Maidenhead U14 Girls recorded 2 more wins to breeze through to the Quarter Finals of the Berks & Bucks FA Cup and to top Division 1 of the Berkshire County Girls Football League.

This is number of girls have been impacted by flu recently and the team is now (almost) back to full strength……

The 2 wins were a 2-0 win over Tilehurst Panthers in the Berks/Bucks FA Cup and a 4-1 league win over AFC Reading.

It was great to see Rebecca Hesketh and Hattie Parkinson score cracking goals in these matches respectively.

Kate Lee and Lily May Sheperd have been taking turns in goal with some great saves each and the defence is almost impregnable now! Emily McCartney and Violet Kingston Wheeler don’t let anyone past and have now taken to surging forward later on in games to put extreme pressure on teams.

Coach Andy has high standards already and the girls were joined in training this week by a U14 England player to help out with the coaching – this really raised the bar!

The under 14 girls continue to reign supreme with another impressive 6-1 win ,this time over last year’s Berks League Cup winners- Thatcham Town.

After a chilly and  scrappy start to the first half the girls quickly warmed up and found their rhythm with a perfectly timed volley into the net from Emily McMaster fed by a pinpoint accurate corner from Sofia Lacey. This was promptly followed by another from striker Charlie Potter and one from ‘goal machine’ Becky Tinnelly.

The second half saw a considerably more focused, disciplined and organised Maidenhead retaining 90% of the possession throughout with another two goals from Tinnelly (she just keeps on scoring hat tricks!) and one more from McMaster.

Lily May Shepherd had a great game out of goal for a change – really keeping their key striker quiet and Kate Lee played like she’s been part of the team for years when in fact it was her 3rd game. This was exceptionally helpful as 3 of the squad were unavailable or ill.

This win is  particularly impressive when looking at old score sheets from two seasons ago when the girls were conceding losses of 14 -1 against Thatcham Town. This result is not only testament to all of coach Andy’s hard work with the girls but also a clear indication of their growing talent and discipline on the pitch. Maidenhead under 14 girls are quickly  becoming the team to beat this season.

With this win they go sailing through into the semifinal of the Berkshire league girls football cup.

Maidenhead U14 Girls won a tight match 3-2 over cup rivals Wargrave on Sat 16 Nov. Maidenhead took a 2-0 lead initially with goals from Charlie Potter and Becky Tinnelly. Wargrave came back into it with 2 goals in the second half and it took a spectacular run around three players for Becky Tinnelly to finish the game off for Maidnehead. The girls are still unbeaten!

Coach Andy said “It was especially pleasing to win today as we have 2 players out injured and a couple of players playing in new positions for the first time. “

Sofia Vicarelli has only joined the team recently and played with real tenacity, chasing every ball and hassling all opponents. Violet Kingston-Wheeler had her best game for the team so far, not letting anyone past and with some great interceptions against the attacking players.

Maidenhead girls are now guaranteed a semi final spot in the Berkshire County Girls Football League Cup competition.

In other news parent Steve found this photo on his phone from 4/5 years ago from a mixed age group Maidenhead Tournament team…..cute eh.

Maidenhead U14 Girls beat Laurel Park 10-0 in the Berkshire County League Cup on Saturday 9th November

It’s difficult to know what is more pleasing for the girls:

1. Another clean sheet
2. U14 Girls are still undefeated this season
3. Great possession and passing/control from all players
4. Good parent support in chilly conditions…
5. 6 goals from Becky Tinnelly! (A team record for one player we think)
6. 2 goals from Emily McMaster, 1 from Rebekah Hesketh and Sofia Lacey each

Another big win for Maidenhead U14 Girls away at Laurel Park

They shot, they scored! Again, again and again…!!!
It was another impressive win for the U14 Girls as they sailed through the first round of the Berks & Bucks county cup tournament with a 9-0 win over Laurel Park.

With Maidenhead maintaining possession for the majority of the match Laurel park struggled to get a foothold against a team who played with great discipline and clinical control throughout.

Relentless in attack and solid in defence they slotted in 6 goals in the first half and 3 in the second.

Goals scored by Becky Tinnelly 4 Charlie Potter 3, Sofia Lacey 1 & Emily McMaster 1

A special mention also needs to go to goal keeper Lilly May Shepherd for a seasons best performance and an impressive assist to one of Charlie  potters goal with a huge kick right to the feet of Potter who ran in the goal with premier league quality.  Bring it on girls!!!!

Maidenhead U14 Girls top Division 1, undefeated still, with a record 10-1 win at Ascot United on Saturday 12 October.

In very, very, wet conditions Maidenhead U14 girls focussed on maintaining possession and frequent back passing to reset play. They then demonstrated outstanding passing and control to score a number of goals as a result of 7/8/9 consecutive passes. Coach Andy wanted to try out a different formation with 3 up front and 3 at the back (Violet Kinston-Wheeler (captain for the day), Laila Knowles and Emily McCartney) with Dani Yakubovich in a sweeper role. It worked against this opposition but won’t necessarily work against every team in the league. Goals were scored by 5 different girls, really showing the attacking talent across the team. Becky Tinnelly (3), Emily McMaster (3), Charlie Potter (2), Hattie Parkinson (1), Georgina Evans (1).

The U14 girls are now 3 points clear in Division 1 of the Berkshire County Girls Football League – as the League now takes a short break with Cup matches.