Great British Confectionery Wholesale Devon Under 18 Girls Cup Final

Plympton u17  6 - 0   Lakeside Athletic u17

Played at Coach Road, Newton Abbot 26/04/2024

A second half hat-trick for Izzy Firth put Plympton out of sight against their brave rivals, Lakeside Athletic, who, to their credit, kept their heads up, despite conceding four goals in the last ten minutes, as the elements took their toll.

Playing in the pouring rain at Coach Road both teams did their level best to keep the 116 spectators, most of whom had travelled up the A38, entertained. It was Lakeside who kicked off with the worst of the elements at their backs and the wind driving the rain into the faces of the Plympton girls, both teams taking some time to settle.

Lakeside were first to show, Lily Hands racing down the left to force a corner which was put behind at the near post, the second corner being swung in at the near post where a glancing header from Ruby Woodward was well dealt with by Violet Bell in the Plympton goal.

Few chances were being created, as the teams battled for the upper hand in midfield, until, in the twelfth minute, Plympton were awarded a free kick some thirty yards out which Melissa Yabsley fired straight at the Lakeside custodian, Savannah Duke, who managed to hold on at the second attempt.

Plympton had taken the initiative and went ahead in the fifteenth minute. Yabsley chipped a free kick into the box finding Harriet Weller who opened the scoring the first striking the post before nestling in the back of the net.

Two more good chances came Plympton’s way. In the seventeenth minute Bella Brown-Tunnell had a good chance to increase the lead but pulled her shot wide of the near post when well placed at the edge of the box. That was followed in the twenty second minute by Yabsley pouncing on a loose ball and drawing a save from Duke.

Within a minute the action had switched to the other end as Bell was forced to kick clear as Hands bore down on the penalty area and then, in the twenty-fifth minute, Hands was put through again, this time Bell coming off her line to take the ball from the feet of Hands before she could get her shot away. From the clearance the ball was played through to Izzy Firth who drew a diving save from Duke. A minute later Duke was called into action again, pushing a fierce drive from Izzy Rogers behind for a corner. Played then switched to the other end where Bell had to drop onto a cross from Ruby Woodward before Hands could get the final touch.

In the thirty-second minute Lakeside had a really good opportunity to level the score as Jazmine Tingley, racing into the box, got on the end of a free kick, only to miss the target from six yards. There was no further scoring, and the first half ended with Plympton leading by a goal to nil.

Plympton began the second half with their backs to the wind and rain and were soon on the front foot. However, apart from a fifteen yard shot from Brown-Tunnel which flew past the far post, there were few attempts on target from either side until, in the fifty-sixth minute Firth pounced on a loose ball and flashed a shot into the corner of the net to extend the lead.

Lakeside were clearly finding things difficult and, despite using their substitutes, whilst having a lot of possession in midfield, were unable to pose a real threat in the final third, and as the half went on Plympton got on top, scoring four goals in the last ten minutes.

In the seventieth minute Amelia Coles had a shot from distance which completely deceived Duke and, in the seventy-fourth minute Rogers effectively ended the contest, skipping past a defender and giving Duke no chance from the edge of the box. Four goals down now and, despite their best efforts, Lakeside were unable to keep their opponents at bay.

With a minute left on the clock Firth got her second, poking home a loose ball in the six yard box and, in added time completed the hat-trick, making the final score six – nil to Plympton.

Player of the Match – Izzy Firth (Plympton)

Written by Dennis Smith
Devon FA