Three of our Year 9 students Abby Clarke, Lucy Valentine and Beth Macdonald, along with Alder Grange School student Rebecca Beresford, play in the Lancashire U14s county team and recently helped their team to win the Northern Counties Cup.
In the Northern Counties Schools Football Association U14 Girls Inter-County Trophy Final, Rebecca was the first Rossendale player on the field at wing back.
With 15 minutes to go in the first half neither side had scored, but then Beth was brought on as striker and Abby replaced Rebecca right wing back.
Abby crossed the ball and there was a scramble in the box but Beth managed to tuck it away into the bottom left corner and Lancashire went 1-0 up.
At the start of the second half Lucy joined her teammates at centre mid.
Beth said: “We went into half time happy because we were winning, but we were the better team.”
On May 12 the girls will be in the Lancashire U14s side that will take on current cup holders Kent at Stoke City in the final of the PlayStation Schools Cup.
All three our students also played in our school team in an eight goal thriller against St Bede’s in Blackburn in the semi-final of the Under 14 Girls’ County Cup for the Lancashire Football Association Trophy.
Beth scored three, Lucy Valentine netted two and there was one goal apiece for Abby and Lucy Spence. St Bede’s got one goal back.
Beth said: “We are now through to the Lancashire Cup final against St Wilfrid’s at Leyland County Ground on Saturday May 19.”
Last year, they won the Lancashire Cup final against Archbishop Temple 5-2.
To earn their final place the team beat Shuttleworth 8-2 then Our Lady’s Preston 9-1; in the quarter final they defeated St Augustine’s 3-2.
Lucy also plays for Bolton, Abby plays for Everton, where she was recently picked to captain her team against Manchester City and Beth plays for Blackburn.
* Our Year 11 boys’ team has also won through to the Under 16s Boys County Cup final after beating Darwen Aldridge Community Academy 2-1. They will play St Christopher’s CE High School from Accrington on a date to be arranged.