Bolton Wanderers Girls U16 Claim Victory over Wigan Athletic Ladies & Girls U16
Bolton Wanderers Girls put on a dominant display at the County Ground, defeating Wigan Athletic Ladies & Girls 9-0 with star player Ivy Caraher getting a brace.
It was an emphatic display from Bolton - walking home with the trophy and a clean sheet from the final.
Domination in the early stages meant Bolton had early chances, a long ball found Caraher who beat a hesitant keeper to the ball but just missed the target.
Millie Leytham tried to counter a mistake from the Wigan back line and with space and time on her hands she set herself with one touch and struck the ball from 30 yards which struck the woodwork.
It led to a corner where we saw an opener from Natalie Ainsworth as she nettled the ball into the corner after it fell to her feet.
However, not long after Ainsworth found room in the middle of the park to play a wonderfully weighted through ball to Caraher on the right as she was composed to slot it in and make it 2-0.
On the 30th minute Leytham put in a beautiful cross in from the left to find her number 9 Mia Germano that made it 3-0 for Bolton
But before the break Bolton could not go in without scoring another, Caraher got her second, chopping inside her opponent and rifling in the shot from distance with her weaker foot making it 4-0 before half time.
Bolton picked up where they left off 30 seconds after the whistle blew for the second half and it was five, Ella Ogunby executed a beautiful finish into the front post from a through ball in the 47th minute.
Possession football got Bolton their seventh in the 69th minute, Hannah Neasham played a delightful ball into Germano who thumped the ball past keeper Ava Powell.
Set pieces impacted the game as it all got confusing for Wigan with a mix up in the box meant the ball fell to Leytham who delicately chipped Powell to make it eight.
With full time around the corner Bolton wanted one more, a whipped cross found the head of Jennifer Pike who thumped the ball into the net that left the game finishing 9-0 as Bolton become champions of the U16 Girls Youth Cup 2024.
By Lucas Gouldbourn