There are days in our lives – no matter how young or old – that simply etch themselves into your memories and will never leave you. It could be in school or work. It may happen in your personal or public lives. Or it might occur during sport. Well let me tell you – this day will never, ever be forgotten…

Because throughout the 2022-2023 campaign, our u11 Team Storm Girls have been working so hard and have shown the kind of commitment that breeds winners – with strength and togetherness in bundles – and it all culminated in this – when we were heading to the training complex of Bolton Wanderers – the Eddie Davies Academy in Lostock – to take our place as one of the teams in the Final – yes the Final – of the BBDFL Cup. And when all was said and done, we didn’t just take part – we brought the blinkin’ Cup home with us!

With a huge crowd gathered and glorious sunshine beating down from the Lancashire sky, both teams put in a performance that showed how well Girls and Womens’s football is going in our area – and within 10 seconds of the kick-off, it was the County fans that were singing in the aisles – only to have their celebrations cut short with the raising of the assistant referee’s flag for offside. Some excellent passing and moving saw Georgia finish with aplomb – but as the whistle blew to rule it out, we’d already shown that we could trouble them up top…

That early move seemed to inspire us even more and with the supporters cheering them on loudly, the girls were being strong all over the pitch and as they worked together as a unit, the chances kept on coming. The opposition goalkeeper was having a blinder though and some fantastic saves kept her side in the game. Kendal did manage to get it past her once – only to see her effort rebound against the post and away from danger. Sure – we had to keep concentrating and defending when they came forward – but girl did we look dangerous in attack! And before the break, we got the goal that our pressure had deserved and some good passing and quick changes of play saw the ball land at the feet of that girl Kendal and this time she didn’t give the opportunity up – looking ahead and drilling her shot home into the top corner of their net from about 10 yards out. The County fans were jubilant and as the girls all rushed to congratulate their team-mate, Kendal’s smile said it all. At last, we’d made one count and now all we needed to do was keep defending well and this dream could really come true…

The half-time break came as they came running in for their drinks – it was hot out there people – Jonny and Co. were full of praise. They had just shown there that when they work together and everybody does their job, there isn’t a team that shouldn’t fear us and now we’d done half the job, there was only another half to go. Keep concentrated. Keep focused. And keep doing what you’ve doing. The girls re-entered the pitch in fine spirits and the steely look in their eyes really showed that they meant business…

Straight from the restart, we went at them again and keeping the pressure on them meant that they were finding it hard to get through towards our goal. The sun was blazing now and as the temperature raised, so did our girls play – and their football was majestic at times. Sharp passing, crisp to feet – and then playing it into space at the right times – meant that we were seeing a lot of the ball in good areas of the pitch and if we could keep this up, it wouldn’t be long until we were in sheer heaven…

As the minutes ticked away, the nerves of the County fans were starting to show as we were getting so close now – but when you looked at the faces of the players, they didn’t seem to showing it – and they kept surging forward whenever they could. The coaches’ grins were there for all to see and all we needed now was that final whistle to blow…

The girls kept going and another fine move saw the ball land with Eliza – who brought it down and well and hit it towards goal. The County fans were already jumping when somehow, the opposition managed to clear it off the line. But they didn’t count for our Robanna to be on it in a flash and she made sure of things as she smashed the ball into the back of their net. There was wild scenes amongst the people dressed in blue and as the girls all jumped on each other, the joy and elation was a result of the massive effort this set of players had put in all year! 2-0 and that was surely that…

It was! Because like an expectant parent, each and every one of us was just waiting for that final whistle and when it came, it was pure bliss. What a display! What a season! Justification for all of the hard work they have shown each and every week – and a trophy to show for it! Respect was given to the opposition for playing their part in this spectacle and as both sets of players went up to collect their awards, the fans showed their appreciation for what had been a superb game of football. But let’s be honest. To be the ones that actually goes second so that you can get your hands on the trophy is always better than not being isn’t it? And as the girls went up to represent Bolton County FC and were proudly awarded the Cup Winners for 2023, that’s when the party really started…

County TV managed to catch up with a jubilant Jonny and as he just about caught his breath enough to speak, he was full of pride. ‘I honestly couldn’t be any more proud of these girls. All season they’ve done as I’ve asked – put the effort in and listened to what we’re trying to show them – and that showed in every minute of that match out there. I just wanna thank each and every one of them for that – and I promise that we will keep pushing as we move into next season. But for now, I want them all to enjoy it and we’ll think about 2023-2024 in the summer. The Girl of the Game towards goes to our super defender Berrie who stood solid as a rock at the back, showed confidence on the ball whenever she had it and was so amazingly cool under pressure. But all of them are winners today – now can I go and grab a drink?’ With that, the cup-winning coach was on his way – and we were all going to celebrate…

What a day! A memory that will last a lifetime hopefully…

#UpTheCounty!