On Thursday our Y5/6 Girls’ football team travelled to Court Place Farm, the home of National League North side Oxford City FC, to compete in the Oxfordshire Football Festival Finals. We had earned our place in the competition through winning the South Oxfordshire Finals earlier in the term.

To begin with, each team was drawn into one of two groups alongside four other teams. The top two from each group would contest the semi-finals, with the winner of the eventual final being crowned champions of Oxfordshire. With each match only eight minutes long, we knew these games would be low scoring encounters, which made a strong start in each match vital.

Our opening game was against The Batt, a school from Bicester. We began by taking the game to the opposition, and we eventually took the lead halfway through. Georgie fired over a low corner and Freya beat the goalkeeper to the ball to give us a 1-0 win that we would hold onto to secure our first victory.

This was to be a common theme throughout our group stage.

Next, we took on Rush Common of Abingdon. A tight game ensued, with the clearest chance of the game falling to Georgie. After pressing and then dispossessing the defender, she dribbled through on goal and slotted home the winner. From here, it was pure, genuine team spirit that saw us through to the end – Bethany, Issy and Eliza all taking on more than one position to help us grind out a massive result. Two wins out of two, no goals conceded, top of our group after two matches and the perfect start had been maintained.

Going into our third match – against Our Lady’s, also of Abingdon – we knew that a win would seal qualification to the next round with a game to spare.

It could not have been a better start.

Olivia rolled the ball back to Hazel from kick off and she unleashed a powerful, dipping strike that fell nicely into the top corner. From here, we had chances to double our lead – most notably when Sylvie was denied by a top save from the opposition keeper – but there were no further goals, and our third 1-0 win in a row was enough to book our place in the semi-finals.

We did, however, need a win in our final match (versus Hanwell Fields of Banbury) to secure first place in the group. Keen to achieve this, the girls made the best possible start, Georgie collecting a pass and dribbling the ball around the keeper as well as the covering defender to slot in the only goal of the game and send us into the semi-finals as group winners with a 100% record.

In the semi-finals we faced the other qualifier from South Oxfordshire, Whitchurch. We expected a tight game, and that was exactly what we got.

But it was Whitchurch that broke the deadlock. A swift move down the right saw a low cross tapped in at the back post, and Alejandra’s brilliant streak of successive clean sheets was over. We faced a race against time to stay in the tournament.

It was a race that we would win. But only just.

With the girls launching everything and everyone forward, a piece of magic from Hazel would send the game into extra time. A superb drag back, a touch to set herself and a wonderful shot into the far bottom corner levelled the scores at 1-1, which is how the scoreline stayed right through to the end of extra time.

Now, it was penalties. Win, and we would be guaranteed a place in the top two. Lose, and we would face a battle for third place.

Georgie, Hazel and Lili all stepped up, and they all scored. Three superb penalties.

Three Whitchurch players also stepped up. Two scored, but one fired wide to send us into the final with a 3-2 win in the shootout.

The final would see us play a side whom we had never met – North Kidlington.

We made a slow start and quickly found ourselves a goal behind. Bizarrely, this seemed to settle us down, and as we grew into the game, we got our reward. Georgie took control of the ball by the touchline, cut inside and curled a low left footed shot into the corner. 1-1 it would finish, and for the second successive game, we would go into extra time.

But sadly, this time would not be our time.

A low shot into the bottom corner towards the end of the added time earned North Kidlington the title of Oxfordshire champions. For us, we would end a fantastic year moments away from what would have been an incredible treble.

From no trophies in September to Oxfordshire runners-up, South Oxfordshire champions and league winners by the end of May. What a team, and what an adventure.

As ever, a huge thank you to those who transported and supported us, not just for this competition but throughout this entire year of girls’ football at SCPS.

The team was: Alejandra M-P, Eliza G, Lili F, Hazel B-M, Georgie Q, Sylvie F, Freya H, Bethany B, Issy C and Olivia Z.