Given how difficult it has been at times to get positive results, the winter break came at the wrong time for Leicester City Women.

They went into the month-long pause on the back of two good scorelines, a 5-2 thumping of Birmingham in the League Cup and then arguably their best result of the Women’s Super League in holding previous 100 per centers Chelsea to a 1-1 draw.

But they do not appear to have lost any of the momentum from those results. They were expected to beat third-tier Stoke in the FA Cup on Wednesday, and they did so comfortably, running out 4-1 winners to set up a fifth-round tie with Manchester City next month.

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Can they make it four unbeaten? They head to Tottenham on Sunday. Boss Amandine Miquel said: “It was good to have a game before restarting the WSL. We're not quite there in terms of intensity so we have to make sure we step up our level at the weekend.

“We try to get them focused straight away, they had a good break but now we must prepare for the second phase and do better than the first. We'll try to get everyone ready and focused on the gameplan.”

New goalkeeper signing must understand hierarchy

At Tottenham, City will have an immediate reunion with Lize Kop following the Dutch goalkeeper’s switch to North London this week. With the proceeds from Kop’s sale, City are now on the hunt for a new goalkeeper of their own.

But this time, it’s with a difference. There’s an acknowledgement that in signing Kop initially, City gave themselves two potentially first-choice goalkeepers, alongside Janina Leitzig. The problem with having two first-choice keepers is that both want to play, and that’s not something Miquel could offer.

Any new signing arriving has to understand where they will be in the pecking order. They will be there to push Leitzig, not replace her.

Miquel said: “On the goalkeeper situation, we are looking for someone who wants to come here and challenge Janina but maybe someone who isn’t at the point of her career where she wants to be playing every minute. That was the issue with Lize, and I understand that, she needed to play.”

Bedford gets job in new Canadian league

Since leaving her position as City’s boss, Lydia Bedford has been making strides in the men’s game, becoming a rare female coach at a Premier League club, taking charge of Brentford’s Under-18s.

But she’s now heading back into the women’s game. Bedford is taking charge of Calgary Wild in the Northern Super League, a brand-new Canadian league comprising six clubs that kicks off in April.