Thornhill Athletic
General Meeting - Tuesday 19th May - Ty Mawr
Please be there at 7:15pm for the start of the meeting at 7:30pm. Email the secretary if you have anything you'd like to add to the agenda.
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Thornhill U14 Boys - Cardiff & District A League - Runners Up
At the end of a protracted season the Under 14 A league finished in a dramatic conclusion this week with a three way battle for the league title.
Fairwater Juniors were favourites to take the trophy with a one point lead and a game in hand on their two nearest rivals, Thornhill and Pentwyn Dynamos. Having just beaten Pentwyn in the cup final (1-1 after extra time and 5-4 on penalties) they could only manage a draw against Pentwyn on Tuesday in one of the 'six point' matches, with Pentwyn stealing a thrilling last minute equaliser.
Thornhill and Pentwyn went head to head on Thursday night, with Fairwater playing Heathpark Rangers. Hopes of HPR taking more points off the league leaders were not fulfilled, with Fairwater winning what was reportedly a thrilling, but bad tempered game.
Thornhill vs Pentwyn was worthy of a league decider, with great performances from both teams, with some of the best football we've seen all season. The game was evenly balanced and could have gone to either team. With 15 minutes remaining Thornhill were 1-2 down, but showed great character to come back to win 3-2, with goals from Harry, Harry and Hugh.
The League Decider
In the final match at Radyr Comp on Saturday, Thornhill needed to beat Fairwater to take the league title. In the first half we looked much the stronger side but made it to half time with just a 1-0 lead courtesy of a fabulous goal from Olly. With several good chances we failed to increase our lead, one goal being disallowed for offside despite protests from the sidelines.
In the second half Fairwater increased the pressure on our defence and with calls from the sidelines for offside they had 3 or 4 chances over a few minutes and nerves were stretched to the limit. With 15 minutes to go Fairwater equalised.
Thornhill finished the stronger, but failed to take the chances given and we were only able to get a draw. There were strong performances from all of the players on the day and a great achievement for the team and for the club.
The result leaves the team feeling that we can achieve more. We have a fantastic pool of talent but were plagued by injuries and absences throughout the season and also had to contend with Cardiff Schools taking 5 of our best players for matches that proved critical. Missing key players for matches against Ely, Radyr, Heathpark and Maindy in particular, proved to be our undoing this season, but overall it's been a fantastic season with Thornhill surely playing some of the most entertaining football in the league.
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Thornhill U14 Girls Win SWGL League Cup
On Sunday, 3rd May, Thornhill Athletic U14 girls played in the South Wales Girls League Cup Final against local rivals Dinas Powys at Aberaman Park. The girls were aiming for their second trophy of the season having already won the South Wales Area Tesco Cup.
The match couldn't have started any worse for the girls; after 3 minutes they failed to clear the ball from their penalty box and Dinas punished them to make it 1-0.
After 15 minutes, with Dinas starting the quicker and the wind against them Thornhill were under pressure, when goalkeeper, Emily Gauci, made a crucial save at the feet of the Dinas striker. With an injury to her knee, she bravely continued and a few minutes later, she was forced to make another fantastic save by tipping the ball over the bar when the Dinas captain made a fierce strike from 20 yards out.
Thornhill continued to soak up the pressure and during the final 10 minutes of the 1st half they started to settle into the game and created some chances of their own, Emily Jones coming closest with a left foot shot that hit the post. The girls knew that the game was there for the taking.
The 2nd half was a completely different affair, with Thornhill taking complete control. Within 4 minutes of the re-start, the ball came out to Siobhan Walsh (Player Of The Match), who unleashed an absolute rocket of a shot from 35 yards out which the Dinas keeper could only stand and watch as the ball smashed the back of the right hand corner of the net. The Thornhill supporters were ecstatic, not only because they had witnessed a fabulous goal but they now knew that the game had changed and it was only a matter of time before Thornhill would go on to win. Sure enough, 15 minutes later the ever dangerous Catherine Walsh hit a low shot which the Dinas keeper could only parry into the path of the ever present Jess Harrhy to tap the ball into the open goal (2-1).
For the remaining 12 minutes the girls exerted the pressure so that the opponents struggled to get out of their own half. The final whistle blew and we all watched and admired as captain Kathryn Salter lead her victorious team to collect their winners medals and the SWGL League Cup. 
The Cup Final Winning Squad
Megan Clarke is not shown as she was not available for the Cup Final. However, she was a very important member of the squad and contributed to their success.
Parents, relatives, friends and everyone associated with Thornhill Athletic wish the girls good luck as they now attempt to win an unprecedented 'Treble' by adding to their two trophies, the South Wales Girls League. They have 7 games left to play. It's extemely tight at the top but girls, we know that if you play to your potential, you will do it !!!
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Thornhill Football Festival: It's time to start thinking about arranging the Football Festival in September. Anyone wishing to volunteer to take on the organisers role would be most welcome.
Website Management: Anyone wanting to edit the web pages for their section will need to contact the club Secretary to be set up with an account. You don't need an account to view the site. Send an email to the usual address (or jstrakerjones@aol.com).
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