Saturday 8^th February 2025 - Kick Off 9.30am

 

The girls were back on the road with an early start over in Brighouse for a match against a team they hadn’t played in a number of years.  The league table indicated that this should be a win for Town, but the girls were told not take the opposition for granted as the previous encounter had been a closely fought game.  

With an almost fully fit squad a strong line up and subs meant no excuses for the girls.  The match started with Olivia Harvey in goal and a back four of Izzy Stobbs, Lilly Perry, Abbie Rushworth and Freya Welbourne. Jenny Crossley and Grace Denny once again in central midfield with Izzy Colbert and Amelia Troughton on the wings.  Once again upfront was the strike partnership of Camilla Rishton-Hepworth and Maja Kulis.  On the bench was Cecily Gambrill and Ava Call.

The game started in dry but fresh weather conditions, on a pitch which slopped downhill from the side lines.  The first 5 minutes saw each team gauge their opposition with not much attacking threat with a lot being played in midfield.  The first real attack of the game saw Brighouse win a corner and subsequently hit the bar with a goal mouth scramble ensuing.  The defence cleared their lines to keep the game at 0-0, but the warning was there already for Town.  Knaresborough settled into their rhythm once again and started to utilise the width of the pitch to turn the Brighouse defence.  On the 15-minute mark there was some good link up play between Jenny and Grace, which saw a lovely weighted ball by Jenny through for Maja.  Having kept on side and burst through towards the edge of the box on the right-hand side, Maja took a touch and from just outside the box hit a rocket into the top corner of the goal, leaving the goalkeeper to grasp at thin air as it flew into the net.  The next 10 minutes saw a number of attacks, mainly from Town through the middle and down the flanks, but with no goals being added due to a number of very tight offside calls.  At the other end of the pitch Olivia made a couple of important saves to keep Brighouse at bay.  Brighouse were continuing to play a high line and were getting caught more and more as the half wore on.  Towards the middle of the half a crucial tackle from Freya close to the Town box prevented what would have been a free run on goal.  After approximately 30 minutes Ava replaced Grace and Cecily replaced Amelia.  A slight reshuffle saw Izzy C move into the central midfield role vacated by Grace.  A couple of mazy runs from Ava towards the end of the half kept the pressure on Brighouse but their attacking threat remained.  The first half came to a close with little injury time and the match finely posed at 1-0 to Town still.

No changes were made at half time and so the second half started with the same players who finished the first half.  The game continued to remain unchanged but after about 15 minutes a corner was won down the left-hand side.  Lilly stepped up to deliver a well-placed corner into the six yard area which the defence didn’t really know what to do with.  It resulting in one of the Brighouse central defenders trying to clear it but inadvertently kneed it into her own net.  2-0 to Town.  It was certainly well deserved.  A second corner was won on the opposite flank 5 minutes later, which resulted in another goal.  Lilly once again put in a teasing corner right into the heart of the Brighouse box, which was directed into the goal by the shoulder of Camilla.  3-0 and the game was slipping away from Brighouse now.  They had struggled to get out of their own half and the two quick goals backed up this pattern of play.  Both Grace and Amelia were now back on the pitch with Ava and Cecily making way.  Within a couple of minutes of the third goal, more attacks were occurring and one in particular almost saw Town score a fourth.  A lovely through ball to Maja who took an early shot at goal brought about a great save from the Brighouse goalkeeper.  The ball was still in play and spinning on the goal line.  A coming together between Camilla and a defender somehow prevented the ball going over the line, but it felt like there were more goals for Town.  The fourth goal eventually appeared about 10 minutes later when Lilly put a through ball down the left-hand side for Amelia to outpace their defender.  On collecting the ball Amelia, produced a lovely bit of magic with a drag back, cut inside and hit a first time shot from the edge of the box over the keeper who was stood about 10 yards off her line.  The ball flew over the keeper’s head and nestled into the goal.  A great way to put the game to bed.  Further changes with just over 10 minutes to go saw Cecily replace Abbie and Ava replace Maja.  Amelia moved up front with Cecily out to right back and Izzy Stobbs into centre half.  The only sore note being the goal conceded by Town with 3 minutes left to play.  Olivia had controlled the box well this half and made a crucial punch of the ball midway through the half but was unable to prevent their striker taking one of the few opportunities to shoot at our goal.  In the final minute of the game Izzy put Camilla through on goal but for a last gasp tackle from Brighouse would have more than likely seen a fifth goal scored by Town.  The game came to an end and a well-deserved 4-1 win for Town.

 

Thoughts from Captain Lilly Perry on the game:

"Brilliant performance from the girls on Saturday from beginning to end.  They worked really hard to maintain control of the game. Although pitch conditions were poor we didn’t let this stop us performing."

 

Result: 4-1 win by Knaresborough Town U.18’s
Goal scorers: Maja Kulis, OG (Lilly Perry corner), Camilla Rishton-Hepworth, Amelia Troughton
Match Report: Michael Richardson

 

 

 

Saturday 1^st February 2025 - Kick Off 10.30am

 

The first home game of the New Year arrived with a match against a team we had not played before.  With a few more players back from injury the team looked both strong on the pitch as well as the bench.  The match started with Amelia Troughton in goal and a back four of Poppy Johnson, Lilly Perry, Izzy Stobbs and Freya Welbourne.  Jenny Crossley and Grace Denny made up central midfield with Izzy Colbert and Bella Richardson on the wings.  Upfront was the strike partnership of Camilla Rishton-Hepworth and Maja Kulis.  On the bench was Cecily Gambrill, Olivia Harvey and Abbie Rushworth.

The game started in clear weather conditions, albeit the pitch was a bit on the heavy side.  The opening 15 minutes was played out mainly in midfield with a good battle to win control of the ball by both teams. Knaresborough settled into their rhythm and started to utilise Camilla’s pace to turn the defence on a number of occasions.  This resulted in the opening goal when Jenny won possession and quickly played a through ball between their two centre backs to Camilla.  25 yards out Camilla drove into the box and with her weaker left foot slotted home from just inside the box into the bottom left corner, 1-0.

Having gained the early advantage, the girls settled into their usual passing play using the width more and more to try to get in round the back of a strong Marsden defence.  With Abbie now on the field and Lilly pushing back up into her more favoured midfield position, the team was holding the opposition at bay.  Further pressure resulted in a number of corners, the final one resulting in an own goal from a lovely delivery into the box by Lilly. 2-0 to the good but by no means comfortable as Marsden continued to cause the back four issues with their pace and a clean sheet was on retained due to some great last-ditch tackles by all the defenders and some great saves from Amelia.

Towards the end of the half a freekick was awarded about 30 yards out after a late tackle on Jenny.  This was an almost identical position on the pitch from where Lilly scored last week in the win over Greetland.  Their goalkeeper didn’t ask for a wall and this ultimately assisted Lilly in scoring a beautifully struck freekick into the top left hand corner of the goal.  3-0 at half time was a very good return on the game but very much deserved.

A change in goalkeeper saw Olivia come on for the second half, along with Cecily making a further introduction into the game.  Complacency was the most likely thing that would cause the girls issues in the second half.  Having weathered some strong attacks from Marsden the game remained unchanged after about 15 minutes, however, the girls energy levels along with dropping a little deeper at times was starting to give the opposition encouragement and a foot hold in the game.

Within 15 minutes Marsden had scored two goals leaving the whole feel of the match completely different.  During this period Olivia was unfortunately injured in a coming together with one of their attackers meaning Amelia reverted back to goalkeeper.  A few changes were made to try to tighten things up along with some more energy, saw Camilla return upfront after coming off early in the half due to a slight injury and Cecily moving to the left wing.

Midfield and wingers remained in a constant battle for possession with the flow of the game yo-yoing either way.  The back four of Freya, Abbie, Izzy S and Bella were made to work really hard in this last period but ultimately, they helped prevented any further goal being conceded. 

 

Thoughts from the Captain, Lilly Perry, on the game:

“The girls worked hard on Saturday and brought back another 3 points.  In the first half it was full of good work rate and battling, but slightly slipped off in the second half, which was proven by the goals conceded. However, the girls still managed to work hard for each other and secure the win”.

 

 

Goal scorers: Camilla Rishton-Hepworth, OG, Lilly Perry
Match Report: Michael Richardson

 

 

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Saturday 25^th January 2025 (10.30am Kick off)

 

A chilly start met the girls this weekend, with a light covering of frost and a temperature only a couple of degrees above freezing met us on arrival at the pitches. High up above Halifax the conditions were going to be challenging with a light snow shower hitting the girls during their warmup.

This certainly made things interesting especially the goalkeepers warm up. The pitch was playable even though it was heavy under foot and slopping from right to left.

The game started on time and the girls were into their passing rhythm quickly who would be playing the first 45 minutes uphill. There was difficulty moving it centrally, so the ball was pushed out to the wingers of Ava and Issy as much as possible during the early exchanges.

Their pace causing issues for their defence early on as a couple of attacks didn’t result in a goal but provided a warning to Greetland that the girls were certainly up for this match. Greetland then had a couple of chances at the other end using the momentum of the downhill advantage and a quick left winger in their ranks.

However, these weren’t converted into goals by both good defending from Poppy and Stobbys at the back combined with Amelia’s good timing to come out to collect the goal. Within a couple of minutes Town scored their first goal when the ball fell to Jenny just outside the box who hit a lovely first timed shot into the goal, leaving their keeper rooted to the spot, 1-0 to Town.

Over the next 15 minutes more attacks occurred as Lilly P and Jenny continued to dominate the centre of the pitch and continued to use the width of the pitch to stretch Greetland. Camilla continued to be a threat with her pace pushing their defence back and allowing Grace to fill the slightly more advanced role she usually plays but did this with great endeavor and almost scored herself during this period of domination.

A jinking run by Jenny down the inside left flank saw her cut inside and she was subsequently upended by a defender giving Town a penalty. Lilly P stepped up to take this and subsequently converting with a very calm strike to make it 2-0 to Town.

A couple of substitutions mid-way through the game saw some more excellent play on the challenging pitch, one of note being a lovely cross by Bella from out wide across the six-yard box to Issy who couldn’t quite keep the first time shot on target and it hit the outside of the post rolling agonisingly wide.

Towards the end of the half Greetland had three good attacks as tired legs and the team dropping a little deep at times, allowed the opposition to shoot at our goal. These attacks came to nothing with the continued tough tackling from Abby and Freya on the left side of defence for two of the attacks.

The second half kicked off in sunshine, but still under chilly conditions however the wind had dropped significantly which gave the girls a better chance of playing some of their lovely brand of passing football. Olivia came into goal for this half and Amelia playing up front, with Lilly P soon back on the pitch after her substitution in the first half after a worrying twist to the ankle.

With the advantage of the pitch slope Town scored early in the half by Amelia with a cultured finish to make it 3-0.  Any worries that Greeland would get back into the game were gone and it was really down to how many would we score this half. With Bella moved into the centre of defence, it allowed Cecily to play on the left wing and she certainly enjoyed the freedom the game provided with a number of mazy runs with the ball.

One of those runs resulting in a free kick about 30 yards out. The shout from the coaches was to get ball on target and make the goalkeeper work, which is exactly what was delivered with the ball ending up in the back of the net, 4-0 to Town.

Town were now four up and there were still about 25 minutes to play. During the next 25 minutes, the girls only managed to score one more goal, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

What can only be described as some unlucky bounces and a slippy 18-yard box along with some good goalkeeping, prevented at least another five goals being scored. With better luck and fortune Amelia would have scored at least another three goals.

Ava was brought on to the middle of the park to give us some fresher legs as the pitch was starting to get really boggy in places which was energy sapping. Camilla continued to drive the team forward and stretch the defence which allowed the midfield and her striking partners to have a number of chances to score.

Olivia didn’t have a great deal to do but when called up on made a crucial catch from a Greetland corner and also dominated her box when needed to keep the clean sheet. The defence didn’t have too much to do in the second half but were always switched and made important tackles when required.

The game ended 5-0 to Town, but it could have been a lot more. A sold performance and another clean sheet.  On to the next game this time at home and hopefully three more points.

 

Words from the Captain, Abbie:

‘A horrible pitch made it difficult to control the game early on. with a couple of missed passes, but then as we adapted to the conditions, we took charge and played some very good football again. Special shoutout to Jenny who controlled the midfield very well and another clean sheet for the team’.

 

Goal scorers: Jenny, Lilly P (2), Amelia (2).
Match Report: Michael Richardson

 

 

 

 

Saturday 18^th January 2025 (10am Kick off)

 

A welcome return to footballing action for the girls arrived for the first time in 2025.  A tricky away game at Horsforth at a recently redeveloped venue was upon us, which meant the girls had no excuse to not play their usual brand of attractive football.  With a few injuries to some of the squad we were light in terms of numbers and only had one substitute.  

Kick off arrived after a good warm up by the girls and they seemed to be up for the fight, which proved to be the case within the first few minutes of the game starting.  The girls settled into their rhythm and were passing the ball around really nicely. Grace was very lively and driving the team forward along with Jenny and the rest of the team.  Less than 10 minutes had passed, and the first goal arrived with Maja driving into the box to score a well taken goal into the bottom corner.  This was just a hint of what was about to come over the next 15 minutes, when we scored another 3 goals, all from the head/boots of Maja.  All were well taken goals which had been created by some very good build up play where the girls moved the ball around quickly and turned the opposition.  The girls continued to press for a fifth goal which almost arrived when Ava cut in from the left after winning a battle out wide, but a heavy touch allowed the keeper to claim the ball at the edge of the box.  It wasn’t long before numbers five and six arrived.  The first being a lovely touch from Camilla to lift the ball over the keeper and soon after Jenny fired in a speculative shot, which the keeper failed to collect, and the ball was in the back of the net.  Maja added a seventh just before half time and the game was well and truly over.

Halftime saw a small reshuffle with Cecily playing left wing and Ava moving up front with Maja.  The girls continued to dominate across the pitch with the defensive four playing solidly and the midfield of Grace and Jenny pulling the strings once more.  The width was used more in the second half with Izzy and Cecily making some lovely runs down both flanks.  It was much of the same in the second half with further goals from Camilla, two more from Maja and a first from Ava which was well deserved for her all-round performance.  The girls kept pushing and it could have been more had it not been for some last-ditch tackles from Horsforth, one in particular prevented Cecily getting a deserved goal.  With 10 minutes to play Horsforth had a couple of chances to score one snuffed out early on in their attack, the second was stopped in its tracks when Abbie came across the defensive line and made a beautiful sliding tackle.

A must is a salute to the back four of Abbie, Stobbsy, Freya and Poppy who played very solidly and kept their attackers very quiet all game.  Finally, Amelia had a relatively quiet game but hats off to her for remaining switched on for the whole 90 minutes as she made a number of important saves to keep a clean sheet.

In the end the game finished 11-0 to Town.

 

Words from the Captain, Abbie:

‘I couldn’t be prouder of the girls, especially in the icy conditions everyone performed very well.  We all communicated with each other and the attitude was excellent.  We looked at our very best in the game and that has been missing for a while.  Some very well taken goals, special mention to Maja for her finishing today.

 

Goal scorers – Maja (7), Camilla (2), Jenny, Ava.

Match report: Michael Richardson