Like everyone else, the U12 coaches, parents, and players were very disappointed to see the season come to a premature end. But we hope you are all staying safe and not going too crazy after so many weeks of lockdown, and no football!!!
The U12s are a new team with many players who had never played league football before. Despite this though, the season started very well with a couple of wins against the two Brackleys (Athletic and Town). And then of course there was the ding dong 7-5 loss against Brixworth which could have gone either way!
However in mid-season the girls struggled to find results as a team; but the girls continued to make great strides in their individual performances and they never gave up, nearly always showing 100%. The team picked up great wins against lower-half of the league opposition, and rounded out the season with a fighting performance against runaway league leaders Northampton, and a convincing 8-0 win against Silverstone. Carly, Emma, Lois and Jess really earned their clean sheet that day!
Paul’s lowlights:
The 3-0 half time scoreline away to Crick, which could have been much much worse if we hadn’t been so lucky. But to their credit, the girls fought back in the second half to show much-improved desire and determination, and eventually lose 5-1. The girls quickly learnt that against better teams, you can lose a game in the first 20 mins! The heavy mid-season defeat to Kingsthorpe Jets also showed that when heads go down, the goals will flood in. Definitely things to work on for next season.
Paul’s highlights:
Some great goals! Skye’s (left foot I think) screamer in the first home game, and Rosie’s bottom corner edge-of-the-box finish in the last game of the season spring to mind. And of course there was Zara bagging 5 against Silverstone after Christmas, and Lily’s penalty save in the same game!
Andy’s lowlights:
I would say the 11-1 defeat to Kingsthorpe Jets, because I remember how miserable everyone felt after that one! But in a funny way we learned a tonne of lessons. We never lost our heads in a match like that again, even against some really tough opposition – and even when we started a few away matches poorly (inevitably on a boggy pitch) we always came back stronger in the second half. That was great to see.
Andy’s highlights:
As a striker myself, I mostly remember the goals, and there were some cracking ones! Ava, Rosie & Zara all scored belters from outside the box but one of my favourites came in a relatively easy match for us away to Rushden & Diamonds Blues. We were bossing the second half when we launched an attack and spread it from left to right with some slick short passing. It ended up out to Frankie on the wing who whipped in a delicious cross for Evelyn to volley home. It summed up all of the possession work we’d been doing in training and it was a genuine team goal.
Squad review
So, onto our squad members who have been an absolute pleasure to coach this season. Voting for the end of season awards was tight in all categories and pretty much all players received votes in one category or another; well done to all the girls.
Read on to find out the winners, who will all get trophies eventually, and we’ll be posting some pictures as soon as we have them! Before we get onto that, in terms of the goal scoring charts, Evelyn was the team’s top scorer with a fantastic 19 goals in 16 games. All goal scorers were as follows…
Evelyn – 19
Rosie – 10
Ava – 8
Skye – 7
Zara – 7
Frankie – 3
Carly – 1
Rosie
Rosie is our centre midfield “playmaker” and is great at maintaining possession under pressure – able to take multiple opposition players out of the game with a well timed turn and pass. Our assist queen, no player created more goals for her teammates this season – and with a solid eye for goal, she was a genuine all-rounder. Popular with her teammates and parents alike, we are proud to announce that Rosie was joint Parents Player – Season 2019-20. Well done Rosie!
Emma
Emma has had an excellent season in defence, adept at playing in a two or a three – always on the left (and her weaker foot)! Never shy of putting in a hard challenge, she’s also been really good at playing the ball out from the back to launch an attack. Emma is a fantastic trainer, and works hard at her game on our Friday training sessions and always strives to better herself. She’s often her worst critic and can sometimes put too much pressure on herself, but growing in confidence with every game. Emma is also our team penalty taker – only we never had one awarded all season!
Skye
Skye joined us this season and quickly cemented a place as one of our attackers, happy to use her searing pace off the shoulder of the defender or sometimes off the wing. Easily our quickest player, she has scored some vital goals for us this season – adept at whipping off shots before the goalkeeper has had a chance to react. A great debut season!
Frankie
On-loan from the U11’s, Frankie has been a popular member of our team – often sharing goalkeeper duties with Lily, while also having a good run out on pitch. Frankie is an excellent shot-stopper, fearless at closing down opposing strikers – but also a talented outfielder, chipping in with 3 excellent goals.
Charlotte
Charlotte joined midway through the season, having not played much competitive football before, but quickly got stuck in and never gave up, often demonstrating great calm on the ball when under pressure and unlucky not to get a debut goal this season! She grew in confidence with each game and with tireless work rate on the wing was adept at breaking up play, and springing attacks. Due to her development and superb attitude in training, we are proud to name Charlotte as our Most Improved Player – Season 2019-20
Lois
Lois is one of the most popular members of the squad, having been with the club for many years. Lois always has a smile on her face and has been working hard at her touch and passing in training, showing great determination to improve. A regular member of our backline, Lois also debuted up front for a bit and was very unlikely not to score!
Sophie
Another member of the squad on-loan from the U11s, she demonstrated great ability and assuredness playing a year above her age group – performing well in both defence and midfield.
Evelyn
Another player having their debut season, she has bagged a load of goals and ends the season as the team’s leading scorer. Clearly learning from the master (her Dad!) her runs are often perfectly timed and this, combined with a tireless work rate, has made Evelyn our Coaches Player of the Season. Well done Evelyn!
Ava
Ava has been with the club a number of years and continues to progress on the pitch. She’s chipped in with vital goals this year and her long throw is a massive threat in the final third. And she’s another player prepared to run herself into the ground in midfield!
Zara
Yet another player making her debut season, and in a team a year above her actual age group. Zara ran her ‘little-legs’ off all season, box to box, and always makes a right nuisance of herself all over the pitch. We are pleased to announce Zara as joint Parents Player, and Players Player for the season!
Carly
A rock in defence, Carly has put in some great performances in what has been her first full season with the club. Tough in a challenge, and determined to catch up with any attacker that gets past – she’s shown real development with the ball at her feet. Great debut season!
Lily
Lily continues to improve her goalkeeping skills, making some fine saves (including a penalty!) and working on her positional awareness. She has also taken the opportunity to play out on pitch a bit thanks to her teammate Frankie, which will no doubt improve her all round game.
Jess
Jess only started training with us once the season had started, but made a big impression in defence with her pace. Despite being new to the game, and missing a part of the season due to her dancing commitments, she adapted really and made great strides as the season progressed!
Thank you
We would like to thank our sponsors, The Shambles Restaurant in Lutterworth, for kindly sponsoring the team; ensuring the girls got to play in a fantastic new blue kit at the beginning of the season!
And finally, a massive thanks to all players and parents for their help on matchdays and to Stacey for her match reports. And also to Nathan for helping out with running the line. Onwards and upwards we go to next season – whenever that may be!