On Friday 4th November our girls’ football team played in their first competitive games of the season in the ESFA girls’ football tournament. We began the tournament in a round robin group playing each of St James’ and last year’s overall winners Leckhampton, twice. The girls were incredible – they played with such skill, positional awareness and confidence it was hard to believe it was their first games of the year. They won all four of their games in the group phase and remarkably did not concede a goal in a full hour of football and scoring 12 themselves with the goals spread widely across the team.
Winning the group with a maximum 12 points meant journeying over to St Marks where the top 6 teams would meet having won their respective groups across Cheltenham. Our girls were drawn into a group with Charlton Kings Juniors and Lakeside and it was clear that this was going to be a very competitive finals tournament where they would need to show strength and determination as much as skill in order to succeed. They showed all of these in abundance – narrowly losing 2-1 to a late goal against an excellent Charlton Kings team and drawing 0-0 against Lakeside in a game that, on another day, we might have won.
I, along with the parents and families that watched, couldn’t have been prouder with how they conducted themselves and competed – it was a pleasure to coach them. We’re now looking forward to our league fixtures, knowing that we’ll be a match for anyone!
Mr Williams
