Durham Women’s Under-16 side are into the semi-finals of the Professional Game Academy Plate competition after a dramatic victory over London City Lionesses.

The Blues’ youngsters twice fell behind at Maiden Castle but showed great character to bounce back – Grace Collinson scoring twice to take the game to penalties.

And there Durham showed their nerve, converting all of their spot-kicks to seal a 4-2 win and progression to the last four of the competition.

The game was played on the main pitch at Maiden Castle in what was a valuable experience for the young players, while members of our first-team squad cheered on before they departed for Birmingham City.

The draw for the semi-finals will be made in due course.

Our Under-21 Professional Game Academy team will be hoping to follow in their footsteps and reach the semi-finals of the PGA Cup – and they face a quarter-final clash with Arsenal on December 13.