Eight-goal thriller ends in victory for our Women’s Under-21s

Eloise Summers-Mee and Emily McMaster both netted a brace as our Women’s Under-21s held off a Crystal Palace comeback to secure a 5-3 victory in the Professional Game Academy League on Wednesday afternoon.

Stepping up from the Under-16s, Summers-Mee scored twice in a 10-minute spell - her first goals at Under-21s level - to cancel out the home side’s early opener, to see us ahead on the half-hour mark. Captain McMaster found the back of the net shortly after before defender Beatrice Cunnison further extended our advantage two minutes after the restart to leave us in a comfortable position in the early stages of the second half.

However, Palace fought back and two goals in two minutes put them right back into the contest. Yet, we continued to push on and, as the game entered the final quarter of an hour, McMaster grabbed her second of the afternoon to see us claim an important three points in the league.

With a number of Under-21s players called up to first-team training over the international break, Nick Hardy named five Under-16s in his matchday squad for the trip to Palace, with four of those in the starting XI.

It was an explosive start from the home side as, after just 25 seconds, a low ball across the face of the goal found their forward at the back post to slot home from close range. Despite the early setback on the road, we responded well and went inches away from grabbing a leveller, Lucy Barraclough’s cross from the right picked out Mia Endacott in acres of space inside the box but her effort on the half-volley struck the underside of the crossbar.

Endacott would be involved in our eventual equaliser as her corner caused a scramble inside the box, McMaster headed the ball towards six-yard box and Summers-Mee reacted quickest to flick her header over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Just 10 minutes later, and we were ahead in the contest, Holly Mae-Elmes laying the ball to Endacott on the left, her cross met by Summers-Mee at the front post and she directed her volley into the far bottom corner.

Then, just after the half hour mark, we further extended our advantage, Endacott’s corner pushed away by the hosts’ goalkeeper but only to McMaster on the edge of the six-yard box who sent a powerful volley into the roof of the net. We picked up where we left off after the break as, just two minutes in the second half, we added a fourth, Grace Breen flicking on Endacott’s cross from the left before Cunnison tapped home from close range.

However, a moment of brilliance from Palace's forward, who dribbled from inside her own half before slotting past Sophie Jackson, gave them a lifeline in the 61st minute and, just a minute later, the home side cut the deficit even more to create a nervy closing stage of the game. But, as we entered the final quarter of the encounter, there was another shift in momentum.

Endacott, who had already registered two assists of the afternoon, delivered a corner from the right and picked out McMaster to head home from point-blank range to reinstate a two-goal advantage and, ultimately, it was enough to help us to win four consecutive games on the road in all competitions.

"The result speaks volume about the growth of the programme"

Reflecting on the involvement of a number of Under-16s players and the performance, Hardy said: “On paper, before a ball is kicked, we were in a good predicament with a number of our Under-21s in and around our first team during the international break and that unfortunately coincided with a few injuries and illness, so that put us in a challenging position from the start. For us as a group of staff, I think the result speaks volume about the growth of the programme to be able to involve that many young players in a matchday squad, let alone start and have a huge impact throughout the 90 minutes. Eloise getting a brace is a massive achievement, we know she’s a prolific goalscorer, but it takes some doing for every one of them to step up and stamp their personality in a competitive fixture against a strong side. They all played a massive part and I’m really pleased for the reflection it has on our whole PGA programme.”