Hyde United Women Prepare For Exciting End To The Season

Hyde United Women's Team are preparing for an exciting end to the season with plenty on the line.

The squad, which is based at the Project Solar Stadium, have impressed in league and cup competition this season and still have the opportunity to claim a piece of silverware in the not-too-distant-future.

Hyde showed their steel to come from a goal behind and beat AFC Stockport 2-1 in the League One Cup quarter-final at the start of April, thus securing their place in the semi-final against Heyside Ladies on Sunday (24th).

According to team player Isabel Prince, who started playing football at the age of seven with Denton Town, the squad's success this season is laying the foundations for a promising future. Speaking to Reporter Sport, she said: "The Women’s section at the club is very strong with the fantastic support from both the club and junior sections. In everything we do from the social media side, quality training facilities, stadium football and the way the players are looked after, It's a very much ‘one club mentality’ and something that’s only going to get stronger as the club keeps growing.

"We currently sit in third in Division 1 of the Greater Manchester Women’s League, but have a number of games in hand, which could see us finish runners-up if we have a strong finish to the end of the season and another semi-final at Project Solar Stadium on the 24th of April. We recruited several new younger players over the summer to add to the existing strong core of players and they have been brilliant for us alongside the management team, coming up with a clear system of play which all the players have bought into and bodes well for the team to keep making progress."

The squad's character was on full display in the quarter-final victory over AFC Stockport, with Maisie Malone scoring both goals on the afternoon. The steely determination and never-say-die-attitude is a hallmark of the squad, and something Isabel feels can be further strengthened with additional, experienced players over summer. She said: "Sunday's game was a massive achievement for the team to reach another semi-final and really showcased what this team can do. I thought we dominated and controlled the game for the full 90 minutes and was one of our best performances so far this season. We passed the ball brilliantly and scored some great goals which secured us the win. Going from a goal behind from a free kick is obviously disheartening as we started off very strong, however going behind definitely showed the character of the squad and the determination from each individual player to win the game back.

"The team will probably take a well-earned break and let the ladies recharge their batteries then we will put on training sessions that focus on some serious fun before we start planning ahead with the squad for preseason games ready for the big 2022/23 season. We would also look at recruiting a few more experienced players to strengthen the squad for the upcoming season."

Although the women's team will be taking a well earned rest over summer, there will be plenty of football on offer as the Women's European Championships begin on July 6 with hosts England taking on Austria at Old Trafford.

Isabel, who continued playing football in high school, is looking forward to the competition and believes it will further strengthen women's football. "I would 100% say that women’s football is going from strength to strength with the success of the WSL and Europeans championships in England on the horizon. The TV coverage has allowed Women’s football to become more popular and recognised. People are beginning to appreciate women’s football more as the quality is improving from grassroots up to the professional level."