Dingwall Academy pay tribute to graduating members of senior girls’ football team after Scottish Shield exit brings season to a close
Dingwall Academy’s senior girls’ team will be bidding farewell to four of their stars after exiting the Scottish Senior Girls’ Shield.
The competition is essentially the Scottish Cup for senior girls school teams.
Dingwall welcomed Grove Academy to the Highlands this afternoon in a quarter final tie, fresh off the back of becoming North of Scotland champions for the second year in-a-row last week.
However, it was not the start the home side would have wanted, as they went behind in the opening seconds when Grove went straight up the pitch from kick off and found the net.
Still, the hosts fought back, and Eleanor Simpson equalised in the 10th minute with an excellent curling finish from outside the box that found the top corner.
A similar effort from Grove restored their lead in the 23rd minute, and try as they might Dingwall could not find a second leveller.
Their task was made harder in the second half when Simpson was shown a red card, and the match would finish 2-1 to Grove Academy.
Dingwall Academy PE teacher and senior girls’ coach Rachel Macrae felt the game could have gone either way in blustery conditions, but says her team did themselves proud to be in a position to compete with the top schools in the country.
“It was a very close game, and both teams had their chances,” she said.
“In the first half, we were playing long balls that the wind was catching and taking too far for us to get on the end of them.
“That just happens sometimes, but I think we adapted to the conditions a lot better in the second half. We just couldn’t catch up.
“It’s our first year in the competition, so hopefully we can build on that next year.
“You’re playing against schools that have players at big clubs outside of school, so you’re coming up against players that train four or five times-a-week.
“Even to be a top 10 school in Scotland is amazing. We’re up there with performance schools and schools of sport, and we’re from a small place, so to be able to play at that level shows that the girls have done amazingly.”
The Senior Girls’ Shield was the last competition Dingwall Academy were in this season, meaning their campaign is now at an end.
That also means that pupils leaving the school this summer have played their final match in Dingwall Academy colours, with the senior girls’ squad set to lose goalkeeper Amy Marshall, defender Charlotte Simpson and attackers Kayleigh Gray and Mollie Parker.
“I’ve only been here for a year and-a-half, but even in that time you can see how much of an impact they have had on the team,” Macrae added.
“They will be almost unreplaceable next year, and it will be more difficult without them.
“I just want to say thank you for all the games that they have played, and how well they have represented the school as well.”
