‘The Whites’ completed their historic treble-winning by thrashing Basford United by five goals in the final of the League Cup.

Having not played for four weeks, the team could have been forgiven for starting slowly but there was no sign of that as Ellie Gilliatt opened the scoring in the sixth minute. A penalty box scramble resulted in the ball falling to her on the edge of the box and she fired the ball into the top left corner.

Lincoln continued to dominate the game and grabbed a second goal shortly before halftime. A good move down the right side between Gilliatt and Paige Crossman led to the latter crossing the ball towards Alice Hayes, who easily headed home from a matter of yards.

A quick start to the second half meant ‘The Whites’ took a four-goal lead by the 57th minute. Firstly, Liv Smith found the corner of the net after the ball drifted across to her on the left side of the box.

Secondly, Gilliatt claimed her second goal of the day. She made a mockery of the keeper as she rounded her not once, but twice before firing into the bottom corner.

In the last minute of normal time, defender Crossman joined in the fun as she charged forwards before finding herself with the opportunity to dink the ball over the keeper, which she took with ease.

The full-time whistle was blown and signalled the end of a remarkable season which will never be forgotten. Across four competitions, ‘The Whites’ lost only one game all season (in the FA Cup to a team from a higher division) and became league champions alongside winning the County and League cups.

As they prepare for next season in Step 4, they hope to retain their key players and strengthen in weaker areas to fight hard against some high-quality teams. For now, they can look back at an unbelievable year and be proud of themselves for their achievements, which will never be forgotten.

Written by: James Ede

Photo Credit: Ed Mayes Photography