Jessica Greenwood in a football national final

Jessica Greenwood picked for Lancashire Girls Under 14s a football national final

After just four months playing with Lancashire Girls Under 14s Football side, Bacup’s Jessica Greenwood has landed a place in a national final.

Jessica, 14, is a student at Whitworth Community High School and has been playing football since she was a youngster, thanks to encouragement from her father Tony.

It was her PE teacher at Whitworth Will Cawley who advised that she try again for a place in the Lancashire team and she succeeded last October.

Her team has now successfully won through to the semi-final of the English Schools Football Association Inter-County Trophy after they played Hertfordshire at St Albans.

“Hertfordshire had won their last game 5-0 to get through to the semis,” said Jessica.

“We knew that the team they beaten had travelled down the same day that they played the match, so our coach arranged for us to travel the day before and we stopped over.

“As a result, we were refreshed and ready for the match and we looked very professional when we all turned out in our school uniforms.”

At the start Jessica was on the substitutes’ bench, but after 10 minutes, with Lancashire already 2:0 up, she replaced one of the goal scorers.

“I was on the left wing and they were all running on the right wing,” she said.

“The defender marking me didn’t come in and I was left in the box on my own, a cross came in and I got it straight in the net.”

Lancashire went on to net another two goals before the match finished 5:0 and they had earned a place in the final.

Jessica was again substituted 10 minutes before the end of the match to allow as many members of the squad to play.

Her parents Tony and Janice came to watch the match and for Janice it was an extra special day as it was also her 50th birthday.

Jessica said: “I wanted my mum to come, but I also wanted her to have a birthday treat as well.”
At the end of the match Janice joined her daughter and the team on the pitch.
In the second semi-final Essex beat Berkshire 1:0. The final has been drawn at home for Lancashire, but the date and venue have still to be confirmed.

Jessica would like to go to a sports college after high school and then get a scholarship to study in America.