Season ends with a flourish for our Women’s Under-21s

A fantastic second-half performance saw our Women’s Under-21s conclude their Professional Game Academy League campaign with a 3-0 win at London City Lionesses on Wednesday afternoon.

After a goalless opening 45 minutes in Kent, the game burst into life in the second period as seven minutes after the restart, we broke the deadlock when defender Blue Bartlett-Antwi netted her first goal of the season with a composed finish from inside the box before Persis Oteng doubled our lead with a well-struck volley.

Mia Endacott capped off her impressive first season in our colours with a stunning solo goal for our third of the afternoon, taking her goal involvement tally to 21 (nine goals and 12 assists) in 29 games this term, and it could have been even more when we awarded a penalty in the closing stages of the game, although Heidi Hills was unable to convert from spot in what would have been a thoroughly deserved goal for the defender.

However, the dominant showing in the second half wrapped up a season full of progress and development for our Academy side, finishing our PGA campaign on 24 points from 16 games.

It was a quiet opening quarter-of-an-hour before we started to carve out opportunities, Endacott seeing her effort from a tight angle pushed over the bar before Grace Breen sent a header wide at the back post after connecting to Endacott’s cross. Jhanaie Pierre curled wide of the far post as we stepped up the tempo, however, it was the hosts who went the closest in the encounter on 19 minutes as Amelia Ajao raced behind our backline before Sophie Jackson pushed her lofted effort onto the crossbar.

Kendra Brown and Endacott were both denied by Emily Drinkwater-Robinson as we pushed for an opener while, at the other end, Millie Rayner headed over from just outside the six-yard box as both sides struggled to find a breakthrough in the first half. However, just seven minutes after the break, we eventually broke the deadlock as Lucy Barraclough played in Endacott on the right, her cross landed to Bartlett-Antwi inside the box, who stayed in position from a corner moments before, and she slotted home with her left-foot.

Four minutes later, and we doubled our advantage. Barraclough’s cross from the right was met by Oteng and her first-time volley crashed against the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net to grab her 19th goal of the campaign. Having set-up our opening goal, Endacott turned goalscorer in the 65th-minute, receiving the ball from Barraclough from about 30 yards out, she charged forward, gliding past two defenders with ease before firing a powerful effort into the far corner for our third of the game. With the swung momentum in our favour, we could have had a fourth shortly after, Endacott’s chipped ball from the right found substitute Faye Fields-Davies at the back post but she was unable to guide her side-footed volley on target.

Fresh from scoring a hat-trick to help our Under-16s lift silverware on Saturday, Eloise Summers-Mee caused panic in the home side’s backline, winning possession just inside our own half before advancing into the box but could only send her effort into the side-netting. Jackson had to maintain her concentration levels in the closing stages, pushing Ava Bullas’ driven shot around the post to preserve her clean sheet, while we had a golden opportunity to add a fourth in the final three minutes remaining in the contest.

We were awarded a penalty after Hills, who covered every inch of grass down the left-hand side, was brought down inside the box and she stepped up to take it, but the defender blasted her effort over the bar. Although we were unable to extend our advantage, it remained a positive afternoon for Nick Hardy’s side to bring an end to the Under-21s’ 2024/25 campaign.

"It was really important to finish on a high"

Reflecting on the game and the season overall, Hardy said: “It’s a brilliant way to finish the season and, for us, that was the message, it was really important to finish on a high, closing off the season in a positive manner but also finishing how we deserved as a group of players, with the journey we had this campaign, the improvement and the development. It has been a tough season but that’s because of the work put in, putting in incredible effort on and off the pitch, so a really positive and pleasing way to finish. If you look at the 90 minutes in this game, I felt it was a very professional, controlled performance and one we can really be proud of, in terms of our identity and style, we were exactly like what we want to be known for.”