Women’s Under-21s suffer Cup exit at Durham

Our Women’s Under-21s were knocked out of the Professional Game Academy (PGA) League Plate after a 2-1 defeat to Durham in extra time on Wednesday afternoon.

The hosts opened the scoring after just two minutes on the clock, but forward Eloise Hall quickly responded five minutes later to grab an equaliser in the northeast and, despite both sides having a number of opportunities for the remainder of the contest, it remained all square and went into extra time.

It was heartbreak for our Under-21s as Durham, who compete in Division One of the PGA League, netted the winning goal two minutes into the second half of extra time, condemning us to defeat in their final game of the calendar year.

There was positive team news for Nick Hardy as midfielder Ruby Mace was named in the matchday squad for the first time this season after over 10 months on the sidelines with an injury and was a second half substitute, completing over 45 minutes in the clash with Durham.

Reflecting on the performance in Durham, Nick said: “The message at the end of the game was one of pride and that was for everything.

“Coming to the end of the calendar year and going into the festive break, it was a real example of all the hard work the players and staff have put in, even the 36 hours around the fixture, travelling to Durham, the professionalism around the build-up and preparing really well for the game, to everyone involved, they were a credit to the Club and what we’re trying to create,” he added.

“Unfortunately, it comes down to small margins and opportunities that could go either way. In the grand scheme of things, it was a tough one to take with all the emotions that were put into it and wanting to have a cup run but, on reflection, it’s a game we can take a lot of learning and development from, it will certainly make us a better group going forward.”

When asked about Ruby making her return to the pitch for the first time since January, 2024, Nick was full of praise for the young midfielder playing three times more than her scheduled minutes.

Nick added: “We brought her on for her expected 15 minutes but knowing if it went into extra-time, we had no substitutes left, so the reality was that she would need to do 45 minutes.

“She was absolutely brilliant, physically but also technically and tactically, she’s a real bright girl and has a bright future ahead of her. Given the huge period of time that she has been out, it was pretty immense performance.

“The credit goes to Rob (Rangel, Lead Women's Academy Physical Performance Coach) and the whole physical performance team to get her ready and prepared to show resilience to get through those minutes. For those 45 minutes, it didn’t look like someone who hadn’t played for a number of months. I’m really pleased for her and that was a big positive at the end of the game, once the emotions had settled down, for the whole group to celebrate.”