Our women's under-19s begin 2026 with a trip to Manchester City in the PGA League on Wednesday.
The top finishing teams of the PGA League Under 21 North and South are now competing in Division One in the second phase of the competition. Albion currently sit in third position ahead of their game against Manchester City.
Dani Bowman's under-19s in action v Chelsea. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.
“We are going to be facing tougher opposition more often in this stage of the PGA League. The squad is ready for the challenge, especially for their development.
“We have had a lot of players training with the first team again, which has been a great experience for them. Everyone has been training very hard ahead of the restart. This group is hungry to play games and know that it is a competitive squad.”
The team were last in action in mid-December when they came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1, thanks to Patience Fergus’s brace.
“It gives them belief when you beat a team like Chelsea, with the success they have had in women’s football," women's under-19s head coach Dani Bowman said.
“The team know that if they apply themselves correctly, work hard and have the right attitude they can get a result. We know Manchester City's strengths and have some solutions to problems they may cause. It is a tough run, but we had a good first part of the season."
Patience scored a brace against Chelsea. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.
Fergus's form in front of goal is down to her hard work off the pitch, according to Bowman.
“We already knew her goal scoring ability from under-16 level. We have built up her robustness this season, to be able to sustain the minutes. I think that this shows when she scores such late goals in games, she would not have been able to do that before.
“Patience has worked really hard with the performance staff, getting physically fitter. We need to keep feeding her the ball in the right areas because she will be able to finish those chances.”