KELLY SMITH WEEKLY COLUMN- 9th MAY

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KELLY SMITH: Teddy bear Vic Akers is Mr Arsenal Ladies, but watching him win the Cup for the last time made me miss home

By Kelly Smith

The FA Women's Cup is the big one. The game you look forward to and don't want to miss as a player.

And after leaving Arsenal for Boston, I didn't want to miss it either, so got up early. One o'clock at Derby means 8am here - and on my day off.

The game might have been on ITV back home, but trying to find Arsenal Ladies v Sunderland on the internet is not easy. I managed to see the second half and my old team get a 2-1 win.

You can't help but miss it a bit. All the players look forward to the Cup final because it's played in a nice big stadium, with a good crowd and it's on TV.

It's a special day and it does make you think: I want to be there. But playing here with Boston is obviously better and hopefully there will be trophies ahead for us.

Swansong: Vic Akers lifts the FA Women's Cup, his 31st trophy in 22 years with Arsenal Ladies

I was lucky to win the League Cup with them back in my last game back in February and now it comes down to one League game for Arsenal to win the Treble - at Everton on Sunday. I hope they do, but only a win is good enough against a team who haven't been beaten all season.

Kim Little took the second goal very well in the Cup Final. She's their go-to player and has been carrying them a bit, even though she's only 18.

Can she help deliver one last title for Vic Akers before he steps aside at the end of this season?

After 31 trophies in 22 years, he is Mr Arsenal Ladies. He's a great man who I have the utmost respect for, having brought me to the club as a teenager and then signed me again after the first American league collapsed here six years ago.

He'll carry on as the men's team's kit man, but that job means he can't go to Sunday's game, which is such a shame for him.

Big promise: Kim Little scores Arsenal's second against Sunderland

Arsene Wenger's team are playing Chelsea at the same time and his loyalties lie to them. That's his job. He missed a few games while I was there and it's difficult but he is always on the phone throughout matchday with Tony Gervaise, his assistant.

Vic has done wonders for Arsenal Ladies and it will be a sad day when he's not in charge, but he’ll still be around.

He's a big teddy bear, really. He knows when to put his arm around you and give you support.

Fitness training at Highbury could be hard. We'd be doing horse shoes, running from one corner of the pitch to the other, and Vic would always be there encouraging you to get through, even when the weather was bad and it was one of the hardest things for the girls.

Playing with the ball he used to put himself on a team, even now into his fifties, thinking he was so good. He'd recall his playing days and really get into it, calling his left foot his ‘magic wand’.

He might not have pace any more, but he still has skill and calls 'nuts' before knocking the ball through your legs. Even though he called it first, he still managed to pull it off.

California scheming

While my old team are facing Everton, my Boston team-mates and I will be getting ready to play the Los Angeles Sol again.

I scored from an early chance I wasn’t really expecting and we beat them at home 2-1 last week, so they will have the bit between their teeth, looking for revenge, when we go to their place on Sunday.

The re-match will be a totally different game. In California, it will probably be played in 80-degree heat, and on grass instead of the artificial turf that worked to our advantage last week. But we have the motivation of going into it knowing that we can go top if we win.

Eni's joy overshadowed

Following our game last week a few of us watched Washington-Saint Louis on TV on Sunday.

Seeing Eniola Aluko score was such a relief for her. I've not been in touch with her out here since she swapped Chelsea for Saint Louis but I know that it's difficult for any striker the longer you go without scoring. It’s just a shame that, from 3-1 up, they couldn't hang on for three points.

Game changer: Saint Louis star Daniela is treated on Sunday after a tackle by Washington's Abby Wambach (left)

Daniela, who scored two and looked so good, came off with a bad injury and Washington clawed it back to 3-3. We know now that the Brazilian has injured two ligaments and fractured her tibia, but everyone could see at the time that she was obviously hurt quite badly.

It plays on your team-mates' minds when that happens, especially with such an important player, and I'm sure that was a factor in the result.

Speaking from experience, I know it's going to be a long road back for Daniela and everyone is wishing her the best.

Homeward bound

England calling: Kelly in action

Hope Powell has just named her squad for the England training camp later this month. I didn't know if I could come at first, but now I can't wait to fly back after Boston's game against Washington on the 17th.

It's coming at a good time. I'm starting to miss home a little bit. The last trip didn't really help. When we played Norway a couple of weeks ago it was such a quick turnaround that I only got to see my mum and dad for a few hours.

This time I'll be closer to home and Boston have a bye-week after Washington, so I'm looking forward to seeing my parents properly this time, my nan, little brother Glen and a couple of close friends. And at least I won't have to poke around on the internet to find the right TV channels.

KELLY'S EYE

This week I... bought a book called The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. A friend told me about it. It contains wisdom from modern-day teachers, men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth and happiness. Hopefully I'll learn something on the long plane trip to LA on Friday.

Check out the column at

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/index.html