Coventry City Ladies Under 16's were in cup action again and it was another final, this time being in the County Cup. The game took place on a beautiful surface at the Birmingham FA Headquarters, which was very conductive to free flowing football. The Sky Blues defeated Halas Hawks 6-0 to progress to the final, whereas Boldmere were 5-2 victors over Sedgley White Lions. Coventry would see this as a good opportunity to make it two cup triumphs in the space of a week, and they would be looking to emulate the first team's County Cup success.
The game started evenly with both teams battling for the ball in the middle of the pitch, Boldmere's physical threat seemed to be causing the Sky Blues some problems early on as they weren't allowed to settle on the ball. This was until around 7 minutes had been played however, and after this point Coventry's nerves had seemingly eased as they began playing some neat football in periods. Neither team created any early chances though as the game was turning in to a real battle, with the Sky Blues matching the Boldmere side physically.
With 13 minutes on the clock City did open the scoring though after a free kick was won out wide down the right. Alice Bates then whipped the dead ball in brilliantly and Rosie Hargreaves was there to head in to the far corner with real precision. The tie remained even though after the deadlock was broken, and Boldmere were looking for a way back in to the game. A corner was won by the Reds with 18 minutes played but the Sky Blues defended it well to retain their lead.
Neither team had been able to gain a real foothold in the game and it continued to be well contested. Boldmere seemed to have more of the ball in the final third but they couldn't find a way past a resolute City back three of Lucy Stead, Jasmine Ancell and Sammie Quinn. The solid defending allowed the Sky Blues to go forward also and hard work from Baylee Parry on 27 minutes allowed her to break through, only to be thwarted by a last ditch tackle.
The final ten minutes proved to be one way traffic as City were enjoying more possession now but the final ball was lacking, they did get forward on a few occasions but without really testing the Boldmere back line. The Reds were still looking for an equaliser but City countered with real pace on 37 minutes as Baylee Parry raced down the right, her low cross then found Hargreaves but she could only fire over. Another chance was carved out just seconds later as another neat move saw Hargreaves have space to let fly again, her effort this time dropped wide however.
Another chance was passed by on the stroke of half time as an Alice Bates corner reaped havoc, Rosie Hargreaves was unable to keep her header down though as it flew narrowly over the bar. It was a bright finish to the opening period for the Sky Blues as they began to put Boldmere under severe pressure, but the referee sounded the whistle to bring an end to the half with Coventry leading.
Half-Time: Coventry City LFC Under 16's 1-0 Boldmere LFC U16's
City's flourish at the end of the first half continued in to the second and they started with real intensity as they took the game to Boldmere. Just three minutes in to the half and a decent save thwarted Chloe Rowlatt as she aimed for the top corner, and just seconds later a corner found Beth Johnson who couldn't divert her effort on target. More pressure was piled on the Reds' defence as Johnson found Parry down the right wing, her driven low cross was then inches away from being turned in by the oncoming City strikers.
City's wave of attacks continued and with 48 minutes on the clock Tiarna Gilkes played a delightful ball over the top to Baylee Parry, she then raced away before drilling a cross to Chloe Rowlatt who went a couple of inches away from doubling the advantage. The striker then had another chance just seconds later as the team's high press allowed her to steal the ball, she then raced clear but the keeper reacted well to her low effort to save with her feet. Boldmere were really struggling with the intensity of the game now as the Sky Blues pressed relentlessly, and with City possessing so much quality on the ball, there was only one team who looked like scoring.
After riding out the Coventry pressure, Boldmere relaxed again on the hour mark as they started to see more of the ball. Lara Smith remained untested in the Sky Blues goal though as nothing could break through the solid defence that stood in front of her. City continued creating chances up the other end too though as Tiarna Gilkes' passing ability saw her play an exquisite through ball to Emmalee Hornsby, the striker then ran one-on-one with the keeper but she miscued her strike which rolled harmlessly wide. Hornsby had another chance in the next move though as she volleyed an effort inches wide of the far post with the keeper panicking.
With just 10 minutes remaining Boldmere looked to get forward and snatch an equaliser against the run of play, with their left-back firing just over as she overlapped well down the left wing. City were winning the midfield battle however and this allowed them to control proceedings, resulting in the Reds finding it difficult to have a real impact on the game. Boldmere hearts were then broken on 76 minutes as Rosie Hargreaves stole the ball in midfield before darting past two defenders, she then looked up before shaping a superb effort in to the far corner to make it 2-0.
The final few minutes saw the Reds apply a little bit of pressure but the Sky Blues dealt with any threat comfortably. A counter attack then saw Coventry go close to making the lead wider as a low cross found Baylee Parry who was unlucky to see her effort to roll wide. The referee then sounded the full-time whistle just minutes later to signal a 2-0 victory for Coventry, and a County Cup triumph to savour.
Full-Time: Coventry City LFC U16's 2-0 Boldmere LFC U16's
Manager Natasha Lynch told Matty Roper: "Well to win 2 trophies in 7 days shows what a great team spirit there is within cclfc u16's. It's an honour to manage a group of girls who are willing to learn and strive for success. This is the future of Coventry and with girls like this the future is definitely sky blue."
"Credit has to go to Boldmere too as they showed great desire and battled to the end , but our girls stuck to the task and showed why they have enjoyed so much success so far this season. We need one last push from
everyone to go and get 6 points from the last 2 games to finish off a top season by winning the league. This club makes me proud."
Matthew Roper
Coventry City Ladies Football Club