Utilita EFL Girls Cup Competition
Ripley St Thomas competed in the Area Final of the Utilita EFL Girls Cup competition on Thursday 13th January. After a brilliant footballing display in the first round, they had the opportunity to represent the football club.
The Area Final took place at Tulketh Community Sports Centre, hosted by Preston North End. In total there were nine other teams competing in the same group as Morecambe Football Club. We had a great day of football on display, with some great performances from all teams involved.
The Results
First up was a game against Hodgson Academy who were playing for Fleetwood Town. Ripley’s opponents took their chances really well and it resulted in a 4-0 win for them. Next up was another challenge as they faced Lytham St Anne’s High School for Blackpool. They had some real quality on the pitch and picked up a 4-0 win against Ripley.
Following on from this, Ripley played Archbishop Temple Church of England High School from Preston, resulting in a 3-0 loss. The girls worked hard to pick up their first point in a 2-2 draw against The Kings High School in Port Vale. Next was a 4-0 defeat to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Carlisle, then getting a 3-3 draw to St John’s Fisher Catholic College from Stoke on Trent in a highly entertaining game.
Ripley St Thomas continued to push on for their last three matches. First up was Wirral Grammar Girls School representing Tranmere Rovers. This resulted in a 3-0 defeat for Ripley St Thomas. To finish up, Salford City Academy got a narrow 1-0 win and the girls picked up a point in their last match against Furness Academy from Barrow.
Overall in the nine games played, Ripley St Thomas managed to get 3 draws and 6 losses. The girls should be incredibly proud of the effort they put in to reach the Area Finals. They went up against some real quality teams. In the end, it was Lytham St Anne’s High School that won the Area Final representing Blackpool FC. They will now progress into the next round of the Girls Cup competition.