Champion Girls Win U16 Football County Cup

It has been a hectic term in terms of football for the Under 16 girls, which culminated in them winning the county cup final at Thame United on 17th March.

The year started with numerous fixtures scheduled for the Under 16, but with many teams pulling out of the county competition it meant they were left with 1 game before Christmas. Despite these set backs, the girls managed to beat Buckingham School meaning they progressed to the semi-final of county cup.

After Christmas, fixtures came thick and fast with a string of games to play at Cressex School in the District 7-a-side competition. This brought a mix of results, but with wins against Wycombe High and Cressex the girls finished 2nd in the tournament.

The main focus was still the county competition. The semi-final saw GMS drawn at home to Walton High. We knew the game would be a difficult fixture with the majority of the team playing a students older than them. However, with experience and energy of Jenna Glover and Jasmine Fifield-Moore much needed support was given to the team. The girls controlled the game from start to finish with outstanding leadership shown by Captain Sophie Smyth throughout. Her determination and effort helped to inspire others to battle and work hard for one another. Goals from Jenna Glover, Paige Atkins and Molly Jones helped the team to 3-1 victory. Another notable performance was by Izzy Hanson for tirelessly running and controlling the midfield.

This victory meant the girls would be playing in the final of county cup at Thame United against defending champions Shenley Brook End. Once again we knew we were going to be in for a tough game.

However, the team were magnificent for the whole. The defence pair of Jasmine Fifield-Moore and Sophie Smyth gave the team the structure and solidity that it needed to control the game. Their outstanding efforts allowed GMS to absorb the pressure from the opposition and forced the opposition to focus on a counter attack generated from the pace of Molly Jones and Hope Smith. These two caused problems for the opposition countless times.

Chances created by GMS were missed. The game looked like it was heading to extra time and those dreaded penalties. However, with eight minutes to play Roxy Hood capitalised on a mistake from the opposition goalkeeper; she picked the ball up from a clearance on the edge of the box, she dragged her shot across goal for Molly Jones to run to and tap in from close range. This led to a nervy last five minutes of the game, but again the defence were strong and organised and kept the opposition from scoring.

GMS were crowned County Cup Champions. A great achievement for a team playing with students older than they were. Credit must go to the whole squad for their efforts this year. Fingers crossed we can defend the title next year.