It was to be a frustrating day for the U14's, who made the long trip to Thornton Dale for their third league match of the season.
The game started well enough, with Scotton doing the majority of the attacking and Thornton's ripostes being efficiently blocked by the Scorchers' defence. Riah came close to scoring with a deft flick after 20 minutes, only to see the ball caught by the Thornton keeper. A few minutes later a goal kick provided an opportunity for Thornton, who managed to catch Scotton off guard and score a well taken goal.
Scotton immediately responded and a great shot from Georgia was just tipped over the bar. As half time approached Scotton had three corners in quick succession (all ably taken by Georgie) but Thornton still managed to keep the Scorchers out.
The second half saw Riah go into goal and Jayde come out to join the attack. Any thrusts by Thornton were quickly dealt with by Scotton's defence, and constant pressure from the Scorchers saw numerous strikes at goal from all the forwards (plus Ellie, supporting the front four with her usual versatility). But all was to no avail - as the final whistle blew the score remained 1-0.
Given the amount of possession achieved by the girls (and the number of chances created by the team) Scotton can feel themselves unlucky not to have finished with at least a draw. However credit must go to the (enthusiastically coached) Thornton side, who made the most of their first half chance and then defended effectively throughout the game: The return match will be something to look forward to!
Player of the Match (chosen by Thornton Dale): Hannah
