A walk down Memory Lane as Sent Her Forward recalls some of the finest players I’ve had the privilege of watching
Leigh Farley scored the first goal I ever saw live in women’s football – but she did far more than that (Photo: Dave Burt)
It’s almost seven years since I began watching women’s football – and nearly six since I started reporting on it on Sent Her Forward.
Time for a list or two, I think.
Regular followers will know that, unlike most of the media covering the women’s game, I set as much store by the grassroots clubs – the ones who attracted me to it in the first place – as the super élite, who are now beginning to get the rewards that seemed only a pipe dream when I first began covering it.
I have so much respect for those players who travel all over the county/region every Sunday, as well as fitting in training after school/college/work for absolutely no reward but the camaraderie of their team-mates and the privilege of playing a game of football – often in atrocious conditions on even more atrocious “pitches”, with little more than a draughty hut with lukewarm showers (if they’re lucky) to retreat to at the end of 90 minutes’ endeavour.
Respect, too, for the managers, coaches and officials who give up often considerably more time and family life to ensure these women and girls get the chance of a competitive hour and a half once a week.
And admiration for the quality of the game – still, mercifully, largely played without the over-hyped dramatics and cynicism of professional men’s football, by players who might not have quite the physique and power of their male counterparts but who, for me, have at least as much talent and technique.
Moreover, many of those players are now my friends (or at least were until I publish this).
I’ve derived so much pride from seeing 15-year-olds, playing pure football at a standard my (male) contemporaries and I could only have dreamed of in another lifetime, blossoming into high-class players who have a footballing world at their feet (many of whom have somehow managed to devote enough of their spare time to studying, in-between playing and training, to collect good-quality university degrees along the way).
These are not necessarily the best I’ve seen and “favourites” doesn’t necessarily mean they’re my favourite people (some of my best friends in women’s football didn’t quite make it)
So it’s time to recognise some of those in Sent Her Forward‘s inimitable way – in dream teams.
I’ve seen thousands of players in those six or seven years, so most of them aren’t going to get a look-in in a couple of 18-player squads.
So apologies to every player who doesn’t make it – I’ve still appreciated your contribution to something that has added a new dimension to my life in journalism.
I’ve decided to select two sides – some players overlapping – but definitely not all from the Super League.
The first comprises some of my favourite players. These are not necessarily the best I’ve seen (though many are). And “favourites” doesn’t necessarily mean they’re my favourite people (some of my best friends in women’s football didn’t quite make it).
It means they had an impact on me in the way they played – perhaps their wholehearted commitment, their attitude, quality of touch or positivity. Or maybe just because whenever I saw them play they excited me.
And then there’s the élite – the crême de la crême of players who stand out because they really are among the best.
But that’s for part two.
Dalton’s Favourites
Eleven starters and seven subs. It’s not a lot.
My initial shortlist had nearly 50 names.
But before I list my squad in all its glory, here’s a word or two about some who just missed out.
Holly Nunn impressed on each occasion I watched her play for Abbey Rangers (Photo: Julie Hoare)
Goalkeeepers
Despite the stereotypical image thrust into the minds of most newcomers to the game, I’ve had the pleasure of watching dozens of outstanding keepers.
Few have impressed me more than the two who make my squad (below) – plus these three.
Hannah Haughton A truly brilliant shot-stopper who takes the game – and her performances – very seriously. Now at Portsmouth, she was the main reason the sadly now-defunct Southampton Saints remained formidable opponents for so long in Division One West of the Premier/National League.
Holly Nunn She is an excellent goalkeeper who impressed me every time I saw Abbey Rangers play in the South East Counties Women’s Football League.
Hope Laker Unfortunately, her various commitments meant Hope has rarely been able to settle at a club, but her performances when I’ve watched her – one especially in the face of an almost incessant onslaught – were among the best I have seen from a grassroots goalkeeper.
Defenders
Pace in a full-back always sets my heart racing, and former Brighton player Sophie Perry – as at home on the wing as at the back – has plenty of it, as well as immense skill, accurate delivery and admirable commitment.
Lower down the footballing scale are five centre-backs I would have loved to include. But there were so many top-class players vying for so few places.
Brooke Marshall rarely put a foot wrong whenever I saw her play for Worthing Minors and later Worthing FC. She’s an elegant footballer and an all-round nice person.
Then there’s Anne Astiz. I saw her only a couple of times, but each time she performed for Rottingdean Village at a level rarely seen in the SECWFL, the epitome of calm and composure.
And just to reassure us about the future of the game, how about these young, but exceptionally talented, defenders?
Eleanor Keegan, playing against boys at 15, is surely a star of the future (Photo: Dave Burt)
I once compared a performance by a 15-year-old Eleanor Keegan, for Crawley Wasps against a team of 16-year-old boys, to Bobby Moore. I don’t regret it. You’ll see why in years to come.
Likewise, hopefully, with Gracie White, one of the most naturally gifted defenders I’ve seen, who should make a defensive berth her own at Chichester City in the coming season.
I saw Abbie Sandle play for her college team. She can’t have been more than 16. Her side were thrashed. She was player of the match. Another with a potentially terrific career ahead of her.
And then there’s Sarah Killick-Bird. Slightly older but such an elegant footballer who reads the game so well and plays with a smile on her face.
Midfield
Kelly Newton – a model player with Lewes for so long. She’s a marvellous example to team-mates – and now those she manages.
Kirsty Barton – so consistently impressive in an average Brighton team, she survived the cull when James Marrs arrived to transform the club and was still there when Hope Powell oversaw their entry into the Women’s Super League.
Dani Buet – a mainstay in that WSL Brighton midfield, who eats up the miles and has a shot like a sledgehammer.
Danielle Carlton – a Rolls-Royce of a player but tough as teak. Shone for Gillingham and Brighton before getting her Super League chance with Millwall. Injuries have curtailed progress since, or she could well have been a starter in my Faves XI.
Emma Green scored and created goals for fun, at Crawley Wasps and latterly with Sutton United.
Nicole Webley – so strong, yet elegant; Andrea Barnard – so elegant, yet strong; Amy Perkins – a player I believe could have made it to the highest levels, had injuries not taken such a toll.
Henna Butcher – an asset in any position, with pace, power and an eye for goal; Ellie Coade – a supreme leader in Newhaven’s midfield; Naomi Robinson – one of the most consistent footballers I’ve ever seen. Rarely has a bad game and a brilliant leader, with more goals than many strikers.
And Jen Weller – any grassroots team would want the powerful Weller on their side. Tough in the tackle but with a footballing brain.
Strikers
Sarah Wiltshire, seen here during a brief spell at her husband’s Cambridge United, has played at the very top of the English game (Photo used by kind permission of Sarah Wiltshire)
So much talent – and so many goals – left out. Women’s football is not short of top-class goalscorers.
I’ve chosen the players I have for good reasons that fit well in my definition of a Favourites XI.
But I enjoyed watching each of these, too:
Sara Wiltshire – goalscorer extraordinaire, with so much more to her game. I saw her score a peach for Yeovil Town in WSL2 and I watched her ease back into the Spurs squad in a deeper, more pro-active role, befitting of somebody matured by motherhood.
Cherelle Khassal is about to follow her into the élite end of the game, having recently signed for Crystal Palace. Her pace and spectacular goals for Brighton, Lewes, Portsmouth and especially Chichester City made her a joy to watch. It will be fascinating to see her try her luck at the next step up.
Her former Chichester team-mate, Jade Widdows, may also have her eye on the next level. Her all-action, direct style, coupled with genuine pace and strength, made her a must-watch player at Chichester, Brighton and – before all that – Worthing Minors. Now with Portsmouth.
Another attacking player who has made a similar switch is Alex Collighan, who made her Chichester City debut at 16 and is now a rising star at Pompey, while Charley Wilson went the other way, helping transform Chichester during her brief time there in what proved to be a launch-pad into the big time.
Others I’ve enjoyed watching include Lucy Jellett; predator Jade Page; Crawley Wasps’ Roseanne Fine, and Jade Gardiner, whose performance – and two goals – for Wivelsfield Green against Premier League South champions Brighton I shall never forget.
But now for those who did make it.
Sent Her Forward Dream Team – Favourite XI
Helen Bashford (Wivelsfield Green/Haywards Heath and Wivelsfield)
Lauren Cheshire (Chichester City); Deanna Cooper (Gillingham/Brighton/London Bees/Chelsea); Tammy Waine (Brighton/Chichester City/Lewes); Rachel Palmer (Lewes/Crawley Wasps)
Jay Blackie (Gillingham/Brighton/C&K Basildon/Billericay Town); Jade Widdowson (Chichester City); Leigh Farley (Wivelsfield Green)
Chloe Evans (Lewes U16/Lewes Foundation/Saltdean United); Charlotte Gurr (Gillingham/Brighton/Charlton Athletic); Kit Graham (Charlton Athletic)
Subs:
Lauren Graves (Crawley Wasps); Charley Boswell (Brighton/Lewes); Lucie Challen (Chichester City); Vicky Ashton-Jones (Gillingham/Brighton); Leeta Rutherford (Portsmouth/Millwall/Lewes); Danni Lane (Worthing Minors/Lewes); Gemma Hillier (Portsmouth)
These are players I truly loved watching.
Brave, maybe bonkers, but Helen Bashford was an amazing asset to Wivelsfield Green on and off the field (Photo: Dave Burt)
Bash was not your stereotypical cat-like goalkeepers but is one of the best I ever saw, who would give everything on the pitch and just as much off it. Brilliant in one-on-ones. Loyalty personified, she deserves to be my first-choice.
Chesh was equally committed to the cause, serving Chichester City loyally and with distinction.
Cooper is simply the best female footballer I’ve ever seen.
Waine was a striker of some note when I first saw her play for Brighton, but when she was converted to centre-back at Chichester City and Lewes, she was a revelation. As the years began to take their toll, her brain bailed her out. And boy, has she got a football brain.
Palmer is a joy to watch – and a pleasure to talk to. Few players have a foot – right or left – that so reliably delivers a ball at pace to its target. She scores goals because of it and she prevents goals because of her wholehearted approach.
Blackie makes me purr when I watch her – though probably not her opponents. I saw her run midfield for Gillingham against Brighton, and then for Brighton against virtually everyone as she helped the club achieve their Super League dream before a falling-out left her to pursue her football elsewhere. She’s still got it – and a Uefa A licence and first-class honours degree, too, these days.
Injuries unfortunately halted the careers of two immensely talented midfielders who I always looked forward to seeing play.
At her peak Jade Widdowson was such an elegant player (Photo: Darran Stevens)
Widdowson was elegant, a magnificent passer and a devil to shake off the ball.
Farley somehow married intensity, leadership, tough tackling and imaginative passing. Scored the very first goal I saw in women’s football for her beloved Wivelsfield Green. Along with Katie McIntyre, Palmer and Charlotte Barnham, possibly the best dead-ball kicker I’ve seen in the women’s game.
Evans is a dream player. I never tire of watching her, not only because she belies her lack of inches (or centimetres these days) with tenacity and skill, but because she is among the most intelligent footballers I have ever had the privilege to watch.
Gurr was another to leave Brighton at what could have been a golden era for the club – and for her. Like Palmer, she has a magical left foot, scoring for fun and serving up even more goals for her team-mates. She is a magnificent footballer.
Graham quickly established a reputation as a goalscorer, but I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her develop into a terrific all-round player. She still scores 20 a season, but like Gurr, she plays so many others in, too. Possibly the most unselfish goal-poacher I’ve ever seen, Graham deserves her shot at the big time.
The subs’ bench
Lauren Graves is the youngest player in my squad. I’ve watched her since she was 15, when she was outstanding against a boys’ team. Has the potential to become a truly great goalkeeper.
Charley Boswell has superb close control and searing pace. She was a star of Brighton’s FAW Premier League-winning team but has had an injury-hit few years since.
Lucie Challen Speaking of pace… Challen is one of the nippiest players I’ve seen. At left-back, she was one half of a deadly attacking full-back pairing that helped Chichester establish themselves in the third tier. Has had a big injury set-back, but I hope she’s able to rediscover that terrific form and wholehearted approach.
Vicky Ashton-Jones The foil for the magnificent Deanna Cooper in the heart of Brighton’s title-winning defence. She’s a tough opponent but a composed footballer, with an excellent passing range.
Leeta Rutherford Like Tammy Waine, a player whose career took another path when she was converted from midfielder to centre-back. A tenacious tackler, superb passer and canny thinker, she stood out in the defensive role, but has since played many games back in midfield.
Danni Lane It’s been a pleasure to follow Lane’s progress from star turn in tier-seven Worthing Minors to key player in the Championship with Lewes. At home on the wing or attacking from midfield, Lane’s energy, strength and eye for goal have made her (thus far) one of those players her club cannot do without. Modest, too.
Gemma Hillier She makes things happen. Usually goals. Created them in spades and helped herself to a fair few, as well, during a highly successful career with Portsmouth.
Part two of Sent Her Forward‘s ultimate dream teams – Dalton’s Best – will appear soon
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