In March, we took the Blackpool FC Community Trust FA Girls Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) Under 13/14s to play against the Knowsley St Helens Girls district team.
Our ETC came away with a thumping 7-0 win, with four goals from Bella Slade, two goals from Alicia Caine, and another from Taylor Quinn.
The Seasiders set the tone from the first whistle, racing into an early lead and continuing the pressure, ensuring they went in at half-time with a 6-0 lead. The second half allowed us to rotate positions and ensure that everyone was challenged playing in unfamiliar areas of the pitch.
The first half was dominant, with captain Lily Hesketh pulling the strings in midfield, Louisa Kitchen helping to control possession, and Bella Slade chipping in with goals from deep. In addition to this, the front three of Alicia Caine, Lottie Thomas and Taylor Quinn ensured that Pool were relentless in attack.
The girls were also given some tactical challenges, pressing the ball immediately if they lost it, and getting behind the ball when we didn’t have it. This helped to protect the clean sheet at the other end of the pitch.
Andy Aspinall, ETC Manager, said,
“It was great to see these girls come together as a team. All the girls have been identified as being the stand-out players in the Northwest. So, it was a pleasure to see them all on the pitch at the same time.
“We have an identity and a style of play that runs through the ETC at all ages. We ask them to be aggressive when we don’t have the ball and play a front-foot pressing game. With the ball, we ask for creativity, speed, technique and firepower. Hopefully, a lot of these girls will be representing the Blackpool FC Ladies open age teams in a few years when they are old enough!”
Thank you to Knowsley St Helens for hosting us, and good luck for the rest of the season.
