IF STRIKERS are worth their weight in gold then Emily Allen should have a shelf in Fort Knox.
The 18-year-old centre forward from Ashton Keynes has fired the Filton Academy into the final of the English Schools Cup and she has already broken into the Bristol Academy side which plays in the top flight of ladies’ football.
The Filton Academy take on Accrington when they bid to retain the colleges cup and the team has certainly not been diminished since the arrival this season of the goal ace who played for Cirencester Town between the ages of 11 and 17.
In her first outing for the Academy, Emily scored seven goals in the 18-0 rout of Hereford. Other winning scorelines for her team this season have been 13-0, 11-0 and 10-0, while it was two Allen goals that helped Filton past Farnborough 5-1 at the semi-final stage of the cup last month.
Results are not going so well in the National Women’s Premier League, in which Emily made her debut when coming off the bench in November against Everton. Bristol are second from bottom.
She has since turned out against the likes of Leeds and Sunderland and would have played against Blackburn this weekend but for that game being postponed.
Her dad Martin, who originally coached Emily at U5s level at Ashton Keynes, said: "Her game is really improving for competing against England players in the Premier League."
He also revealed that Emily, who is studying for a National Diploma in Sports Development, is hoping to get a scholarship to a US college where women’s football has a higher standing than in Britain.
Before then, she may play a part in the inaugural Women’s Super League which is set to launch in March 2011 and will have satellite TV coverage on ESPN.
The Bristol Academy are among the 16 teams who have pitched for one of the eight places available in the revamped league.
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