The London Bees return to the Bees Stadium this Sunday (2pm) as they host Luton Town in matchday 18 of the FAWNL Division One South East.

 

London Bees:

 

The Bees suffered a 3-0 defeat to Norwich City at the Nest in their most recent fixture.

 

The match was a competitive contest, but Norwich City gradually began to apply pressure on London Bees and took the lead just after the 10th minute when Grace Riglar volleyed home from a corner.

 

The hosts continued to push forward and later doubled their advantage through a long-range strike from Holly Kennard, giving Norwich a 2–0 lead at half-time despite the Bees creating a chance of their own through Sam Lanza late in the half.

 

After the break, the Bees returned with more energy and created several opportunities, including a powerful effort from Hayley Hoare that hit the crossbar and another chance for Lanza that was saved.

 

Alex Penny and Renai Bennett were also introduced for their debuts as the Bees looked to get back into the game, but Norwich sealed the result late on with a third goal from a header, confirming a 3–0 defeat.

 

London Bees last five results:

 

Norwich City 3 – 0 London Bees

 

London Bees 2 – 0 Dulwich Hamlet

 

London Bees 2 – 4 Watford Development (Combined Counties Cup)

 

London Bees 4 – 1 MK Dons

 

Chatham Town 6 – 1 London Bees

 

In the dugout:

 

London Bees coach James McKimm spoke ahead of the fixture:

 

“Although there’s not long left of the league campaign now, there’s still plenty for us to play for and that starts this weekend.

 

Luton have had some decent results in their last few games, so we need to be at it from the first whistle.

 

It’s been 4 weeks since we last played at home, so looking forward to being back in front of the Bees faithful this weekend”.

 

Luton Town:

 

Luton Town Ladies is a women’s football team based in Luton and affiliated with Luton Town F.C.

 

Founded in 1997, Luton have achieved several milestones, including promotions through the leagues and strong runs in cup competitions such as the Women’s FA Cup.

 

One of their most notable recent achievements came in the 2024–25 season when they won the Eastern Region Women’s Football League title and League Cup double, earning promotion back to the FA Women’s National League.

 

In their most recent fixture, Luton Town earned a point in a 2–2 draw with Milton Keynes Dons Women after Tasha Fensome scored a late equaliser five minutes from time.

 

After a quiet start, Luton took the lead just before half-time when Amy McLean turned her marker and finished well from Andie Dickens’ throw-in.

 

Milton Keynes responded strongly after the break, with goalkeeper Sarah Hudson making several important saves, but the visitors eventually turned the game around when Maddie Pollard scored twice late in the second half.

 

With the match nearing its end, Emily Wilson set up Fensome, who showed strength and pace to get past her defender and finish to secure a point for the Hatters.

 

Luton Town last five results:

 

Luton Town 2 – 2 MK Dons

 

Luton Town 0 – 1 Fulham

 

AFC Sudbury 3 – 4 Luton Town

 

Luton Town 3 – 0 Chesham United

 

Luton 0 – 0 Real Bedford (Capital Women’s Cup, Bedford win 4-3 on pens)

 

In the opposition dugout:

 

Luton Town co-managers Fadi Mazloum and Myles Maddix will be in the dugout for the visitors this Sunday.

 

Mazloum joined the club in late 2023 after previous coaching roles with teams such as Stevenage Women, where he also won the Hertfordshire County Cup in 2022.

 

Soon after his arrival, Maddix was promoted to co-manager, and the pair went on to lead the side through a strong period that included promotion to the FA Women’s National League, a county cup victory, and an impressive run of consecutive wins.

 

Ones to watch:

 

Luton Town’s Natasha Fensome is the clubs leading top goal scorer this season, finding the back of the net 14 times in 22 appearances across all competitions this season.

 

Last time the sides met:

 

London Bees took all three points last time out away to the Hatters, after a stunning long-range free kick from Millie Isherwood found the back of the net late in the first half, which helped secure the victory.

 

The Bees started brightly and controlled possession early in their match against Luton Town. Shamoy Campbell was a constant threat on the wing, while Rebekah Wozniak helped organise a disciplined defence that limited Luton’s chances.

 

Midway through the first half, goalkeeper Tia Ginn made an important save before Millie Isherwood scored a superb free-kick, lifting the ball into the top corner to give the Bees a 1–0 lead.

 

Sam Lanza nearly doubled the advantage before half-time when her shot struck the post.

 

In the second half, the Bees continued to create chances, with Ginn making another key save and substitutes adding fresh energy, but no further goals followed.

 

The match ended with a 1–0 victory and a clean sheet for the Bees.

 

Dan McKimm’s side play their first game back at The Bees stadium in nearly a month, and they’ll be looking to take all the three points on home turf and maintain their high spot in the table.