Keeper keeps Magpies under-11s at bay

Still on a high from the previous week’s victory, the Magpies started well with Ameliyah Rimell and Alicia James chasing everything down.

The midfield pairing of Sally Warsop Hook and Elena Gale worked well throughout the game, never giving up and supporting not only the forwards, but the defence as well.

At the back, the solid partnership of Sophie Wright and Ellie Barrow was strong and well organised.

For the first 15 minutes, Notts had most of the play, but struggled to turn possession into real goalscoring chances.

Unfortunately, in two minutes of madness, the girls conceded.

This did not deter them, however, and they defended a number of corners well, with Rebecca Needham making some key saves.

Even so, Retford doubled their advantage after some smart play and at half-time, the County girls were challenged to carry the ball out of defence more,

The girls’ spirit in the second half never dropped with Mia Harrison and Warsop Hook continuing to hustle and harry.

It wasn’t just these two as all of the girls worked tirelessly in a bid to get themselves back into the game.

Some fine skills were on display with all the players having the confidence to take players on, which was a joy to see.

Rimell and Gale were particularly close to making a breakthrough, but the Retford keeper was on top form.

It was difficult to pick a player of the match from an encouraging display but, on her return, Elena Gale was wonderful, working hard from first minute to last.