Round-up of the action from Deeping United's girls teams
Deeping United Under 12s Girls faced familiar opposition in Lincoln United Whites in the reverse fixture of their last match.
The game was moved from a grass pitch to Lincoln's artificial surface due to the weather in a move that suited Deeping's fast-paced passing style of play.
It was this pace that soon rewarded Deeping with the opening goal of the game from Eva Fraser.
Deeping found themselves two up before half-time thanks to some surging attacking play resulting in a goal for Izzy Corby.
The score remained the same going into the second half before Lincoln Whites pulled a goal back but Deeping’s two-goal cushion was soon restored through player of the match Lucy Loades.
Not content with her goalscoring efforts, the Deeping coach moved Loades into defence alongside Megan Wyer and Reid Allman for the last 10 minutes of the game to secure the three points.
Deeping United Under 10s Girls Green and Stamford Young Daniels Girls Red served up an exciting feast of football in their first game back after the Christmas break.
Deeping had started slowly in their last few games so it was great to see them press from the first whistle.
However, they were hesitant to tackle and Stamford began to work the ball up the field.
Deeping’s captain and midfield general, Annabel Shepherd, started to put some pressure on the Stamford back three but they were well organised and hardy.
Deeping were committing players forward looking for an opener and Stamford began to look dangerous on the break.
Deeping’s defensive duo of Bella Curtis and Ivy Roberts stood up to task and defended well but the Stamford strikers were potent and it was only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock.
A fantastic strike put the ball in the bottom corner beyond Madison Lethbridge’s reach and it was 1-0 to Stamford.
Deeping were not downbeat and they began to grow in confidence.
They started to get the ball out wide and Hannah Cradock made some great runs down the left getting into some dangerous positions.
But it was some fantastic link up play down the right between Erin Bundock and Matilda Walker that created Deeping’s equaliser.
Bundock threaded a great pass to Walker who immediately became swarmed by red shirts but she got the ball through to Emily Donnelly who kept her composure by burying it into the back of the net.
It was shaping up to be a tight but thrilling affair as Stamford showed again how dangerous they were on the break and another great strike put them ahead.
This was quickly followed by an opportunity for Cradock that would have seen Deeping get back on level terms.
Bundock then came tantalisingly close with a shot just wide while Shepherd and Walker were getting a foothold in the middle and were creating chances for Deeping, however, Stamford then broke to net their third goal.
United coach Ian Walker said: "Well done to Stamford. They took their chances and we didn't.
"I am pleased we are creating and we will continue to work on our finishing.
"Emily showed great composure for her goal and picked up player of the week. She listened to feed-back at half time and began to pass the ball quicker in the second half which saw us get into some great positions in the final third of the pitch."
Deeping United Under 8s Teals played out a thrilling encounter with loads of goals and plenty of commitment from both teams in their match against South Lincs Swifts.
The Teals continue to improve every week and could be proud of their efforts given the conditions.
The Under 8s Pinks produced a very energetic performance against Ropsley and weren't fazed by the driving rain.
Sophie Thomson produced a brave performance on her debut while Ayla Best and Penelope Weston took the goalscoring plaudits.
Deeping United Under 11 Girls made the long trip to take on Grimsby Borough Rascals in the Lincolnshire Cup.
The rain and wind made life very difficult for the girls as the game started which, coupled with the long journey, some tired legs were on show as Grimsby quickly raced into a two-goal lead.
Once they got into their rhythm the Deeping girls started to pull back into the game, being rewarded with a penalty after plenty of attacking probes into the opponent’s box.
Goalkeeper for the day Ezmae Clark marched forward to take the spot kick and confidently stuck home to pull a goal back.
An equaliser was soon nestling in the back of the net thanks to some fantastic ball skills from Bri O'Boyle which was followed by a calm shot beyond the Grimsby keeper's reach.
As half-time approached, Grimsby took the lead once more and went into the break 3-2 ahead.
During the second half a combination of the weather, a heavy wet pitch and no available substitutes all took their toll on the Deeping girls with Grimsby asserting their authority on the tie with two more goals.
There were a few bright spots from Deeping with Clark's player of the match performance in goal, the defensive duo of Lois George and Amelie Hines as well as Sophie Cross' dazzling runs at the Grimsby defence.
It was one of these runs which led to Deeping’s third goal as Cross brought the ball in from the wing only to be harshly tackled in the box.
The referee allowed play to go on and Tamsin Bates found herself with the ball in front of goal and accurately picked her shot out to score.
The Deeping coaches were incredibly proud of the girls who made the trip to play Grimsby and, despite the score, felt that they were all winners.
