Sunday 12 May is set to be an historic day for the Women's First Team as we compete in our first-ever Women’s FA Cup final.

Just 10 years ago, we were finishing the 2013/14 FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division season with a 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City that saw us finish sixth in the table.

A defender who made 14 appearances during that campaign was one of our own and Club legend, Jenna Schillaci, who has played an integral role in our progress over the last decade.

Jenna was an ever-present during her 13 seasons at the Club, making in excess of 300 appearances and lifting eight trophies along the way, including the quadruple during the 2016/17 campaign.

Despite an impressive and successful rise to becoming a fully-fledged professional Women's Super League side, it wasn’t always a smooth ride and the team faced certain hurdles along the way but can be proud to have laid the foundations for the team to now compete for the biggest prizes in the domestic game.

In this exclusive interview with our former star, Jenna looks back through it all and looks ahead to the Wembley final...

"I just started off playing at grassroots for Spurs as a 16-year-old," when reflecting on her journey with the Club. "We trained one night a week at nine o’clock in Tottenham and the warm-up was jogging around that estate, and my mum would follow us to make sure we got back safe, so that gives you an idea on how far the club has come.

"We had to pay to actually play but, as we went up the pyramid, we had to balance work and semi-professional football, then eventually being a professional footballer. On the day of the semi-final, I was getting memories on my phone and it was us at Cheshunt lifting our first trophy and that was only eight seasons ago, showing you how quick everything has happened.

"The following day, I got the memories of us winning the league at White Hart Lane in 2017 and, from that moment on, it just catapulted. It has happened in a short space of time, but I feel proud of my journey and I’m delighted to see where our Women’s team should be, where they deserve to be and the investment from the Club has been amazing and that’s only going to continue."

Jenna would go on to have significant moments throughout her career in Lilywhite but, perhaps, none more so than the conclusion to the FA Women's Championship season. Trailing 2-0 at the break in the penultimate game against promotion rivals Charlton, it took one of the 'best halves of football' to turn the game around and, crucially, meant that the 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa in May, 2019, was enough to claim second and with it promotion to the WSL for the first time.

In that game at Villa's Boldmere St Michaels Football Club, an 18-year-old Jess Naz handed us the lead within the opening two minutes before the home side grabbed the equaliser just after the break and we had to withstand heavy pressure from the hosts in the closing stages to secure the point. Jenna, who started the game, reflected on that memorable occasion…

"We played Charlton the Sunday before the Villa game, we were 2-0 down at half-time before coming back to win 3-2 after I scored and two headed goals from Ashleigh," she said.

"That was a huge second half performance, our chat at half time was so powerful and we knew we had the chance to change our lives, but we were about to ruin it if we didn’t put in a huge 45 minutes.

"The second half was one of the best halves of football I have been involved in and meant we only needed a point at Villa in the week."

When looking back at the Villa game, she said: "Jess scored a stunning goal, like she does, from a quick free-kick and, then in the second half, we were under so much pressure, it was probably one of the worst games I have played in as a centre-back, the pressure just kept coming and then I remember the last minute, they had a shot at goal, our goalkeeper saved it in the top corner, they then got the second phase and ‘Ash’ cleared it off the line with a header.

"The referee then gave them a free-kick and you just think 'this is it' but we defended it and the referee blew the whistle. I just remember hating every second of the closing minutes, it was relentless. Once the whistle went, all our family and friends were there, the fans who followed us everywhere, it was unreal experience."

Throughout her career in Lilywhite, Jenna featured on numerous occasions in the Women’s FA Cup and there were some scorelines to forget, including a 10-0 loss to Arsenal back in March, 2017, but, fast-forward seven years, we secured our first-ever victory in the north London derby after a stunning 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The defender also created history in the FA Cup with the Club back in February, 2020, as she captained the side and registered a clean sheet in a 5-0 win over Coventry United in the fifth round of the competition in what proved to be her last game for the Club, helping us progress to what was our first quarter-final at the time.

"I have some great FA Cup memories," she beamed.

"We played Manchester City once and it was when the likes of Carli Lloyd, Lucy Bronze were there, but we were in the third tier and these superstars had to come to Cheshunt and we actually had quite a big crowd that day, we held them to 0-0, so we started to believe, but then they brought on the big guns and we lost.

"I didn’t realise at the time that cup game against Coventry was to be my final game for the Club and one of the last days I would see my team-mates all together as days after that fixture the country went into lockdown due to COVID and, during those months, I made the tough decision to retire.

"I look back on that game now maybe with a little regret and sadness that I didn’t take in that moment more, soak up every bit of it, but I wasn’t to know that would be my final game. I was proud to lead the team out on that evening and create another bit of history for the Club, we performed well and turned out to be a comfortable win for us in the end. My family travelled to Coventry for that game, so it makes me happy that they were there to watch."

Four years later, the defender was watching from the sidelines at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, alongside more than 18,000 supporters, to witness Martha Thomas head home the winner in the 118th minute against Leicester City to book our spot in the final of the competition for the first time in our history.

Not only being a former player that achieved so much in Lilywhite, it was also an incredibly special moment for a lifelong, passionate Spurs fan.

"When I was a little girl, never in a million years would I have dreamt of this Spurs team going to Wembley or playing at the stadium, with thousands of people coming to watch," she added.

"To have it there, with over 18,000 supporters, was another huge moment for the Club and the stage was kind of set for the players. Things didn’t start our way and you start to think ‘oh, no’ but, I think, as soon as Robert made his substitutions, the game really changed, Jess got her goal and the momentum shifted, the crowd was unreal and, when it went into injury time, it was always going to go one way.

"My niece was in the stands and she hasn’t stopped talking about it ever-since, she’s only six and she will have that memory for ever. It was an incredible day. The celebrations were amazing and I hope the players really soaked it up because it’s not until you come away from the game that you realise how special those kind of moments are.

"I spoke with Ashleigh, Kit [Graham] and Jess the following Tuesday and said, ‘can you actually believe where you are’ and they said no. When Ashleigh first joined, she was a full-time teacher and was travelling here three nights a week, getting home late at night and then going to school.

"It’s incredible for those girls who have been part of the progress but, also, for the fans as well. When we were playing at Cheshunt down the road, it’s the same group who come down now, so they have been on that journey as well."

Jenna and Ben Haines spoke to Ashleigh on The Review Show following our victory over Leicester City...