Birkdale United AFC

An incredibly hot and sunny day saw the team head for Formby FC to play the final game of what had been an excellent season. However, a sizeable obstacle stood in the way of them having any silverware to celebrate – namely, League Champions, Mossley Hill, who were the only team to do the League double over Birkdale this year. In eight years of competitive fixtures, Birkdale had never beaten their rivals, so while history was against them, the Ladies were confident of springing what had to be considered a surprise.

It had been difficult to pick the squad for the final, with a few injuries and absences complicating matters, so Noel, Dave and Dave decided to move Davidson out to right back to accomodate the returning Lloyd and McEvoy, with Granby partnering Williams in central midfield. Griffiths in particular was very unlucky to miss out on the starting eleven, and she took her place on the bench alongside Waring, White, Griner and Tuakli.

The start of the game saw the Ladies looking very nervous indeed, and it was the Champions who made the stronger start, forcing a number of corners and keeping Birkdale penned in. They had a good chance when a forward burst through, but with pressure being applied by Lloyd, Hesketh dealt with the shot well. After about a quarter of an hour, the Blues started to get the ball down and play a bit more, and in particular Williams and Granby were able to get Ferguson away down the wing a few times, where she caused a number of problems. Shortly afterwards, Cooper hit a low, powerful shot which the keeper only just deflected around the post.

During this period, McEvoy injured her knee. She tried gamely to continue but could not, so Noel decided to introduce Griner, prompting a reshuffle which saw Williams go into defence, Gillingham into midfield and Griner join Cooper upfront. It was nearly a move which caused instant dividends as excellent play between Jackson and Ferguson saw Griner engineer a one-on-one chance for herself, however the keeper made an excellent save.

By the last ten minutes of the first half, Birkdale were in the ascendancy, and it was not a total surprise when they scored the first goal, but what a good goal it was. It came from a Mossley attack which Williams and Lloyd dealt with, playing the ball out to Davidson. She hit a sixty yard ball to the feet of Griner, who controlled brilliantly, outpaced her marker and shot into the very top corner of the goal, giving the keeper no chance and prompting acrobatic celebrations!

Mossley were a little shaken by this but came back at Birkdale without really testing the keeper. So, the half-time whistle signalled the League runners-up leading the champions in an excellent game.

The Ladies were spoke to at half-time, and told they were playing excellently. they needed to maintain these efforts and try to increase their lead in a sensible manner.

Birkdale made an excellent start to the second half, and were very unlucky not to double their lead. Tuakli and Griffiths was causing lots of problems with their pace and Tuakli, Waring, Griner and White were unlucky not to notch. Mossley gained confidence from this and started to dominate proceedings, requiring Hesketh to make a couple of great saves. However, it was a breakdown in concentration which saw them draw level. Tuakli came over to the sideline due to a reoccurence  of her injury, and a couple of players concentrated on this rather than the game going on. As it was, Mossley took full advantage of the gap, breaking through and it was Lancaster who finished neatly into the bottom corner.

Fortunately, rather than wilting at this point, Birkdale seemed ever more determined to come out victorious, and within five minutes they were back ahead. Williams won yet another ball forward and played it forward, where Waring flicked the ball on expertly into the path of Cooper. The forward outpaced her marker before sliding a shot past the keeper into the far corner to make the scoreline 2-1.

From here on it was an excellent cup-tie with end to end football, but neither keeper actually having to make many saves – although Mossley’s keeper did make one excellent stop from Griner. Both teams were having a lot of possession but struggling to break the opposition defence down. As time ticked towards the final few minutes, the Champions were hitting the ball forward quickly and putting lots of pressure on the Blues’ defence, but Davidson, Lloyd, McEvoy, Williams and Coulter were heading everything away. The captain had an excellent game where she lead the team by true example.

As it was, there was to be a further goal, and it came with two minutes left. Gillingham and Jackson won the ball, and fed it to the left for Ferguson. She laid in a low ball to Griner who poked it through to leave Cooper one-on-one with the keeper. She made no mistake, blasting the ball into the top corner to make the scoreline 3-1 to Birkdale. A mere matter of minutes later, the final whistle blew to see Birkdale United the Liverpool County FA Women’s League Cup Winners for 2010!

It had been an excellent game between two good sides. Congratulations to Ian, Dave and Mick on a successful season for Mossley Hill. It must be said that players and supporters from the opposition were very sporting in their praise for the Blues, which shows their character and deserves great credit. Indeed, both sets of players deserve huge credit for producing such an entertaining spectacle for the watching spectators given the extreme heat that afternoon.

Noel, Dave and Dave could not have been prouder of the Ladies. Once again, this was an outstanding performance which showed just what this team is truly capable of. Moreover, this has been a superb season which has exceeded everyone’s expectations, and silverware is certainly what everyone deserved. Well done to all of you who have played for the team this season, and thank you for a great year! Enjoy the break!

The Player of the Match Award went to H. Williams.
The Manager’s Player of the Match Award went to L. Davidson.

The team was Hesketh, Davidson, Coulter (c), Lloyd, McEvoy, Jackson, Williams, Granby, Ferguson, Gillingham, Cooper, Griner, White, Griffiths, Waring and Tuakli.

Birkdale United stood one game away from a cup final, with a rapidly improving Corinthians side standing in their way. Noel, Dave and Dave preached the importance of concentration, focussing on one game at a time. There were a few changes to the team from the last game, with Lloyd and McKenna both unavailable. Therefore, Davidson and White took the central defensive roles. Gillingham, Waring and Granby also both returned to the squad, while unfortunately Tuakli was not quite fit enough to play on this occasion. There was a problem before the game when the appointed referee was unable to attend. Thankfully Mr A. Taylor, a spectator with significant experience of refereeing school fixtures, volunteered to officiate and did an excellent job throughout, with both teams happy with his performance.

The home side started well but found their opponents to be well-disciplined and organised. In the end, it was a long-range effort from Jackson from out on the wing which saw the home side go ahead. The Blues doubled their lead with a neat finish from Gillingham after great work from Williams and Cooper, and Cooper opened her account with a neat angled finish from a good through ball from Parker.

However, at this point the home side became a little sloppy, and Corinthians pulled a goal back with a great finish from the edge of the area. They could have cut the deficit to a single goal had Hesketh not pulled off a smart save from a free kick which was flicked on. Shortly after this, Jackson managed to score almost a carbon copy of her first goal to make it 4-1. Cooper made it 5-1 with a low shot after a neat passing move, and Gillingham made it 6-1 just before half time after Ferguson had put over an excellent cross.

The management team were understandably happy with some of the football being played, but not with the switching off which had taken place, and they urged the team to maintain their concentration.

The second half display was much better, although significant credit must go to Corinthians for their hard work, and in particular the keeper who had a great game. Griner scored an excellent individual goal after Granby, White and Ferguson had worked the ball to her near the edge of the area, before Granby scored a well-deserved goal after good work from Waring. Cooper completed her hat-trick with an absolute howitzer of a shot from outside the area which the keeper got both hands to but could not keep out, and Gillingham joined her by following up a Jackson effort which had been well saved, taking the team into double figures. Cooper completed the scoring with an accurate low effort into the corner following further good work from Williams and Jackson.

This had been a good performance against an honest and determined Corinthians team whose effort in this game is harshly reflected in the scoreline. However, the victory meant that the home side had a cup final to look forward, which would provide an excellent punctuation point to what has been a fantastic season to remember.

The Player of the Match Award, chosen by Corinthians, went to A. Cooper.
The Manager’s Player of the Match Award went to H. Williams.

The team was Hesketh, Griffiths, Davidson, White, Coulter (c), Jackson, Williams, Parker, Ferguson, Gillingham, Cooper, Griner, Granby, Waring and Tuakli.

After a longer break than anticipated, Birkdale United began the League Cup competition with a tough home tie against Liverpool Feds. Noel had made the arduous and dangerous journey back from his holiday in Iceland to lead the team, and there were a few changes in personnel.  Granby, Waring, Gillingham, McEvoy and Reppion were not in the squad, while White, Parker, Griner and McKenna returned. Davidson failed a late fitness test on her ankle, so Griffiths deputised at right–back in impressive fashion.

The home side started well, put some good passing moves together and forced a few early corners. Unfortunately, it was from one of these early corners that the visitors took the lead. A swift break from Feds saw Griffiths and McKenna outnumbered at the back, and the forward ran free to finish  neatly past the exposed Hesketh. The home side were undeterred, and drew level only a few minutes later. Good play in midfield involving Ferguson, Parker and Williams saw Cooper put clean through, and she finished with typical calmness.

The rest of the half saw the home side slightly in the ascendency, but Feds dangerous when they went forward. Just before half-time, Birkdale took the lead with a really well-worked goal. Griner was released down the right by Griffiths, and she found Cooper in the box with an inch-perfect  pass. Her first effort was blocked, but she managed to fire her follow up into the top corner, giving the keeper no chance.

At half time, Noel, Dave and Dave told the Ladies that they had been pleased with their first half showing against a dangerous opponent, and they needed to push on from this point to secure the victory and progress to the semi-final.

The start of the second half saw a truly pulsating end-to-end cup tie between two really good sides. The next goal was going to prove crucial, and so it was. An excellent move on the break saw Williams, Tuakli and White combine to feed the ball into Cooper, who in turn laid the ball off to her left to the onrushing Ferguson. She took one touch before hitting an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net, giving the keeper no chance from fully twenty-five yards. To make things more memorable, this was her first goal for the club.

Shortly afterwards, the home side got what seemed to be a clinching goal, when Ferguson fed Cooper, whose low cross-shot just evaded Tuakli but not the on-rushing Jackson at the far post. Feds felt that the Birkdale midfielder had been offside in the build-up to the goal, and the home side has cause for the same complaint just a couple of minutes later when a seemingly off-side forward fired neatly past Hesketh, giving her no chance. Possibly things had been evened up, but it was 4-2 and a glimmer of hope for Feds in a game they had contributed much to.

They were understandably buoyed by this and threw everything at the Birkdale defence, but found Griffiths, Lloyd, McKenna and Coulter in particularly good form. With five minutes left, the home side finally sealed their passage to the last four, when Williams hit an excellent ball to Griner, who in term played a delicate flick to Cooper, who hit the ball on the volley past the keeper’s despairing dive to record a well-deserved hat-trick.

This had been an excellent team performance, with every member of the squad playing a full part in an excellent victory against a strong Feds side. The chance of finishing the season with silverware was a strong one, and the players should take confidence from a display such as this.

The Player of the Match, chosen by Liverpool Feds, went to A. Cooper.
The Manager’s Player of the Match went to A. Ferguson.

The team was Hesketh, Griffiths, Coulter (c), Lloyd, McKenna, Jackson, Parker, Williams, Ferguson, Tuakli, Cooper, White, Griner and Davidson.

This was a midweek game against Southport. The girls were all up for the game and dominated the first half, but not testing the Southport keeper which was very disappointing.

Today the girls were away to Crosby Stuart who are currently second in the table and with two important team members missing Core and Grocott and Harrison in goal with a bad knee we were hoping we got no more injuries in the game. Birkdale went for it from the start and dominated the first 10 minutes of the game when we got a corner. Crosby couldn’t deal with the perfect ball from Elliott and it ended up with the ball in there goal making it 1-0 to Birkdale.From this Birkdale should have kicked on but the girls failed to put their chances away and Crosby started to grow in confidence.

A home draw in the Challenge Cup semi final was today’s game. Perfect weather for football with a slight wind blowing. Kick off was 10 am and both teams were eager to make it to the final, where Crosby Stuart Ladies awaited the winners of this tie. Birkdale were at full strength with all girls free of injuries. The first half began with Birkdale straight out of the blocks, and it became clear that it was going to be a hard fought contest. Birkdale were the more dominant in the first 15 minutes with Edmondson and Elliott having half chances. Euxton then came back into the game after that, but with neither side really creating a gilt edged chance the first half ended goalless.

A home friendly game awaited Birkdale Diamonds today .The weather was crisp and the pitch playable after a hard frost in the night. A few injuries to two key players meant that a few changes had to be made, Grey-Smith had a foot injury and Harrison the goalkeeper had a bad back, so a goalkeeper had to be chosen from the remaining girls. Grocott was chosen to begin with. The game started at a slow pace and ended in the same way with both teams having no shots on goal it was a half that was very scrappy with little chances and neither keeper having to make a save.

The second game in two days saw Crosby Stuart Ladies visited Bedford Park. With Grey-Smith injured Birkdale had to change people into new positions. From the kick-off Crosby pushed Birkdale back and after 5 minutes Crosby got their first goal from a shot near the edge of the box that really shouldn’t have made the goal as no Birkdale player challenged them. Birkdale did wake up after that and had a few chances of their own before Crosby got a corner. Birkdale stood watching as the Crosby player slotted the ball home from close range making it 2-0 to Crosby. The last 10 minutes of the half saw both teams sharing the ball well, and the half ended 2-0 to Crosby.

A friendly game was arranged against Bleak Hill from Saint Helens.With a game on Sunday, the team was mixed around to try out new potitions the girls started very brightly with Welford on the right and Core in centre midfield having some good positions between them.The girls attacked Bleak Hill on many occasions with Molyneux up front causing them big problems. And it was Molyneux who got the first when she got on the end of a great ball that was worked from defence making it 1-0 to Birkdale. From the restart Birkdale again passed the ball around with Hubbard, Grey-Smith ,Welford  and Core having shots go close before Hubbard put one in from distance to make it 2-0 at half time.

Birkdale United Ladies made the short journey to Haskayne for their final league game of the season against their local rivals, Town Green. A few players had been delayed due to going to the wrong ground, so the starting line up was not as originally envisaged, but was a strong one nonetheless. From the previous week, McKenna, Parker, Griner and White were all unavailable. In their places Granby and Gillingham returned, although the latter was only available until half-time due to a volleyball commitment. It was also the opportunity for new signing Williams to make her debut. This game also marked McEvoy’s 100th appearance for the team, and as such she was awarded the Captain’s armband for this game.

It was a disjointed start to the game with few chances and both keepers unemployed. However, both sides lost players to injury early on, with Davidson turning her ankle over in a challenge and being replaced by Griffiths who did excellently in an unfamiliar position. As the half wore on, it became evident that Town Green were more fired up for this game than some of the visiting side and eventually it led to them taking the lead as the visitors failed to clear their lines and the ball was presented to a home forward who finished well.

The visitors responded positively and enjoyed their best spell of the game with a period of concerted pressure. Rimmer in the home goal did well to tip a Cooper effort onto the bar, and it bounced narrowly away from Tuakli with the goal gaping. However, Cooper was not to be denied and she scored a great goal after good work from Williams and Gillingham. She managed to hold off two defenders before drawing the keeper and finishing accurately with a right-footed shot. The visitors dominated the rest of the first half without testing the keeper, the Town Green defence remaining solid.

The visitors started the second half strongly but were quickly pegged back with another goal which was of their own making. The home side were awarded a soft free-kick around 30 yards out and with the wind swirling, fired the ball into the box. It evaded the grasp of Hesketh and the visiting players were slow to react. Not so a Town Green forward who prodded the ball into the unguarded net.

This goal heralded the most disappointing part of the game, as some of the Birkdale players seemed to adopt a negative attitude and not put in the necessary workrate. Indeed, some players were bickering amongst themselves and this did not help the cause in any way shape or form. This behaviour is not to be repeated. The goal also gave the home side confidence and they seemed to be first to every ball and winning virtually every 50-50 challenge. Birkdale got in some good positions but failed to test the keeper on a single occasion in the second half. To add insult to injury, Town Green sealed the game with yet another goal which was gifted to them. A lack of communication between defence and goalkeeper allowed a Town Green forward to nip in and steal the ball before passing it simply into the unguarded net, when surely the ball should have just been cleared into the canal!

This was one of these days where nothing seemed to go right for the visitors, as they pretty much gifted all three goals to the home side. However, all credit to them as their attitude and effort ensured that they deserved the win. While the sort of negativity which emerged in the second half has no place in a Birkdale team, and it is always disappointing to lose to your local rivals in this fashion, this one poor performance and result should not overshadow what has been an excellent league season.

Indeed, even in defeat there were some positives. Williams made an excellent debut and fitted right into the team very well. Griffiths did superbly in an unfamiliar position, and both Coulter and Cooper set the right example as usual. The team had certainly been disrupted by injuries throughout the game to Davidson, McEvoy and Tuakli, as well as the enforced withdrawal of Gillingham at half-time, but certain other players need to look at themselves and ensure they put in 100% all of the time not just for themselves but for their teammates too. I am sure this will be the case in the future.

The Player of the Match, selected by Town Green, went to A. Ferguson.
The Managers’ Player of the Match award went to E. Griffiths.

The team was: Hesketh, Davidson, Coulter, Lloyd, McEvoy (c), Ferguson, Williams, Reppion, Granby, Cooper, Tuakli, Gillingham, Griffiths, Jackson and Waring.

Birkdale United made their final trip to Jericho Lane in the League this season as they faced an improving Corinthians side. A few changes from the previous game saw Gillingham unavailable but the return of Lloyd, McEvoy, Griner after a four-month lay-opff due to injury and the welcome return of Parker to the club after a three year absence.

The visitors could not have wished for a better start as good passing between Jackson and Reppion and a swift one-two between Cooper and Tuakli released the latter to score with a low shot after only 14 seconds – a team record. However, in terms of the general play this was the worst possible start, as Birkdale became sloppy in possession and stopped playing football. Too many players seemed to want to do their own thing and not work for the team, and coupled with the home side’s resolute defensive attitude, this was a source of much frustration. Indeed, it was not until a minute before the break that the visitors doubled their lead, with a great through ball from White being fed into the path of Griner, who drew the keeper and finished neatly before celebrating with a triple somersault!

Such a goal did not change the nature of Noel and Dave’s half-time talk, which focussed on the girls going back to basics and playing good football. This paid immediate dividends as good work down the left from Davidson and Jackson saw Griner clean through to double her tally with another accurate finish, cueing more somersaults! The visitors scored their fourth soon after as a Cooper corner caused all sorts of trouble in the box and Reppion pounced to fire home powerfully at the near post for her second goal in as many games, before displaying her own, more sedate version of Griner’s celebration.

The visitors were playing much better football and only a mixture of poor finishing and great goalkeeping was thwarting them, and indeed the woodwork came to the home side’s aid as a curling effort from Cooper hit the top of the bar. She was not to be denied as good work from Parker and Griffiths down the right and a nice through ball from White saw her finish accurately into the corner. Waring was determined not to be left out, and seconds later scored an excellent goal which saw her win the ball straight from the kick-off before beating seven players for strength and skill and finishing powerfully past the keeper.

There were further chances, most notably a penalty which White hit powerfully but was well saved by the keeper, but in the end Cooper added just the one goal with a low, powerful shot before the referee blew the final whistle in what had been a well-contested and fair match.

Noel and Dave felt that the second half had been a huge improvement on what went before but maintained that Corinthians had represented a much sterner test than previously. Birkdale needed to play as a team at all times and treat each opponent with respect in order to ensure that they performed as well as they can.

The Player of the Match, awarded by Corinthians, went to A. Cooper.
The Managers’ Player of the Match went to T. F. Griner.

The team was: Hesketh, Davidson, Coulter (c), Lloyd, McKenna, Ferguson, Griffiths, Reppion, Jackson, Cooper, Tuakli, White, Waring, McEvoy, Parker and Griner.

After almost another month off, Birkdale made the trip to Liverpool to play Liverpool Feds with something of a defensive problem. Both McEvoy and Lloyd were unavailable, as well as one of the usual deputies, Tuakli. Noel and Dave opted to shift Davidson to the centre and ask Reppion to fill-in at right-back.

The visitors started well and put Feds under a lot of pressure, with Ferguson and Griffiths being very effective down the wings. However, too often the final ball was lacking a little bit and despite having all the early pressure they paid the ultimate price when Feds hit them on the break and the forward beat Hesketh with an excellent finish.

This caused a little disruption in the visitors’ ranks and Feds started to get a little bit of a foothold in the game. However, McKenna and White settled things down in defence and before long Birkdale started to get the upper hand, although they found the reolute defence of Feds very difficult to break down. Just when it seemed as though they were going to go in at half-time a little harshly behind, Waring took a quick throw-in to Cooper who turned and swept in an excellent cross which the onrushing Jackson finished sweetly to make the scores level just before the break.

The start of the second half saw the visitors on top, but they were unable to get their usual passing game going and in all honesty some players weren’t working as hard to get the ball back as they should. Feds looked very dangerous on the break and it took a good save from Hesketh to keep the scores level. As it was, Birkdale took a deserved lead when Cooper’s corner was only half-cleared to Reppion who hit a low, powerful shot through a crowd of players to notch not only her first goal for the club, but against her former team.

The visitors went looking for the killer third goal but through a mixture of good defending and poor finishing it never arrived, and instead Feds achieved what they had been threatening to do for a while and hit the visitors on the break. With players out of position and some others not working back hard enough, they outnumbered the defence with a quick break and the Feds forward chipped Hesketh beuatifully, leaving the Birkdale keeper with no chance.

There were a few half-chances for both sides but nothing clear-cut, and the game petered out into a 2-2 draw. Noel and Dave were a little disappointed with the team, feeling that their opponents had worked harder at times, and also that some players had not put enough thought into their play with too much long ball and hit and hope at times. They also need to use the wings more, as when they had, the play had been very effective. At times, they had played very well, but the result did not reflect their superiority of possession, and in future they need to make sure it does.

The Player of the Match, awarded by Liverpool Feds, went to A. Cooper.
The Managers’ Player of the Match went to G. Reppion.

The team was: Hesketh, Davidson, Coulter (c), McKenna, Reppion, Granby, Gillingham, Ferguson, Cooper. Jackson, Griffiths, White and Waring.

Only the second game of the year, and arguably their toughest task in their entire history faced Birkdale United in the last 16 of the Liverpool County FA Cup. They had been drawn against a Liverpool Feds team who boasted players with Premier League experience, and who were in the top four of the Northern Combination – the third tier of English Women’s Football. Noel had a squad of 15 to call upon, with no Tuakli this week but White was back after a long lay-off. Noel and Dave chose to make two changes, with Ferguson coming in for Griffiths, and Reppion – against her former club – replacing the absent Tuakli.

Noel and Dave had told the home side to stay disciplined and concentrated throughout the match, and it was evident that this was going to have to be their paramount priority if they were to gain anything from the match. Feds quickly displayed themselves to be a well-drilled, skilled and fit side, comfortable in possessions and accurate with the ball. The first ten minutes saw the home side pretty much pinned in their own half. However, chances on goal were at a premium as the home side pressed and harried from the front and did not give their guests any time on the ball.

The home side grew in confidence and started to make more frequent forays into the Feds half, again without really threatening to score. Just when the home side looked to have weathered the early storm, Feds took the lead with what was, in contrast to their excellent build up play, quite a soft goal to concede. A long ball over the top caught the Birkdale defence a little high, and although Hesketh was able to pull off a smart stop to keep out the first effort, she was able to do nothing about the follow-up which gave the visitors a lead which was deserved on the whole balance of play.

The visitors gained confidence from this, and attempted to press home their advantage, but they found the home side in particularly resolute mood. Every time it looked as though they had managed to find a yard of space, a Birkdale player would close down and snuff it out, or manage to get a touch away from them. Reppion and Jackson were trying their best to shield the centre of defence, and managed to get some crucial tackles and blocks in. At times it was a little bit of desperation stakes but at the same time Cooper and Gillingham were offering an outlet and Granby and Ferguson looked dangerous every time they came forward. At half-time, the deficit was but a simple goal.

The second half started in very much the same way, with Feds pressing and Birkdale defending in organised and resolute fashion. The visitors thought they had doubled their advantage at one point, only for Jackson to intervene in the most timely of fashions to intercept an accurate cross from the Feds left. The back four of Davidson, Lloyd, McEvoy and Coulter were displaying the same kind of resilience they had shown in the win against Dingle the week before, but multiplied by about five! The first Birkdale change was made, with Griffiths replacing Reppion. Noel had said at half-time that the home side would get at least one chance though, and so it proved when a fantastic through ball put Cooper one-on-one with the Feds keeper, who pulled off a good save, but unfortunately the Birkdale top scorer put the rebound wide.

Shortly afterwards, it seemed as though the door had been closed on the Birkdale chances of an upset as Feds doubled their lead in slightly fortuitous circumstances. They hit in a great cross from their right which was headed back from an acute angle towards goal. With Lloyd waiting on the line to clear it if it cleared Hesketh, the ball hit the underside of the bar, dropped straight down and hit a Feds player on head and hand at the same time, landing in the goal. It was a bit harsh on the home side but the contact with the hand was totally accidental.

Birkdale brought one White for Ferguson in an attempt to shore things up, although Feds understandably grew in confidence after this and had what they felt was a good claim for a penalty when Davidson’s clearance hit Griffiths’ arm at point-blank range, but the referee declined their requests. This was crucial because only a matter of minutes later, the deficit was halved. Granby, Jackson and White combined well in midfield to release Gillingham further forward. It looked as though she had lost the ball but her tenacity saw her win it back and play it to Griffiths. The substitute showed great composure to put an excellent pass back into the path of Gillingham who hit a fantastic swerving shot past the keeper from the edge of the area and into the corner of the net, and suddenly it was game on again.

For the first time in the match, the visitors looked a little less than sure of themselves and the home side regained confidence. Birkdale were suddenly first to all the fifty-fifty balls and it was this which lead to them levelling the scored with another superb goal. Jackson and Granby worked well together to bring the ball forward before the latter put the ball into Cooper’s feet. From nowhere, the Birkdale striker found a burst of pace to take her past the Feds defenders and from about ten yards she hit a left-footed thunderbolt which was past the ‘keeper before she had even seen it, to spark huge celebrations on the home touchline.

Feds were stung into action by this and it took a huge concerted effort to keep them out for the last ten minutes, but manage it the Blues did. They were indebted to some unbelievable saves from Hesketh in the Birkdale goal, and some blocks which were pretty much equal to players putting their bodies on the line for the team, but they all kept going and the final whistle sounded to signal 30 minutes of extra time.

In truth, the home side were beginning to tire by this point. Many of this team had not been used to playing 90 minutes a match until this season, and the prospect of an extra 30 was draining. However, the ladies kept plugging away and working hard, and caused some problems for their more illustrious counterparts. However, they went behind for the second time in the match just before the turn-around, when a good cross from the right found a Feds forward who finished adroitly on the volley to make the score 3-2. This was still the score when the teams turned around for the second period of extra time, although the third and final substitution had been made when Dixon replaced the unwell Davidson in defence. She made a good start by making an excellent clearance when under pressure only seconds after going on. This unfortunately meant that Waring could not take part in the game but she had more than made an impression and a positive contribution with the constant encouragement which she had given her teammates throughout the match.

By this point the home side were at desperation stakes and were beginning to take a few risks, and although they had a few half-chances, Feds were able to hit them on the break very effectively to add two further goals. The first saw a ball in from the left get stuck under a forward’s feet, with McEvoy and Lloyd unable to clear. She turned and hit a low shot past the unsighted Hesketh to seal the result. Then, in the final couple of minutes a long cross from the right to the far post was well headed in to give the scoreline a slightly more emphatic feel than was just. Shortly after, the final whistle went to underline Liverpool Feds passage to the last eight of the County Cup.

Noel and Dave both had no complaints with the final result, even if they did feel the scoreline was a little harsh on their team in the end. However, both of them were absolutely delighted with the attitude, effort and performance from the Birkdale team in this match. Without  a shadow of doubt, this was their best ever performance and they should take huge confidence from the performance and the result after ninety minutes. Both of them declared themselves incredibly proud of the ladies, and that they should always bear this performance in mind when facing other difficult opposition, as this is what they are capable of when everyone is pulling in the same direction. Well done to all of you ladies, and thank you!

The Player of the Match award couldn’t be given, as everyone deserved it!

Team: Hesketh, Davidson (Dixon 97), Coulter (c), Lloyd, Cooper, Jackson, Granby, Gillingham, McEvoy, Ferguson (White 68), Reppion (Griffiths 60). Sub not used (and Supercoach!): Waring.

After three home games ,we were back on the road. An away game at Burscough awaited us for the second time in a week. Another cold but dry day with the pitch soft but playable. Birkdale had a near full strengh squad with only Hubbard with a slight thigh strain.

Once the game kicked off it was clear to see that it was going to be a hard fought game. The first half had few chances from either team with Elliot and Edmondson having half chances. The second half began with Birkdale fast out the blocks, and the passing game was greatly improved in this half. Gray-Smith who normaly plays in defence was moved to left midfield for her first time to replace the injurd Hubbard and Armstong played on the right.

Keeping the positions well, Birkdale took a foothold in the game. A long range effort by Elliot produced a good parry by the goalkeeper, only resulting in giving the ball to Grey-Smith to roll the ball home into an empty net. There were other chances by Edmondson and Elliot which came close, but Burscough had a great chance with a one on one with Harrison in goal but she producing a fine save

Well done girls, a result that takes us up to second. A difficult choice for player of the match, with the award being split between Grey-Smith and Cunliffe.