Two Posh teams competed in a 6-a-side tournament on Sunday afternoon with the teams bowing out in the quarter-final and semi-final stages of the competition despite some positive performances throughout.
Peterborough United Women U23 Blue
The team experienced mixed emotions during the group stages, accumulating eight points from five games. They drew their first fixture 1-1 against Bugbrook St Michael’s Yellows with Ellie CURSON equalising with a bullet shot underneath the goalkeeper. Three points were secured in the next match against Long Buckby Ladies B after a long-distance shot from Lauren KING and fine goalkeeping from Megan Dellar. The blue team lost the subsequent match 1-0 against Blisworth Ladies following a close-range header, with Curson firing shots just wide of the post on two occasions. A 0-0 stalemate followed against hosts Thrapston Whites before finishing the group stages with a 1-0 win with CURSON again on the scoresheet.
The Posh Women U23 Blue team came runners-up in their group and faced Milton Keynes Ladies A in the quarter-final stages. It was a scrappy game throughout, with an obscure goal from a goal kick securing the win for Milton Keynes.
POSH XI: Dellar, Sands, King, Curson, Sharman, Alymyemi.
Manager, Michael Allesbrook, spoke about the blue team’s performance: “The girls have learnt a lot. We knew the tournament was going to be something different. The blues from early on tried to play good football. but they learnt quite quickly that to get results in these eight-minute matches you have to be more direct. I’m happy with their performances. They’ve shown resilience by coming back from behind on a couple of occasions. They’ve lost out in the quarter-final from a bizarre goal from a goal kick, but ultimately they can be proud of what they’ve achieved today.”
Peterborough United Women U23 Pink
The Posh Women U23 pink side were formidable during the group stages gaining four wins and one draw without conceding a goal. They won their opening two games 2-0 against Thrapston Blue and Corby Town Ladies, with strikes in both matches from Mia KARAGHOLI and Alicia PODD. A 1-0 victory against Buckingham United followed with KARAGHOLI on the scoresheet once again. Their fourth game of the tournament was against Desborough Ladies where they ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of low-driven shots from KARAGHOLI and PODD. The final game of the group stage ended 0-0 with Posh creating chances but the opponents stood firm.
The team finished first in their group and faced Milton Keynes Ladies B in the quarter-final stages. A counter-attack goal from TRIALIST grew Pink’s confidence in the game before KARAGHOLI converted another chance at goal to confirm their place in the semi-finals. They faced Milton Keynes Ladies A in the semi-finals, with Posh having the best chances of the game but not managing to find the net. The game went to a sudden death penalty shootout with goalkeeper Brooke Robinson seeing her spot-kick saved to send the opponents through to the final.
POSH XI: Robinson, Richards-Reeves, Wheatley, Podd, Karagholi, Trialist.
Assistant coach, John Currall, spoke about the Pink team's progress throughout the tournament: “The girls were fantastic in the group stages. They adapted the style of the tournament quite quickly and the results back that up as we’ve scored nine goals and not conceded any goals. Unfortunately, the semi-finals went to a penalty shootout, and as we all know shootouts are a lottery. At the end of the day, we’re delighted with their performances and something to continue building on throughout pre-season."
Written by Lauren Shiels.
Photo credit: Lucy Tibbs (@luce_2798)