Local ladies enjoy best-ever season in Women's County League (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Local ladies enjoy best-ever season in Women's County League

CIRENCESTER Town Ladies FC finished a fine season by winning runners-up medals in the Glo'shire Women's County League Division One.

In fact, it was their best season since joining the County League in 1998. But at the start of their campaign, not many people would not have predicted that the team would do so well after losing a couple of experienced players and gaining a number of youngsters who had not previously played women's football.

Starting the season with a small squad, due to work commitments of several players, the team was on occasions able to field only 11 players.

As a result, this threw the youngsters in at the deep end by having to play the whole 90 minutes some weeks.

Nonetheless, the team got off to a reasonable start, winning four of the first six games. They then hit a bad patch, winning just three more games before Christmas.

In the new year and aided by the signing of a couple of experienced players, things improved.

Town reached the quarter-finals of the League's five-a-side competition and then got back to winning ways in the League itself.

One of the big disappointments this season was to see the team knocked out of both cups in the early rounds against teams that they would usually have expected to beaten quite easily.

With only the League to play for, the girls did everyone proud and lost only one game between Christmas and the end of the season, which was against the eventual League winners, the University of Bristol.

All Cirencester players can be really proud of what they have achieved this season as a team.

And the Town ladies are already looking forward to next season with the younger element having gained much experience and, hopefully, with some new signings added to the squad.

The ladies joined the men's team for the club's presentation night which was held at the Corinium Stadium on Saturday.

The ladies' awards, which were presented by their manager Paul Messenger, are as follows:

Manager's player and players' player of the season, Linda Weaven; most improved player, Lucie Vickers.

The ladies, who begin pre-season training at the Corinium Stadium on Wednesday, June 9, (7pm start), thank the board and all the staff for providing a professional platform from which to play football.

For further details, please contact Paul Messenger on 01285 654388.