A huge congratulations to Saoirse Hodge for winning the Linslade Galaxy FC Player of the month award for December! Saoirse plays for our U8 Meerkats team.

Assistant Accountant, Charlotte Brooks, from Gartec, the trophy sponsor, and who chose the winner out of the team players of the month, said, "Saoirse has shown real dedication through the winter months which is hard when its so cold and also flexibility to step in to other roles to support the team".

Saoirse was put forward for the award by her team coaches for the following reasons:

"Saoirse represents all those brilliant Meerkats that played through their first experience of football in wintery conditions - and has already trademarked the winter hat look on the pitch. Hot on the back of a great first strike against Aylesbury, Saoirse has been practicing away from the training pitch which has clearly played dividends given her improvement in a short time. We only managed to get 1 game on during December, a strong display against one of the better sides in the league, Saoirse showing herself as a great team player to step in for our goalkeeper who was having some breakfast with Santa. Not only does she make great saves when she steps in, but has to be one of the great entertainers in that position, constantly rushing out to close attackers down. We also had an internal kick around to compensate for a late postponement, and training has continued so we are very proud of our team who keep improving".

There were plenty of other excellent performances in matches and training across the Club throughout December and these are recognised by many of the coaches, who put forward these players as their team's player of the month.

Mia Adlem (U10 Bobcats)
"Mia has developed so much over the course of this season and in the December games has been a rock for us at the back. Her intelligent positioning helped us to a clean sheet in the month and as well as reading the game so well, she is now starting to be a threat at corners too, taking herself up the pitch and being around the box".

Stanley Cunningham (U11 Barca)
"This is Stanley’s first full season with Galaxy and he has slotted in really well on the left side of midfield, delivering some excellent crosses with his strong left foot and chipping in with five goals up to December. Focus more on the defensive side of the wing role in the next half of the season and your game will improve even more. Well done Stanley, keep up the good work!"

Indie-Rose Cohen (U11 Lionesses)
"Indie has improved every week playing on the wing for the lionesses. Her determination and lionheart has led to player of the match awards and a goal. Keep up the hard work Indie-rose".

Georgia Rice (U12 Lions)
"In every single game Georgia has played this season, she has demonstrated why she is our captain. A natural leader on the pitch Georgia keeps the team organised and motivated, and is always talking the team through the game. Georgia has also sacrificed her own love for playing attacking midfield to move back into defensive midfield, where she has shown superb positional awareness and discipline, not only breaking up attacks but also orchestrating our passing game and leading the team to a five game winning streak. More importantly, when the Lions were struggling to find their feet at the start of the season, Georgia was always there to support her teammates which really impressed her coaches. It truly is characters like Georgia which make the Lions such a strong team and make their coaches and parents so proud".

Chloe Ellyard (U13 Lynxes)
"Although we have only had one match in December, Chloe has had a great start to the season and because of this she is our Lynxes player of the month. Her determination and strength often sees her coming away with the ball. Playing on the left wing is always tricky as a right-footed player but Chloe is adapting to this position well. Her persistence and ball skills will soon see her increasing her goal tally. Her dedication to the team doesn't go unnoticed and she will regularly track back to help in defence when needed. Well done, Chloe"

Tycho Richardson (U14 Spartak)
"Spartak were left in a very precarious situation having lost their keeper to injury and a daunting county cup fixture against a formidable Barton Rovers team. Tycho had no hesitation in putting his name forward as stand in goalkeeper for the day and boy were we greatly he did. Tycho had an absolute amazing game in between the sticks and made some fantastic saves to keep Spartak in the game as we played out a dramatic 3-3 draw. Penalties loomed, but Tycho was unfazed, as he saved Barton’s first 3 penalty kicks to give his team a fine 3-0 penalty shoot out win. Tycho is a very modest player but excels at whatever position you put him in and always gives 110%. Well done, Tycho, fully deserved.".

Well done to all the nominated team player of the months - keep up the great work!