PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS' TOURNAMENT FINAL- 9TH MAY

CHS’ UNDER 13 GIRLS ARE PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS’ TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS

CHS’ under 13 girls reaching the final beat all expectations as they had to play against some tough teams. They made it after progressing through their group undefeated securing 10 points out of a possible 12, as well as scoring six goals and only conceding two which came in the last group match. CHS then played against QPR in the semi finals and a goal from Hollie Massey secured a place in the premier league schools’ tournament final on their first appearance at the tournament.

 

The final was against Aston Villa. The girls walked out of the Anfield tunnel accompanied by the Liverpool anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' ringing around the stadium.

 

The final was refereed by premier league official Chris Foy with Phil Dowd as fourth official. Congleton had the better chances but were not able to capitalise on the possession. Emma Nisbit, Hollie Massey and Amy Rogers all went close, whilst Becky Barlow, Caitlin Green and Goalkeeper Lydia Bennett were assured at the back. The game needed extra time to separate the two teams. The goal came when a clearance from Bennett wasn't dealt with by the Villa defence and a neat flicked header by Hollie Massey deflected the ball past the keeper. In desperation Villa started to play the long ball to pressurise the defence, but they held firm to clinch a 1-0 victory and the trophy.

The trophy was presented by the Chairman of The Premier League Sir Dave Richards, accompanied by Liverpool FC players Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva.

This is the first year that the wining team will receive a specially-designed trophy that replicates Barclays Premier League trophy. Meaning that CHS will be the first to have their names engraved on the base of the trophy and will keep the trophy for 12 months and I am sure it will be displayed somewhere, where the whole school can see the girl’s excellent performance and achievement.

The whole of the school are proud of the girls and are excited about having the trophy and hope to retain it again next year!

Written by Adam Bailey and Mr Naylor

PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS' TOURNAMENT SEMI FINAL- 9TH MAY

PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS’ TOURNAMENT- SEMI-FINAL

After progressing through the group stage CHS’ under 13 girls were up against group S winner QPR in the semi-finals.

CHS had the majority of the play but QPR were a threat on the break. CHS created some good chances but were unable to convert them so the game went into extra time. Halfway through extra time the breakthrough came, some neat play was squared across goal to Hollie Massey who slotted home from just inside the area. 1-0 CHS. CHS were then able to close the game out with no real problems and they progressed into the final.

Written by Adam Bailey and Mr Naylor

PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS' TOURNAMENT GROUP STAGE- 9TH MAY

PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS’ TOURNAMENT- GROUP STAGE

CHS’ under 13 girls represented Stoke City today (Thursday 9^th May) at Anfield in the annual Premier League Schools’ Tournament. The day marked one of the biggest in CHS’ PE history and the PE staff went into the tournament knowing it would be tough but if the team performed like they did in qualifying then they would have a good chance of going through to the semi-finals.  

Match 1- v Reading

Straight from the whistle CHS put pressure on Reading’s defence. Emma Nisbit’s shot was saved and Amy Rodger’s rebound was also saved. However, it was soon 1-0 to CHS, when Amy Rodgers beautifully skipped past the defence before her shot hit the post but Nisbit was on hand to score the rebound. It seemed as if the CHS support from their friends in the stands inspired CHS, who were unlucky not to have doubled their lead, firstly when CHS saw a goal disallowed for going out of play, even though the CHS players and support didn’t think so. The luck didn’t change for CHS when a shot hit the crossbar. The result was 1-0 to CHS.

Match 2- v Fulham
CHS got off to a great start when Amy Rodger’s half volley found the net from just outside the area. 1-0 CHS. Hollie Massey saw her shot rattle the crossbar but soon after Massey scored a blinder from outside the area to give CHS a 2-0 lead. Massey was denied again when her shot hit the underside of the cross-bar and didn’t bounce how she would have hoped. The result was 2-0 to CHS.

Match 3- v West Ham

In the opening minutes, Lydia Bennett made her first save of the tournament with a good save to deny West Ham scoring the opener. CHS weren’t given the space in attack they had in the other group games but Massey found space and drilled her low shot into the bottom right corner. CHS managed to hold onto their one goal lead but after some sloppy defending, West Ham counter attacked but Bennett watched as the ball went beyond her far post. The result was 1-0 to CHS.

Match 4- v Norwich

CHS knew that a draw would be enough to secure a semi-final place but they were not going to play for a draw they wanted to take three points. CHS soon took the lead when Massey scored another blinder this one from at least 20 yards out, which proved why she was selected for the national U-15 team. Within minutes CHS, were looking like they were going through to the semi-final after Amy Rodgers doubled CHS’ lead when she struck the ball into the net. Norwich got straight back into the game with two goals in minutes. The first was the first goal Bennett had conceded all tournament after CHS left space in defence for Norwich’s attackers. The score was then quickly levelled when CHS failed to close down Norwich’s attackers, before the attacker placed a shot in the bottom corner. Massey couldn’t add to her tally of 3 for the tournament as she saw her shot rattle the crossbar for the third time in fourth matches. The result was 2-2 which secured a semi-final place for CHS.

Written by Adam Bailey

PREVIEW- PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS' TOURNAMENT

PREVIEW- UNDER 13 GIRL’S TRIP TO ANFIELD (PREMIER LEAGUE SCHOOLS’ TOURNAMENT)

Tomorrow (Thursday 9^th May) CHS' under 13 girls will not be playing on CHS’ field instead they are making the small step up to playing at Liverpool FC’s ground, Anfield, when they represent Stoke City at the Premier League Schools’ Tournament competing against the 20 premier league teams.

The girls won all their six matches in the qualifying stages, scoring 42 goals and conceding just five. They continued that superb form with a 5-1 semi-final victory and a 4-0 success against Christchurch Academy in the final. The team is captained by England Under-15 midfielder Hollie Massey, who scored over 20 goals in qualifying and boasts midfielder Amy Rogers, who plays for Everton Ladies.

The girls will travel to Liverpool tonight before staying in a hotel. Tomorrow morning they will be treated like professionals when they get changed in the dressing rooms, walk onto the pitch through the tunnel to the premier league anthem and will be officiated by real premier league officials.

Liverpool Midfielder, Jordan Henderson made the draw which see’s Congleton High School up against schools who qualified from Reading, Fulham, West Ham and Norwich in Group C.

Their Group

Reading- Waingels College
Waingels College took it to the wire in the final after beating off stiff competition. Their showdown against Beechwood School ended 2-2 in normal time but they found a winning goal in extra time. Waingels have been training hard ahead of their trip to Anfield and are hoping captain Megan Bonifacii can lead them to the title.

Fulham- Evelyn Grace School
Evelyn Grace’s girls’ team have been playing together and training every Thursday for the last two years. That dedication and their big-game mentality was rewarded as they came through both the semi-finals and the final on penalties. The team’s sharp shooter Cristiana Afonso, known by the boys at school as "Lionel Messi", will be hoping to maintain the impressive form in front of goal that helped her side reach Anfield.

West Ham- Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls
The school has a rich history of sporting success, including winning the County Football Cup five years in a row, being national finalists for all year groups in Futsal and achieving a runners-up finish in the U13 National Football Finals at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The Romford-based school boasts several students who have represented Essex and one who has played for Arsenal and England U17s. Most of the U13 team play for clubs including Tigers, West Ham United and represent Essex.

Norwich- Wymondham High School
Having played together since primary school the girls won all their U13 County Cup matches on their way to the semi-final. In PLST qualifying they scored 34 goals and conceded just twice, with Norwich City Girls Centre of Excellence starlet Aimee Palmer finishing top scorer. The final round went down to the last match with Wymondham taking the lead through Rebecca Russell only for Hellesdon High to level, but a point ensured they went through on goal difference.

Knockout Stages

If Congleton make it through the group they will be up against tough teams including teams who played in the tournament last year as well as regional and national champions.

But the whole school is behind them and will have support at Anfield by their friends who will travel tomorrow morning to Anfield. Look out for a full report from all CHS’ games as well as reaction from the day.

Written by Adam Bailey

(Draw and Stats courtesy of Premier League)