This is the third time Wednesday played Rotherham this season, Owls managed to net 5 in one fixture, Rotherham haven’t been able to put more than one past their rivals in a game.

All this would make you think Owls had it in the bag, however there was some tension in the Wednesday supporters, probably due to the fact that a win today for the Owls would mean an unbeaten run of 2 complete seasons, with a haul of 2 League titles and two Leagues cups.

The U16 girls rose to the challenge as they always do and produced one of their best performances.

Rotherham will punish if they are given a chance and have the skill to capitalise on weakness. True to character Wednesday put on a display of strength, intelligence and skill with an almost faultless performance.

Owls were the better side on the day though Rotherham will rue some missed chances. The Owls line up saw Ley in goal, back 4 Jagger, Housley, Rodgers, Waymouth, midfield Barker, Murray, Selman, Rush, attacking Chapman, Warren. Substitutes Banford, Damms, Otley, Wilson.

Owls had an unbelievable start when a floated corner from Barker was pounced on on the line by Selman for the opener. 1-0

The wind was a feature today and corners going into the box caused problems for both sides. Rotherham nearly replied immediately when a break saw the attacker pull the ball across the goal and wide. On 8 minutes Selman headed for Chapman to run onto, Chapman lobbed the keeper only to see it bounce off the crossbar. The Rotherham no.3 was a repeated threat with very good throw ins. On 15 minutes a Rotherham striker shot hard at Ley who took the pace off the ball but it headed towards the net, Jagger was there crucially to clear off the line. Wednesday replied with Selman playing the ball through to Chapman who headed on for Barker whose shot came off the underside of the bar into the roof of the net 2-0. Rotherham were strong in their opponents box and at times Owls had to defend.

Rodgers and Housley are quality defence, Jagger was clinical in tackling and attacking options and Waymouth showed the grit Owls needed. Warren showed here usual determination to win ball.

Murray very strong in ball winning, continually frustrated Rotherham. Rush continued to trouble the opponents with classy ball skill. Excellent forward interplay was showing superiority.

After 40 minutes Wednesday weren’t sure if 2 goals would be enough as the sides turned round. This was justified in the first minute of the second half when Rotherham struck a shot high into the Wednesday goal, Ley did well to get hands to it but it was too strong, 2-1. For the rest of the half Ley managed to cope exceptionally with the strong wind. Goal kicks could have been a feature, but Ley’s clearances were consistently on song.

Otley came on for Warren and was strong and a threat. Rotherham came close with a couple of goalmouth scrambles. Wednesday played good football on the floor.

The half was quite evenly played out. Selman replaced Chapman.

Damms made immediate impact in breaking down Rotherham going forward.

With 10 minutes to go Otley could not believe it when the referee ignored the fact that her corner had been saved by the keeper from behind the line. This would have sealed the result for the Owls.

In the dying minutes Rotherham came close when a break saw them strike the ball past Ley but it bounced off the post for a goal kick. Another cross saw the Rotherham striker fail to connect, another goal went begging. Banford came on towards the end and showed promise. Wilson, not quite back from injury got on for the last minutes and did put in a saving tackle. It was tense at the end Wednesday feared they would be drawn into extra time, but held out for a memorable victory. Shentall and Rodgers passed on their relaxed attitude to the players and this was invaluable on a day when anything could happen. The importance of the fixture was not lost on both teams and credit to both squads that despite the strong wind, the spectators were treated to some quality football.

There will be many opportunities for these Wednesday girls to receive praise, the squad has trained hard and formed a team ethos that has carried them through times of injury and pressure. There have been high quality performances from each and every player, and success has been down to belief in each other and the desire to work for the good of the team.

To do the double two years in a row is a tremendous achievement, well done to players and parents alike. We play together and work hard and that is why

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS