Peterborough United Foundation’s Girls Scholarship Team became league champions on Wednesday afternoon.
Competing in the National Football Youth League for the first time, it was a new challenge for Posh, after winning CEFA’s Women’s League and Cup competitions in the two years prior.
They took to their new surroundings like ducks to water as they started with a 4-2 win at Norwich City and followed that up with ten successive wins in all competitions.
After a couple of difficult weeks in January which culminated in defeats to AFC Sudbury and Charlton Athletic, Posh got back on task and saw off Enfield Town with Ella Bale netting a hat-trick in a 4-0 win.
Since then, they’ve won a further five in a row, conceding just two goals in that time.
Posh travelled to second placed Portsmouth on March 13th, knowing a win would put them within touching distance of the title. They put on their best showing of the season and comfortably dispatched of Pompey as goals from Bale (2), Keira Swanson (2), Taya Smith (2) and Katie Gee saw them return home with an 8-1 win.
That set up the chance to win the title at home against local rivals, Cambridge United, and they did it in style. With an 11-1 win, the NFYL South Premier 2 title was secured.
Bale leads the teams’ goalscoring charts to date with 25 goals in 18 games, whilst Amber Smith and Keira Swanson sit on 16 and 13 goals respectively.
Girls Scholarship Manager, Georgia Clarke, said: “I’m delighted that the girl’s scholarship squad have won their league for the third season in a row. Full credit must go to the players for all of their hard work and commitment this season – myself and Tom continue to demand more of the players each week and they have consistently stepped up to this challenge.
They are a fantastic group of players to work with, full of talent, character, and desire to succeed. This season has seen some outstanding performances alongside some performances where the players have had to show a real determination to get over the line.
Each player has a played a massive part in this success and I couldn’t be any prouder of them all. On behalf of me and Tom, I would like to thank all the players for their efforts this season and we’re delighted that they’ve got the success that they deserve.”
Assistant Manager, Tom England, said: “I am thrilled to have won the league in my first season with the Girls Scholarship. Playing in a tough league with some big clubs has been a great experience, but also the success we have had comes down to all the effort and hard work the players put into every session they have with us. Whether that is on the pitch or off the pitch, their willingness to learn and improve is brilliant to see. To have won it with two games to spare and against our local rivals; you couldn’t ask for a better outcome and this season highlights the great success we have had as a team.”
Congratulations to the Peterborough United Foundation Girls Scholarship Team for another fantastic, trophy winning season. We’re all very proud of you!