Silsden Ladies 4 Hemsworth Ladies 1

FIRST Division Silsden upset the odds by beating Premier Division opponents Hemsworth to win the

League Shield final at Ossett Town.

Backed by a strong vocal backing from their army of supporters on a cold and blustery day, the Cobbydalers got off to the worst possible start.

They conceded a penalty after only two minutes as Hemsworth, who finished third in the top flight, used the conditions to their advantage with an old-fashioned up-and-under. The spot-kick taker sent keeper Laura Thurling the wrong way to open the scoring.

The weather didn’t improve but Silsden, led by captain Sophie Gaines, were resolute and showed tremendous courage to thwart more Hemsworth attacks.

Player of the match Katie Fawcett used her experience to break down play alongside Becks Brown. Stacey Wood and Nicola Frankland scrapped for every ball in the middle and were ably supported down the flanks by Jess Buck and Lauren Adams.

Silsden were rewarded when Charlene Hutchinson floated an inch-perfect free-kick on to the head of Wood, who burst the net to silence the Hemsworth supporters and make it 1-1 at the break.

The management team demanded the same desire and commitment in the second half and the team responded almost immediately when Elly Field broke into the box and was upended, Mel Houldsworth stroking the penalty in confidently.

The experienced Kate Perfect joined the action to bolster the defence as Silsden continued to put a stranglehold on the game. Houldsworth chased a ball into the corner and, despite looking second favourite, won possession and struck a thunderous drive home which stunned the keeper and clipped the inside of the post before nestling in the back of the net.

Another tactical switch saw the introduction of Natasha Mulligan, who settled neatly into a central midfield role.

The icing on the cake came when Field latched onto a loose ball and lashed it past the hapless keeper to seal a memorable and much-deserved victory for the Dragons.