Today Corby Town U15 girls clashed with Stotfold U15 Turquoise; a tale of two halves.

From the off, Corby came out like a storm with purpose. Leila, lively and luminous, was upended in the box but the referee waved away the claims, unmoved by protest. Still, Corby surged. They had the early rhythm and the harmony in midfield. Stotfold tried their hand at counter, but the Corby rear-guard stood tall, sweeping clean with a calm authority.

Then came the breakthrough in minute 20. Lilly-Ella unleashed a thunderbolt, the post sang with the strike, and like a hawk in flight, Skye pounced on the rebound to guide it home. 1-0, and Corby were gliding. Tilly orchestrating the midfield setting away Leila who weaved and danced; and on 37 minutes, she turned provider, sliding the ball into Lilly-Ella's path, who delivered with surgical precision. 2-0. Corby in command. The halftime whistle blew on a half that Corby shone.

The second half saw Stotfold emerged with fire in their boots and wind in their sails. Minute 48, a speculative effort from the edge of the box—Corby's usually dependable keeper caught side footed as the ball took a bounce and the net rippled. A foothold for the visitors. Corby wobbled. The shape frayed. The confidence cracked. The 65th minute saw a corner unclaimed, Stotfold struck again. 2-2, and suddenly, the pendulum swung.

Stotfold sniffed blood. They pressed and they probed. But Corby, like a boxer on the ropes, stood their ground. Corby's defence shut their door. Lilly-Ella nearly wrote a fairytale ending, but fate had penned a draw.

The whistle blew, and Corby, once soaring, now stood still, two points slipped through fingers like sand. But credit to Stotfold: resilient, relentless, and deserving.