Spencer backs Shaw to excel at Man City

NATIONAL AND Tottenham Hotspur women’s goalkeeper, Rebecca Spencer, has backed fellow Reggae Girl Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw to take her game to new heights with Manchester City in England.

Shaw, 24, will begin life in the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) this Saturday as Man City travel to Everton in their season-opener. Shaw signed a three-year deal with the club in June after two seasons with Bordeaux in France.

It is a move that has excited the 30-year-old English-born Spencer, who made her international debut with the Reggae Girlz in June. Shaw’s arrival, she said, is a big signing for the league. But Spencer says the Jamaican striker will need time to adjust.

“I think with Bunny (Shaw) coming here, it’s going to be big for us as a league to see her talent. And I think for her she is at a great club in Man City and she is only going to get better,” Spencer told The Gleaner. “(But) I think you have to give yourself a bit of patience when you come over here, and as soon as you hit the ground running, go and smash it, basically.”

SHAW’S CAPABILITIES

Spencer will not have to wait long to see first-hand what Shaw is capable of. Man City and Tottenham will clash in the second game of the season on September 12, a match that she is relishing.

“I mean I’m worried because we are playing against them in two weeks. I hope she doesn’t put any past (me) in that game,” Spencer said. “Once we finish with Man City, I hope that she bangs in the goals.

“I know she had been in phenomenal form in France. So I hope that she brings it over here so that she can bring it to Jamaica, too,” Spencer continued. “It will be a lovely battle, but I hope I’ll come out on top.”

For the majority of her career, Spencer has played in England, with stints at Birmingham City, Chelsea, and West Ham. Now entering her third season with Tottenham, she says it will be a pivotal year for the league, given the multimillion-pound, three-year investment that broadcasters BBC and Sky Sports made in March.

“To have our games alongside the men’s games, I feel like just having visibility and sharing that platform is massive for us as players, and it shows that people are serious about women’s football,” Spencer said. “I think with that, we are going to be in people’s faces. I feel like we deserve it in this country for sure.”

While excited at the prospect of the increased exposure of the WSL this year, she is hoping that she can stay healthy and be consistent for this season for Tottenham, a team that has aspirations of improving from their eighth-place finish last season.

“For us, we have always felt that we have fallen short. We haven’t been consistent enough over the last two seasons, but we want to hope for a top-five finish this season. We want to be up there. We want to be competing with the best teams. I think we are going through a transitional period with new players coming in and stuff, but there is nothing stopping us from being up there,” Spencer said.

Tottenham open their campaign on Saturday when they host Birmingham City.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com