Women’s Academy Technical Coaching Manager Nick Hardy reflected on a hugely positive Capital Cup run that came to an end after our Under-21s suffered a 2-1 defeat to Dulwich Hamlet at the semi-final stage.
Competing against a senior side that compete in FA Women’s National League Division South East – the fourth tier of Women’s football – we gave ourselves an uphill battle after just four minutes when Martha Goddard fired the home side ahead at Champion Hill.
However, our youngsters fought back and on the half hour mark, Mia Endacott fired us back on level terms for her 18th goal involvement of the campaign (eight goals and 10 assists), but we were struck another blow on the stroke of half time as Goddard once again reinstated Dulwich’s lead.
We searched for a leveller in the second but struggled to break down a resolute defence from the hosts, ultimately bringing an end to our fantastic cup run in the competition which saw our Under-21s overcome three senior sides prior to the semi-final tie.
“I know I have used these words before, but I was super pleased, super proud to get to where we got to in the cup,” Hardy told us. “Obviously we’re naturally disappointed, we’re professionals as both players and staff, we want to push the boundaries and get as far as we can in any competition, so there’s that feeling of disappointment of just missing out on the next step to the final and to be able to compete at that level that we definitely thought our season deserved.
“So disappointed but, all in all, there were some really big positives to take from the run, the learnings we take from the games, the experience, the opportunity and I have no doubt, for everyone involved, they will be better from it and most importantly for the players, whether it’s at the Club or somewhere else, they’ll have the experiences to hold them in better stead for their futures.”
Not only was it a challenge of going toe-to-toe with an experienced senior side in the FA Women’s National League, but nearly 650 supporters were in attendance at Champion Hill, creating a hostile atmosphere for our youngsters – an experience that Nick believes will only benefit the players in the future.
Gallery | Images from the visit to Dulwich Hamlet
“I wish we could do it more and maybe we need to try to create those opportunities but it’s very difficult to create what the girls experienced during that game, it’s huge for their development,” Nick added, reflecting on the experience of playing a senior side.
“We’re a very young squad, that doesn’t become an excuse for me, it’s another positive to talk about this group of players to get that type of experience very early on in their career. This game was quite unique, in a positive way, playing at a stadium, playing in front of a huge crowd that made a lot of noise and made it intimidating for the girls, so we’ve to take all that in and, as a group, we can pull on that experience when we need it.”