Lancashire make it through to national final for sixth year in a row

Three Lancaster schoolgirls helped Lancashire Under-14s to reach a sixth consecutive national cup final.
Lancashire Girls Under 14s football team.Lancashire Girls Under 14s football team.
Lancashire Girls Under 14s football team.

Tilly Brand and Aimee Hodgson, who both attend Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School, and Ripley St Thomas Academy pupil Annabel Collin were in the team that won the English Schools FA PlayStation Inter-County Trophy for Girls semi-final 3-0 against Worcestershire.

The Red Rose county will play the winners of the other semi-final between Inner London and Kent as they bid to win the title for the fifth successive year.

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The county have now reached all six finals of the prestigious national competition with their last defeat coming in 2012.

The semi-final saw Lancashire drawn away from home for third time in four games as they made the long trip to Redditch United’s Valley Stadium.

Buoyed by an impressive 4-1 win in the previous round at Durham, the visitors opened the scoring after just six minutes of the last four match.

A long free-kick by Lauryn Wood was met by the head of Mary Collier, who wrong-footed the Worcestershire goalkeeper and agonisingly for the home team the ball just crossed the line.

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Lancashire effectively killed the game off in the first 10 minutes of the second period when Tahnee Lucas raced onto a long ball and her shot had too much power for the Worcestershire ‘keeper to stop.

Lancashire made it 3-0 through captain Cara Milne-Redhead, despatching her effort from outside the box into the roof of the net. Both teams continued to attack but some resolute defending meant there were no more goals.