The England U15 Schoolgirls edged a tough encounter with the Republic of Ireland to claim the John Read Trophy in Dublin at the weekend.
England kicked off facing a strong wind but this did not prevent them taking an early lead when Poppy Pritchard struck inside the opening 5 minutes.
The Irish worked their way back on top and levelled when a cross into the box found its way to Ellie Long and she converted to tie the scores at 1-1.
England grabbed what proved to be the winning goal after the break, Rebecca Ferguson picked up the ball just outside the box and unleashed a tremendous shot into the top corner to give the home keeper no chance.
Despite playing against a strong wind the Irish pressed forward in search of the equaliser and Aimee Flood had to dive to her left to keep out a goal-bound shot shortly after.
England take their trophy success into the Bob Docherty Cup at Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire.
The tournament fixtures are as follows:
Wednesday 15 April – Wales v England, Republic of Ireland v Invitational team (TBC), Scotland v Northern Ireland
Thursday 16 April – Scotland v England, Northern Ireland v Invitational team, Wales v Republic of Ireland
Friday 17 April sees the top two teams in the table go head to head in the final.
