Surprising stats suggest Spurs can still win Women’s FA Cup Final despite huge Grace Clinton blow
Tottenham Women are 90 minutes away from ending the club's sixteen-year wait for silverware.
Just Manchester United stand between them and the historic achievement of lifting the Women's FA Cup.
The two sides will battle it out in front of a sold-out stadium on Sunday 12 May from 2:30pm, live on talkSPORT 2.
But for Tottenham, they will have to overcome the fact that they will be without one of their biggest stars in the crucial game.
Young Lioness Grace Clinton was hit with the devastating news that she would not be eligible to feature against Man United in the final as she is on-loan from the Red Devils this season.
While her skill and work rate on the pitch mean she will surely experience many Wembley finals in her career, it is a shame indeed that she will miss out on this one.
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Clinton has been outstanding for club and country this season, scoring four goals and picking up three crucial assists for Spurs in the WSL so far.
The 21-year-old also had the perfect England debut, scoring on her first start in a friendly against Austria after just 19 minutes in a game which the Lionesses ended up winning 7-2.
Her teammates have been full of praise for her and, speaking as part of the Tottenham Hotspur’s ‘Her Journey’ themed evening with TUMI ahead of the final, Spurs striker Rosella Ayane told talkSPORT just what an impact she has had this season.
She said: "To be completely honest, I didn't actually know Grace before she came to the club! But she's obviously made a real name for herself this season. And I'm really happy for her because off the pitch, she's honestly lovely."
But while Clinton will be a huge miss at Wembley, the midfielder's impact in their FA Cup campaign specifically has not been as large as one might have expected.
Of Spurs' four FA Cups games this season, Clinton has played in the last three, not featuring in their fourth round 3-2 comeback win over Sheffield United.
She played just the first half in their 1-0 victory over Charlton in the fifth round, in which Spurs managed to snatch a 76th minute goal.
Her most crucial role in the FA Cup campaign likely came in their quarter-final victory over Manchester City in which she played the full 120 minutes in a game which Spurs eventually won on penalties.
And she came off after 77 minutes in Spurs' semi-final 2-1 win over Leicester, with goals in the 83rd and 118th minute ultimately securing their victory.
These are statistics that indicate that while Clinton has been a key component of what Spurs have done this season, they can have confidence that they are capable of completing the final piece of the puzzle without her.
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Spurs will also take heart from the fact that players like Jessica Naz, Martha Thomas, Amy James-Turner and Becky Spencer have all starred in various games for their side this season.
But Ayane believes that Clinton's absence will still be keenly felt by the team.
She said: "I think we're going to miss her at Wembley - of course we are. But she knows how much she's done for us, getting us to that point.
"And I just hope she can keep on doing what she's doing because she's probably had one of the best seasons of players in the WSL at her age. I'm just really happy for her and I can't wait to see her push on."
Naturally, one of Spurs' priorities will surely be to tie down Clinton for next season and beyond - if they can.
The midfielder is currently set to return to Man United come the end of the season, but having shone at Spurs, a move could seem like an attractive option.
Ayane was asked about whether she and Clinton's other Spurs teammates had been trying to persuade the youngster to stay with the club.
"To be honest, I actually don't get involved with all that - I kind of just leave that sort of banter to everyone else", she laughed.
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"But whatever she does, I mean, she's a great player. She's got smart people around her and whatever she decides to do, everyone in the changing will be happy for, because that'll be the best decision for her. So whatever she does, I'm sure it'll be the best choice."
Manchester United vs Spurs in the Women's FA Cup final is live on talkSPORT 2 on Sunday 12 May from 2:30pm.