On Thursday 6th April , the winner of the Bob Docherty Tournament was decided in a clash between the two oldest rivals in international football, as Scotland and England went head to head in Glasgow.
Scotland were on the front foot from the off and came closest to scoring in the opening minutes with a free-kick that beat the outstretched finger tips of Ella Stowell, but rebounded back off the crossbar, with the defence clearing to safety.
At the other end, the visitors edged in front with a set piece of their own as Bryony Brodie curled a delightful free-kick over the wall and beyond the Scottish keeper into the net for a 1-0 lead. That goal lifted England from their slow start and they began to look more composed on the ball. Their opponents were giving them little time or space which kept scoring chances to a minimum.
England’s defence were then put under a spell of pressure before half time with Ocean Flanagan and Emily Walne combining to block a shot on the edge of the area, before Stowell was called upon to palm a shot away to safety. Scotland hit the bar again, this time from a header, and it looked like that would be the last opportunity of the half for the hosts to draw level. However, a corner kick in first half stoppage time was converted from close range to make it 1-1 at the interval.
The second half saw Scotland take control of the game as England struggled to create chances for the hard working Abi Conway up front. Jessica Anderson’s cross into the box almost found Brodie 10 yards out, but pressure from the Scottish defence saw her just fail to make a clean contact to trouble the keeper. Later in the game, substitute keeper Chiemela Ude, on for the injured Stowell, was beaten at full stretch by a shot that bounced back off the post and into the path of a Scotland player, with the rebound converted for a 2-1 lead.
England had a couple of chances to level almost immediately when Brodie was inches away from latching onto a cross into the penalty area, but the ball bounced kindly for Scotland to clear. Phoebe Cowley almost chased down a through ball that looked like it might cause a problem between the Scottish defence and keeper.
And so the score remained 2-1 as the hosts kept the ball well away from their own goal in the closing moments, with the final whistle signalling heartbreak for the English and pure joy for Scotland, who deservedly lifted the Bob Docherty for the first time since 2015.
Congratulations to all the players involved in the tournament, some excellent football on show and without a doubt, a number of players on show who will be featuring in senior international football in years to come.
A big thank you to Garry Griffiths, the ESFA’s official photographer for capturing the Bob Docherty action for the ESFA. Images available soon on the 353 photography website.
The National Governing Body for Schools’ Football in England.