Under-14s Girls Win Third Straight County Cup

Our Under-14s Girls won a third consecutive Lincolnshire County Cup at Harrowby United. Photo: Ed Mayes Photography/Lincolnshire FA

Stamford Young Daniel’s Under-14 Girls completed a fantastic treble as they claimed a third successive Lincolnshire County Cup title.

The Young Daniels had to show resilience as they came from behind to defeat Dale Park 4-3 after extra-time at Harrowby United.

Nell Atkins had given Stamford the lead from the penalty spot in the 15th minute before an almost immediate response from Dale Park. Atkins soon bagged her second of the day to re-establish the Young Daniels’ lead a minute later.

Dale Park turned the game on its head with two goals before the break as Stamford went in at half-time 3-2 down.

Chances came aplenty for the Young Daniels in the second half as they pushed hard for an equaliser. Having knocked on the door for nearly half-an-hour, Kitty Connery scored from distance to send the final into extra-time.

Maisie Edwards completed the turnaround in the first half of extra-time, slotting past the Dale Park goalkeeper for what proved to be the winner for Stamford.

Six of the girls who featured in their latest County Cup triumph played in the previous two finals and manager Steve Gaunt could not have been prouder of his side.

“I am so proud of the whole squad,” said Gaunt, who himself has overseen each of the three County Cup wins. “This team have come through a lot this year with some difficult results.

“They put it all out there today and I think they were the deserving winners in the end.”

The squad are looking to add new players as they move up to Under-15s for next season. Please contact coach.safcgirls@gmail.com for more information.

By Aaron Gratton