15/09/2025
Spartans see out Celtic in 10 goal thriller!!!
We end tonight with a fantastic result for the u14 spartan girls! Here is their report;
Matlock Town Spartans U14 Girls v Priory Celtic U14 Girls
The lush green fields at Cavendish welcomed us to our first home match of the season. All credit to the hard work of the Cavendish team over the summer - thank you all! Orla was chosen as captain for her tenacity and communication shown at training this week. We want the team to increase communication on the pitch, especially now we're on 11v11 pitches so this is something we'll be giving recognition for. Just 2 minutes in and Skyla opened the scoresheet, aided by some focussed passing from Orla, Rose and Lexi - a very positive start! Skyla popped another one in the net at 5 minutes, holding onto the ball until she was absolutely sure it would go in. 2-0 and the team were full of confidence and pride.
Defenders Liv, Alicia, Ella and Olivia all battled incredibly hard against some very fast and determined forwards from Priory Celtic. Long, powerful clearances from our trusty defenders made for some exciting end to end play. Our passing wasn't as streamlined as usual but the girls' tackling made up for it in winning the ball back when we lost it. Ella's throw ins were fantastic, several in a row with great communication in demanding options - great job Ella!
A small mistake then cost us as Priory grabbed one back, then again went on to equalise 2-2 to make a nail-biting first half keep us on our toes. The Spartans did not drop their heads and were more determined than ever to get something back from the game. Darcie battled hard and worked brilliantly out wide to force the opposition wingers to make mistakes, great work Darcie despite having an injury today! Skyla drove the ball fast and furiously forward finding a pass to Nina who scored and took us ahead once more 3-2 into the half time break. Fantastic team work and communication Nina!
With a few changes in formation after half time, the spartans were focussed and working well together. Alicia and Liv stayed strong and battled hard at the back. Poppy made several surging runs to play the ball forward but also making great decisions to play it out wide to wingers when needed. When the ball found it's way out wide Emily scooped it and dribbled with such speed up the wing, she scanned for a pass but saw no clear options so she shot from afar and scored a screamer! (4-2) Not content with just the one she found the back of the net just 3 minutes later with another great goal to make it 5-2! Super work Spartans!
The scoreline fueled the opposition and they really stepped up their game just as a few of our players started to tire. We were missing a couple of defenders today so our defence had to work incredibly hard. Priory's determination was fruitful in scoring one back to make it 5-3.
Lexi, who had been giving it her all in midfield dropped back to help out in defence, she'd been running her socks off but still found energy to chase anything that came close to our goal. Yvie, who had been amazing in commanding her goal area today then made an awesome double save - well done Yvie! However, after several more minutes of end to end battles Priory scored again to tighten it up to 5-4.
Both Ella and Olivia took spectacular power shots from great distance, which looked to be heading into the goal, but were unfortunate. Jessica made many superb runs forward throughout the match, making skillful twists and turns to lose defenders. She was always looking for shots but when on target they were blocked. With the scoreline so close it was a nerve-wracking final few minutes, Priory still looked fresh and all credit to them with having no subs today. With just a few minutes left, Skyla took a leap of faith and scored from a distance to grab herself a well-deserved hat trick! The final whistle and a 6-4 victory for the Spartans!
In summary, a nail-biting game that, at times, looked a confident win for the Spartans but a very closely chased scoreline meant that our girls had to battle right to the end. Congratulations girls on your first win of division 3 from all of your very proud coaches!
Thanks to Sanjay and Phil for your help with the lines. Also wishing our player Darcie a wonderful birthday for tomorrow!
Our Player of the Match sponsored by R C Taylor & Son Ltd goes to Skyla - such a skilled player, always calm and confident, always gives it everything she's got. She tracks back constantly and has massive determination and stamina with exquisite timing on the attack. Well done Skyla!
