Sunday’s game at Moorways was the finale to an incredible season for The Pride against visitors Matlock Town. It was nice to be able to welcome some of our Wildcats to the game and they walked the players out on to the pitch prior to the kick off.

Pride had the best of the attacking play for the majority of the first half, without really creating many clear cut chances. Matlock’s keeper made a couple of good saves including one from Beth Jones - making her 150th appearance for Pride Park’s 1st team - after she worked her way into the area and tried to place her shot inside the far post -it was the right decision but the keeper made an excellent save at full stretch, tipping the shot around the post for a corner.

It was a case of nearly - but not quite - for much of the first half. The breakthrough finally came after 34 minutes when the ball was played up to Summer Evans, she laid it back for Tash Collyer who took a touch out of her feet and hit a shot just under the crossbar from the edge of the area [1-0].

The lead was short lived, however, as Matlock responded immediately [1-1]. The manner of conceding will have been disappointing for Pride who were over committed and left gaps at the back. There here were a couple of further opportunities for the visitors - Jade Howell making an excellent stop when left one-on-one with a forward - a let off for The Pride - and a shot that was hit over the crossbar from a good position.

Just before half-time, Pride retook the lead when Steph Eadon was found on the right and played a low cross into the box for Beth Jones to slot home with the outside of her left foot [2-1].

Matlock had made it a competitive first half, although Pride were not quite at their best and had looked more open than usual when out of possession.

Pride made a much better start to the second half and within six minutes were awarded a penalty when Daisy Bowen drove into the penalty area and was brought down. Tash Collyer converted from the penalty spot after 51 minutes [3-1].

A minute later Jas Sanghera found Beth Jones who controlled the ball on her chest, took on and beat a defender before rounding the keeper and enthusiastically whacking the ball in to the net from a metre out [4-1].

Daisy Bowen extended the lead after 65 minutes, when she hit a low shot into the opposite corner of the goal from the right edge of the penalty area, just infield from corner of the box - it may even have gone in off the post - but it was a fine finish [5-1].

With eight minutes of normal time remaining, Summer Evans received the ball inside the penalty area, and laid it off neatly to her right to Tash Collyer who ran onto the ball and hit her shot across the keeper into the far side of the net to complete her hat-trick [6-1].

As the game crept into time added on the ball fell invitingly for Emma Gittins in a good position outside the area to the right of centre, and she hit the ball on the volley towards the far post - it was probably intended as a shot but was heading wide, but somewhat fortuitously went straight to Aimee Healey-Raynor who headed into the top corner [7-1].

Taking the opportunity, particularly during the second half, to rotate substitutes - from a full bench of seven - renders selecting a POTM a little difficult and arbitrary but it’s fitting, after such a remarkable season, to make it a “Team of the Match” on Sunday, reflecting the contributions of the whole of the squad throughout the season - it has been a real team effort to complete the season having dropped only 2 points out of a possible 54, a remarkable degree of consistency, and extending the unbeaten run which started in March last year to 24 league games, finishing the season as “invincibles”!

The team were presented with the League Winners Trophy and Individual awards after the game by the Derbyshire Ladies League Chairman.