Maidstone District under-14 girls to take on Yorkshire side East Riding this summer with ESF National Cup up for grabs

Maidstone District under-14 girls have reached a major final after a dramatic turnaround in fortunes this season.

They will meet East Riding District, from Yorkshire, in the final of the ESF National Cup this summer.

A venue is still to be confirmed but last year the final was played at Stoke City’s 30,000-capacity bet365 Stadium and it’s likely to be held there again.

The team - a mix of under-13 and under-14s - struggled for results last season but it’s been a different story under new coach Graeme Risby.

As well as their cup exploits, they’ve also finished top of the Girls Super League, which is followed by a knockout competition to decide the champions.

“It’s been incredible, especially for those girls who played last year, to go from one extreme to the other,” said Risby.

“The girls have never trained together, so it’s quite something. To play the final in a big stadium, that will stay with them forever. When we’ve got our full team we back ourselves to beat anyone, so hopefully we’ll get a result and win it.”

Maidstone have faced teams from Brighton, Slough, Swansea, Bromley and West Kent en route to the final.

Their performances have attracted the attention of pro clubs clubs with six players - five under-14s and one under-13 - awaiting confirmation on trial dates.

Among the standout performers this season are twins Iris and Madelyn Feighan, who also both play for Kent.

Centre-back Iris captains Maidstone and is a strong leader, while attacking midfielder Madelyn has scored 20 goals.

Vice-captain Olivia Smith, another centre-back, has won the manager’s player-of-the-week award four times - more than any other player.

The whole defence, including goalkeeper Belle Dickens, have been exceptional.

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