 Kyle Hemsley.

Parris volleyed wide from six yards before testing Kop with a header just past the hour. Spurs had plenty of the ball at the start of the second half but Albion carried more attacking threat and Kop was forced to make another save in the 69th minute when she kept out Mady Haley’s close-range header after Olislagers’ free-kick picked her out.

Madison Haley holds off Spurs' Ashleigh Neville. 📷 Kyle Hemsley.

With 15 minutes to go Michelle Agyemang and Pauline Bremer came on and Agyemang’s pace soon stretched Spurs. She almost got on the end of another fine delivery from the left by Olislagers and Parris nearly got the goal she deserved only to be denied by a defender’s head in stoppage time. Ella Morris fired a stoppage-time shot over the bar for Spurs, who didn’t have a shot on target as Albion deservedly returned to winning ways.

The line-up

Albion: Loeck, Thorisdottir, Bergsvand, Pattinson, McLauchlan (Bremer 75), Symonds, Noordam, Kirby (Agyemang 75), Haley, Oilslagers, Parris.

Subs not used: Baggaley, Hayes, Rule, Stefanovic, Masaka, Seike, Auee.

Referee: R. Atkin

Vidosic: I'm extremely proud

Head coach Dario Vidosic gave his thoughts: "We knew it would be a tough game against,a very good team but I thought we were quite dominant. We limited them to very few shots, very few opportunities. We were probably a little bit unlucky not to maybe score a couple more, we had a couple of good set pieces and a couple of opportunities where it was just that final ball that was lacking but I'm extremely proud of the performance.

"I guess it says a lot about all the work that's gone in. We try not to go too high when the good times were there and never to go too low when it's a bit tougher. We want to keep working, keep trusting in what we're doing.

"After we adapted to the conditions in the first 15-20 minutes we were quite dominant in that first half and at full control in the second. We knew they were going to throw players on with a lot of speed and they threw more numbers forward, but again I thought we controlled the game."