Bootham Ladies made the long journey to Repton, in Derbyshire, to take on London Genesis in the FA National Futsal Series Plate Cup final at the end of May; returning to the final having suffered defeat to the same opponents just a year beforehand.

Last season saw London Genesis narrowly defeat Bootham on penalties in what was a gripping final – and this year’s showpiece delivered more of the same.

A close encounter throughout, London Genesis took the lead early on, before Bootham equalised through Nikki Brown. Genesis restored their lead just before half-time, converting a 10-metre penalty.

The second half proved to be a tense affair; however, Bootham managed to get their equaliser courtesy of Ruby Shaw, before going on to take the lead following Kim Samson’s goal.

With three minutes remaining, Genesis equalised. Determined not to suffer the disappointment of last year, Bootham replied emphatically, regaining their lead just a minute later thanks to Jess Baker’s finish.

While the final minutes proved to be end-to-end, Bootham held on to win 4-3 – and lift their first-ever national title.

“What a game to watch, that was so tense,” said Bootham coach Chris Collins at the end of the final. “We didn’t play at our best today, but we dug deep and got the result in the end. Huge credit to London Genesis, they really made us work for it today and they should hold their heads high after their performance.”

“That was one of the best atmospheres I’ve played in over a decade of playing Futsal,” said Bootham skipper Ellie Whittaker after the game. “I’m really excited to see what this group can do next, and I’m proud that we’ll continue to bring through some of the fantastic players in our academy into our team.”

“I am so proud of all the members of the squad today, not one of them let us down,” added coach Collins.

“They have worked tirelessly this season in training, and I am glad they got some reward in the end. Over half the squad has only played one season of Futsal, so we know they will get better and better. To hear the crowd cheering ‘Bootham, Bootham’ made me well up. We have amazing supporters; to travel such a long way and be part of this amazing journey makes me incredibly humble.”

Congratulations to Chris, Ellie and everyone involved in Bootham Ladies.

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