Vale play with skill and spirit (From Barry And District News)

Vale play with skill and spirit

10:00am Thursday 1st November 2012 in Sport

VALE GIRLS U16s 5 PORTHCAWL TOWN ATHLETIC 1

THE Vale Girls Football Club U16s hosted Porthcawl Town Athletic and, on a cold, wet and miserable day, players from both teams put in tremendous effort.

For the first 15 minutes it was a scrappy affair, with neither team taking control. Then Vale Girls started to improve and create lots of chances before striker Seeta Patel calmly slotted in from 10 yards after a goalmouth scramble.

This set the tone for the remainder of the game as the Vale took total control and created numerous chances until Seeta Patel netted her second from a shot by Emily Gillard that had been initially saved by the Porthcawl keeper but spilled.

After more good play from Vale Girls, Danielle Dakin-Weston controlled the ball just inside the penalty area and skilfully placed her shot into the corner of the Porthcawl net to make it 3-0.

At half time the influential Shelby Richards had to go off due to an injury but this seemed to make little difference to the Vale team as Porthcawl were restricted to the occasional break which was quickly swept up by the home defence.

Midway through the second half, Chloe Jones traded some great passes with Kayleigh Dutton and was put through on goal to make it 4-0.

As the game was neared the final 10 minutes, Vale Girls launched yet another attack and, when Gillard put in a quick cross, Kayleigh Dutton nipped in front of the waiting defender to nod home a fifth goal. It was a real goal poacher's goal by Kayleigh who had moved from defence to midfield only five minutes before.

Niamh Teague, who was in goal for Vale Girls, was then put in defence to stop her from freezing on the spot. Shanice Donovon, who has only just returned from injury, kindly volunteered to keep goal in the closing stages.

In the dying minutes, as Vale Girls pressed again, they were caught out by a breakaway goal by Porthcawl which was no less than they deserved after their battling performance.

So that's four wins from their opening six games for the Vale Girls; a fantastic start in their first season at this level.

VALE GIRLS U14s 4 PORT TALBOT 3

Playing at home, the Vale U14s showed how far they have come as a team. With the rain belting down on the visiting Port Talbot side, the Vale opened the game with a superb goal. Port quickly responded by levelling the score and then scoring again to make it 2-1. Not a team to give up, the Vale quickly responded in the second half with a great run down the wing to level the scoreline. A rejuvenated team sensed they had more to give, with another perfect goal from the striker making it 3-2. With the rain coming down even harder, the girls were determined to show their skill. The midfielders fought for every ball, and, although every player was exhausted and soaked through, they battled on, with the passing improving as the game progressed. Several more attempts went just wide before the Vale striker completed her hat-trick. With five minutes left, Port Talbot netted again. A truly well deserved win for the Vale team, and a great display which showed the true skills of the young team.