ACADEMY Juniors Under-14s broke new ground for the Bolton club after winning four titles in the same year.

The girls' team retained their West Lancashire League title and won the North Manchester Girls Football League at the first attempt.

They also picked up the Lancashire Cup with a 3-0 win against Ashton Athletic and won the prestigious Bispham Junior Football Federation tournament, conceding only one goal in nine games.

Their amazing season could have been even better but they were beaten in the final of an international tournament in Holland by Danish team  FC Thy Piger.

Proud coach Emma Thompson said: “It was an unbelievable season, made all the more remarkable by the fact our captain Anna Phillips and midfielder Katie Holt left us in January after being signed by Manchester City Ladies Under-14s.

“We lost a couple of other players to injury so to win two leagues in the same season was phenomenal.”

The club decided to enter the North Manchester Girls League for the first time to make sure all the squad got a game.

Thompson added: “We ended up winning 15 out of 16 games and the only one we ‘lost’ was a match we had to forfeit to Heyside Angels because it clashed with a West Lancashire game.

"It meant we had to win our final match of the season  against leaders Heyside to win the league, which we did 7-2 after being 2-1 down at half time.”

Thompson, aged 23, who has coached for Academy Juniors for five years, believes retaining the West Lancashire League title was the biggest achievement of the quadruple-winning season.

“When Anna and Katie were signed by Man City we still had 13 out of 22 games to play against really strong teams like Blackpool, Burnley and Preston North End.

“It really tested the squad, but when their backs were against the wall they stood up to the test.”

Thompson said a 3-2 win and against Blackpool and a 2-1 victory at Blackburn and Darwen were crucial.

“We could have easily lost both matches but the girls never gave in,” she said. “We ended up winning the title by six points, but there were no easy games.

"I think the standard of girls’ football is getting stronger every year. We beat Ashton Athletic 3-0 in the final of the Lancashire Cup but they ended our 18-month unbeaten run earlier in the season with a deserved 4-2 win, so it wasn’t easy.

“Our most recent success was winning the Bispham Junior Football Federation (on May 20). Although we won all our games we survived a nervous penalty shoot-out in the semis to beat Abbey Hulton Utd before beating a very good Bootle JFC side in the final.”

Despite the record success, Thompson said one of the most memorable moments came in a rare defeat.

“I wanted to test the girls so we entered a tournament in Holland at Easter,” she recalled. “The girls won the first  six matches with a record of 25 goals for and just one against but we came up against a strong Danish side called FC Thy Piger in the final.

“With a few minutes to go it was 0-0 and one of our girls scored a really unlucky own goal.

"Instead of getting the ball out the back of the net all her team-mates went over her to console her.

"That’s team spirit and it was moments like that that made us stronger.”

Thompson is already making plans for 2017/18 when she plans to enter a boys league and said she is always looking to hear from new players.

To find out more, contact Thompson on 07791 447028 or email emmathompson1994@hotmail.co.uk