Accrington Stanley Women were crowned Youth Cup champions after their U18s side put in a scintillating display to defeat Fleetwood Town Juniors U18s 6-0 in the U18 Girls Youth Cup Final.
A hat-trick from Niamh Corrigan, a double for Millie Dooley and a well deserved goal for Grace Hindley secured the emphatic win for Stanley Women at The County Ground, Leyland.
Playing against top of the league opposition, the win continued a fine season for Stanley Women U18s, who recently returned from taking part in the prestigious Dallas Texans International Girls Cup.
Stanley Women made a strong start to the game and took the lead after just five minutes, with Corrigan firing home after fantastic attacking play from Hindley.
Hindley then saw a powerful shot well saved by the Fleetwood goalkeeper, while at the other end, a Fleetwood counter-attack ended with a good save from Stanley’s Ruth Harbord.
Still in the ascendency, Stanley Women kept pushing forward and Dooley saw her shot from the edge of the area tipped over the crossbar.
With half-time edging closer, Hindley saw a shot turned round the post following clever wing play from Freya Smith, but just moments later and Stanley Women did double their lead, with Corrigan firing high into the Fleetwood net to grab her second of the game.
After the break, Stanley Women U18s, sponsored by Filter Fabrications, came out firing on all cylinders and it did not take them long to extend their lead even further, with Dooley finishing well after a great through ball from Lily Metcalf.
With a three goal lead Stanley Women continued to dominate the game, with Melissa Adamson and Corrigan both going close to adding a fourth, while the in-form Harbord saved well to keep her clean sheet intact following a rare counter-attack from Fleetwood.
Looking dangerous on every attack, Stanley Women netted a fourth after more excellent attacking play from Hindley was finished by Corrigan, to complete her hat-trick.
With less than 10 minutes to go, Dooley netted her second and Stanley’s fifth of the game, before the fantastic Hindley completed the scoring to secure a 6-0 win and Youth Cup glory.
Sami Smithson, Chair of Accrington Stanley Women, said: “I am so proud of these girls. They have been fantastic all season and this is a very deserved win and trophy success for them.
“As a team they have experienced so much together this season and this is just the start of a great journey for them.”
In what was a busy day for Accrington Stanley Women, the club’s U15s side also took part in the U15 Girls Youth Cup Final, but despite a valiant effort and a brace from Amy Rusyn, they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Bolton Wanderers Girls U15.
Accrington Stanley Women’s first team suffered a narrow 2-1 home defeat against Radcliffe FC Women in the North West Womens Regional League – Division One North on Sunday, with Saturday’s hat-trick hero Corrigan finding the back of the net for Kristian Perry’s side.
To keep up with the progress of Accrington Stanley Women, visit: https://www.facebook.com/AccringtonStanleyWomen, https://twitter.com/ASWFCofficial and https://www.instagram.com/accrington_stanley_womenfc/
