Antoine hits hat-trick in big win for Under-21s over Foxes

Cairo Eva Antoine bagged a hat-trick to help our Women’s Under-21s to a magnificent 4-1 victory over Leicester City in the Professional Game Academy League on Wednesday.

With a number of our Academy players stepping up to first team training over the international break, five Under-16s were named in the starting XI, including a further two amongst the substitutes, and they were influential in a commanding performance on a glorious day at Hotspur Way with two of them on the scoresheet.

Antoine fired us ahead inside the opening 10 minutes, converting Heidi Hills’ low ball, before Eloise Summers-Mee doubled our lead just before the half-hour mark with a brilliant header to make it four goals in seven games for our Under-21s.

Although the visitors responded after the break with Sammy Kalzmar pulling a goal back after the hour mark, we stepped up our intensity once again in the final 15 minutes and Antoine netted a further two goals, both headers, to secure back-to-back wins in the league.

We were quick out of the blocks in the second half as Emily McMaster and Fran Hamer both saw efforts from distance fail to challenge the visitors' shot stopper Harriet Wayne. However, we did manage to eventually capitalise on our positive start as, on nine minutes, Summers-Mee laid the ball back to Hills just inside the box and her low ball across the face of the goal was tapped home by Antoine at the back post.

While Leicester tried to respond from the early setback, Amya Hammond-McLean curling over the bar, we were inches away from doubling our lead in the 14th-minute and Antoine was at the heart of it once again, her low cross from the left area of the box was cleared onto the crossbar by one of the visitors’ defenders, while Hills was let down by her first touch inside the box, allowing a defender and the goalkeeper to deny the defender.

Sophie Jackson was called into action to keep out Freya Pearce’s effort after she raced behind our backline before, just ahead of the half hour mark, we doubled our advantage as a lovely cross from Beatrice Cunnison on the left put it on a plate for Summers-Mee just outside the six-yard box and she guided her header beyond Wayne. Straight from kick-off, Kalzmar tried to force a response but, once again, Jackson stood strong to deny the forward.

Chances were few and far between for the latter stages of the opening half, although the visitors had a goal disallowed for offside on the stroke of half time, but Leicester picked up the tempo in the second period and, after squandering a number of opportunities in the early stages of the restart, Kalzmar eventually grabbed a goal as she got the better of Grace Breen before lifting it over the advancing Jackson to slot home.

We didn’t let the game swing into their favour and we quickly reinstated our control of the encounter, Poppy Neill slicing an effort wide of the target before playing a pivotal role in our third goal of the afternoon when Neill’s cross from the right took a deflection and looped into the air and Antoine-Eva, who was determined to get in front of her defender at the back post, headed home to double her tally in the 76th-minute

Neill then forced Wayne into a low save at her near post as we entered the final five minutes of proceedings and that was plenty of time for Antoine to secure her hat-trick as, from the resulting corner, Neill’s corner was punched away by the visitors’ keeper but only to Antoine just inside the box and she sent a looping header over Wayne and into the back of the net, rounding off an excellent afternoon for our youngsters in the penultimate home game of the campaign.

Alongside Antoine-Eva and Summers-Mee, Under-16s players' Neill, Nife Aramide, Jackson and Holly Mae-Elmes have also appeared for our Under-21s this season, but there was a first appearance for Ellie Johnson at this level, stepping off the bench midway through the second half. Faye Fields-Davies continued to build her match fitness as a late second half substitute after recovering from a spell on the sidelines with an injury.

'I’m super pleased for everyone involved'

Reflecting on the game, Nick Hardy said: "We’ve had a bit of a unique week as eight of our Under-21s have stepped up to first team training during the international break and the knock on from that is the spaces to be filled with Under-16s but I had no concerns about that and this game is a perfect example of what we have in the cohort below. In that first half, we were quick out of the blocks, exciting and they showed their personality as players, with and without the ball, and that's what we requested really. We just asked all individuals to support each other but also be the best versions of themselves individually, so I’m super pleased for everyone involved. I’m really proud of all the girls but also the programme, including the coaches, the physical team, the medical team to ensure these players can compete to their best at this level.”