Dingwall Academy secure back-to-back football triumphs as senior girls lift North of Scotland Cup for second year in-a-row
Dingwall Academy’s senior girls have secured back-to-back North of Scotland Cup trophies.
After their first ever triumph in the competition last year, Dingwall made it back to the 2024/25 final where they took on Millburn Academy earlier this week.
Being played at Dingwall’s own school pitch, it did not take long for the hosts to take the lead.
Kayleigh Gray bundled into the net at the far post in the 10th minute after Eleanor Simpson’s cross evaded both the Millburn goalkeeper and Mollie Parker to open the scoring.
Millburn did show some threat from set-pieces in particular, with some dangerous corner kicks being swung into Dingwall’s box.
However, it went 2-0 in the 19th minute when Keira Syrjanen coolly slotted home from the edge of the box.
That marked something of a turning point in the momentum, with what had previously been a fairly back-and-forth game giving way to some Dingwall dominance.
Syrjanen would hit the post just a minute after scoring, and within a further 60 seconds she had once again picked out the bottom corner with a shot that gave Millburn’s keeper no chance to make it 3-0.
There would be two more goals coming Dingwall’s way before half time, with Syrjanen turning provider to slip in Mollie Parker to score from a tight angle before Syrjanen completed her hat-trick.
Five goals clear at the interval, Dingwall did not let up after the restart.
Parker would claim her second of the afternoon, reacting quickest to turn in after Grey’s initial shot was parried back into a dangerous area.
Daisy Fraser would then pick out Charlotte Simpson at a corner kick, with the defender heading into the net to make it 7-0 inside 10 minutes of the second half.
Dingwall had essentially gone into cruise control, even more so when Millburn were reduced to 10 players through injury.
They would add one more goal to their tally though, as Olivia Parker put the cherry on top of a strong performance with a goal in the 71st minute.
Dingwall Academy PE Teacher and senior girls’ team coach Rachel Macrae was delighted with the performance, commenting: “I can’t ask for much more. I think it’s a testament to how hard each and every one of the girls work, at club level and at school level.
“They come and train week in, week out, and I can’t ask for much more from them really.
“They’re a really enthusiastic bunch, and they are great role models to our younger years who were watching the game as well.
“Hopefully we are building a bit of a legacy. We only have a couple leaving, but a few more will move up next year as well.
“Having seen how successful these girls have been, they are really willing to push themselves to play at this level as well.”
With a significant number of the Dingwall Academy team also playing together at Ross County, the school coach feels that familiarity is only helping the players reach their full potential.
“Without a doubt it’s great experience for them, and I know they have done really well with Ross County,” she added.
“They have won cups and league titles, and getting that exposure to such a high level – some of them are playing at senior level – really helps in games like this.
“They have that experience, which gives them the edge against other teams we played against.”
