REHANNE SKINNER toasted her opening day on the job as Tottenham bagged their FIRST win of the season – with Alex Morgan scoring her first goal for Spurs.
Phil Neville’s former England No2 replaced Juan Amoros and Karen Hills as head coach after the popular duo were axed two weeks ago – and it seems it has already paid off.
Kerys Harrop’s mouth-watering free kick had put the host’s ahead before Inessa Kaagman’s spot-kick pulled one back.
Angela Addison doubled the home side’s lead before USA World Cup winner Morgan wrapped things up with her first Spurs goal since her loan move from Orlando Pride in September.
Skinner said: “It couldn’t have gone better! I really enjoyed it.
“This is something I’ve been looking forward to, and game day is the best day of the week so for me it felt really comfortable and relaxed.
“All the work we’ve put in I was confident with. This has moved us in a direction we wanted to move in.
“Alex has obviously been building her time on the pitch for the last couple of months.
“She’s getting more and more back to where she wants to be and it’s going to take little bits of time and opportunities like today will help to get her back quicker.”
The opener all started with Morgan who cleverly won a dubious free-kick on the edge of the area after a light shove from Victoria Williams.
Kerys Harrop stood over it and sent an exquisite strike dipping and curling into the top corner on 11 minutes.
But tempers flared when Alanna Kennedy’s reckless high boot on Aileen Whelan prompted referee Emily Heaslip to point to the spot.
Kaagman fired home the equaliser before Kennedy nearly redeemed herself after cracking a peach of a free-kick agonizingly wide.
Addison turned out to be the hero after her twinkle toes twisted inside and out of two Brighton defenders as well as keeper Megan Walsh to slot home on the 63rd minute.
Hope Powell’s side hit back strongly with Kaagman rattling the woodwork from distance.
But the North Londoners cranked up the pressure and Ria Percivel was clattered to the floor by Williams with Heaslip once again pointing to the spot in the dying moments.
Morgan bravely stepped up after missing the decisive penalty against Arsenal in the League Cup a couple of weeks ago.
Seagulls chief Hope Powell said: “Credit must go to Tottenham they really came at us I think it was competitive, but Spurs were the better team and the result reflects that. We lacked quality on the ball.”
