It was a positive result for The New Saints Women last night, as they continued their pre-season preparations with a 19-0 victory against Llanfair United at Park Hall.
Summer signing Abbie Iddenden was the standout performer, netting five goals on the night, but the result was also positive for the club's youth pathway, with seven of the seventeen outfield players having come through the ranks at TNS.
Eleven of the nineteen-player squad were teenagers, including four 15-year-olds called up from the club's U17s side.
Fifteen-year-old Tallulah Parker made the biggest impact of all, coming off the bench at half-time to score an 11-minute hat-trick. She later added a fourth in the 86th minute to complete a superb night's work.
After the match, Assistant Head Coach Jack Ellis was full of praise for the club's academy setup, saying: "It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the fantastic players we have coming through the girls' academy pathway. A huge amount of hard work goes on behind the scenes from the coaches and Joe Culshaw to create the right environment for these players to develop, improve and, most importantly, enjoy their football here at TNS.
"Hopefully, this is the beginning of a really special journey for many of the players in our pathway over the next few years."
Joe Culshaw, head of Girls' Academy, echoed those sentiments: "Stepping into this role, I felt it was really important that we continued to create a clear pathway for our girls to progress through the Girls' Academy and ultimately into the women's senior team. To see so many young players involved at this level, including those who have come through our own pathway, is something everyone involved should be extremely proud of.
"A huge amount of credit has to go to all of our coaches, who work tirelessly to develop these players and give them the foundations they need to progress. The talent is certainly there, and nights like this demonstrate that when we give young players the opportunity, they are more than capable of stepping up and taking it."
