Mill Lane United made it through to the Semi Final of the under 14 plate competition after a hard fought performance against Hessle .The teams meet earlier in the month in the Tesco cup final when Mill Lane United won convincingly.
On that occasion the Beverley side scored in the first minute and Hessle were determined for history not to repeat itself and they started enthusiastically competing for every ball and made it difficult for Mill Lane United to settle into their normal passing game. The Beverley side stayed patient and lead by Emma Smith and Tonya Storr in midfield started to get on top and create chances, but were kept out by some impressive goal keeping from the Hessle shot stopper.
Hessle were fighting for every ball without putting any real pressure on the Mill Lane United goal and any ventures near the Beverley sides penalty area were soon dealt with by the meanest defence in the league of Lucy Crockett, Amy Radford ,Chloe Johnstone and Emily Holliday.
Midway through the half the Mill Lane United midfield finally opened the Hessle defence when quick interposing between Emma Smith and Charlotte Holliday got Smith free on the edge of the area Smith quickly got the ball under control on a difficult pitch before hitting a fierce right foot shot into the bottom left hand corner to give Mill Lane United a 1 0 lead.
Encouraged by the goal a second soon followed when a Hessle defender was deemed to have handballed in the penalty area and a penalty was awarded which was converted by Emma Smith giving the Beverley side a 2 0 half time lead. The second half started with Hessle on the attack trying to get a goal which would get them back into the game, but gritty defending lead by Captain Emily Holliday and two fine saves by ever improving goalkeeper Emily Hood kept Hessle at bay after a period of intense pressure.
Not for the first time this season Mill Lane United absorbed all the pressure from their hard working opponents before breaking Hessle’s resistance with a breakaway goal, a short pass out of defence from substitute Hannah Smith got Emma Smith in space a quick pass released hard working substitute Sarah Bromwich down the right wing, cutting inside Bromwich put a fine cross into the area which found Smith on the far post who unselfishly crossed for Millie O’Neill to head in the third goal and put the game out of Hessle’s reach.
Hessle continued to press for a deserved goal without success and it was left to the Beverley side to complete the scoring with the goal of the game. A strong tackle from Tonya Storr released fellow midfielder Charlotte Holliday down the left wing ,quickly beating a defender Holliday released a tremendous left foot shot from the edge of the area to complete the scoring and give Mill Lane United a 4 0 victory and a place in the semi final as they chase the treble.
The final whistle blew and Hessle can take pride in a much improved performance knowing they had given Mill Lane United one of their most difficult games of the season. For Mill Lane United another victory as they look forward to next Saturdays tough game against Costello knowing victory will go a long way to securing the league title for a fourth successive year.
This week’s player of the matches went to goal keeper Emily Hood for two excellent saves and some intelligent ball distribution as she continues to improve week on week and defender Emily Holliday for a superb defensive performance and steadying influence when the pressure was on.
Final Score: Mill Lane United 4 Hessle Town Girls 0
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