Darts Girls’ Academy Battle Hard To Make It Six Wins in Six

Match Report

Another league game, another win, but this match had it all. Three keepers were used by The Darts during the match, but the girls’ team battled hard to ensure they came away from Brentford with the three points.

The team controlled the first 15 minutes, but lost momentum when the referee was hit in the face by a ball – leaving him concussed and having to leave the field of play, with a linesman taking over duties.

When the match got back underway, Brentford made it more difficult with the young Darts team working hard to find an opening.

And this they did in style, when a head injury afforded the team a free-kick on the edge of the area – with Ellie Ford bending in a brilliant effort to put the team 1-0 up at half-time.

Early in the second half, a back pass to the Darts keeper saw her pick the ball up and after the new referee sought guidance from the opposition’s stand-in linesman, she was adjudged to have handled it outside the area. A red card was shown and an outfield player made way so the team’s sub keeper could be brought on. However, 15 minutes later she was hurt in a collision and the game stopped again as she received treatment, before being taken to A&E.

An outfield player then went in goal for the final 15 minutes, with the girls bravely battling on with 10 players and throwing their bodies on the line to ensure victory and another three points taken.

It’s now six league wins in six for the new team, with manager George Kingdon singing their praises.

He said: “This wasn’t the flowing football we expect, but it was a real battling performance in what was a real stop-start match.

“We controlled long periods of the match and created lots of chances, but it was a very scrappy game.

“What pleased me the most though was how we showed a different side to our game. The girls wanted this, it felt like a really long game with all the stops, but they kept going at the end and were throwing everything at it for the badge.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of them.”