Under 16s Manager Lily Fairclough gives her view on todays game...

Today the boys put in a fantastic performance, showing real strength, progression and determination from start to finish. They gave St Margaret's a real battle and most importantly, showed exactly how we want to play our football.

We took the lead through a brilliant free kick from Louie to put us 1–0 up. It was a great moment and gave the boys a deserved reward for the way they had started the game.

In the second half, we really started to settle into the match and played some excellent football. With Stanley playing a great ball through to Louie, who calmly found the back of the net again to make it 2–0.

A few moments of madness then threw things up in the air for both teams, and we found ourselves conceding to make it 2–1. With around 10 minutes to go, St Margaret's were awarded a penalty. Henry produced a fantastic save from the initial spot kick, only for it to be ordered to be retaken, with the second attempt finding the net.

Despite the disappointment of seeing a two-goal lead disappear, it shouldn’t take anything away from the performance the boys put in today. There was so much to be proud of and plenty of signs of just how far this group is progressing.

Our two Players of the Match have to go to Henry and Kieran.

Henry was unreal in goal today and made it look easy at times, pulling off save after save and giving us confidence throughout the match. His penalty save in particular was brilliant and summed up his performance.

Kieran came on at half-time at left-back and was superb. He was a real nuisance for their wingers, blocking shots, intercepting passes and never being afraid to take his opportunities to get forward and help the team.

Really proud of how the boys played today. The strength, determination and football they showed was fantastic to see, and performances like this show the progress they are making as a team.

Lots to take from today, lots still to learn, and I’m really excited to see where their journey takes them for the rest of the season.