Middlesex’s U14 Girls Representative Squad created history when they defeated the holders, Essex SFA, in the semi-final of the English Schools’ FA Inter-County Trophy.
Both teams went into the match at AIM North London in Edmonton in very good form and the visitors made the first breakthrough, winning and scoring an early penalty to put themselves 1-0 ahead.
Middlesex fought back valiantly and equalised through a fantastic, long range free kick by Megan Peters Weise. The remainder of the first half was a close contest. Essex hit the crossbar twice, but Middlesex were able to keep their composure in a mostly crowded penalty area and score another two goals for a 3-1 lead at half time.
Not wanting to rest on their laurels, Middlesex started the second half brightly, determined to increase their advantage. The home side scored their fourth goal just two minutes after the restart. The majority of the second half continued in this vein; Middlesex maintained their grip on the match and continued to keep Essex camped in their own half, creating chance after chance.
The Seaxes eventually made their dominance count and two superbly taken goals put Middlesex 6-1 ahead. The match finished in a frenetic fashion, with both sides finding the net as Middlesex ran out 7-2 winners.
The squad will face Lancashire on a date to be arranged at the home ground of a Premier League or EFL Club. They will be the fifth Representative side from the County to play in a National Final and the first since the 2008-09 Under-16 Girls were narrowly defeated by West Yorkshire at Lincoln City. The team has also qualified for the knockout phase of the South-East England Schools’ FA’s Essex Cup competition and secured a home semi-final tie.
