Oxford goalie Lauren Gallagher pulling out all the stops

A young goalkeeper is being tipped for success after impressing at the Foyle Cup for the second year in a row.

Derry schoolgirl Lauren Gallagher (10) wowed stunned spectators at the recent youth football tournament with a number of show-stopping saves.

Lauren is the only girl on the Oxford United side that finished an impressive 19th overall in the U10 category after coming third in the plate contest.

Lauren's teammates surround her after her save wins them the penalty shoot-out.

The Long Tower PS pupil started playing in nets for her school football team when she was in P5 and took to it instantly.

She now trains weekly at the 'Keeper LIT' goalkeeping academy, run by well-known goalkeeping coach Gareth Moore and based at Magee's Duncreggan Road pitches, where her skills have caught the eye.

Lauren's mammy Nisha told Derry Now: “Her goalkeeping coaches awarded her 'best trainer' in her age category at the camp they held back in April.

“She has been doing really well there and they think she has real potential.

“At last year's Foyle Cup she made a lot of saves and this year she got a lot of people talking again about how well she did.

“The team were involved in two penalty shoot-outs and Lauren made some brilliant saves in both of them. The Oxford coaches (Seanie Doherty and Christy Doherty) got awards done up for all the players, and hers said 'outstanding goalkeeper', which was lovely.”

Lauren, whose hero is Man United Women keeper Mary Earps, believes the tips she picked up at the intensive, week-long keeper camp were a factor in her strong performance at this year's Foyle Cup.

She said: “We worked on a lot of things, like how to catch the ball properly, diving without hurting yourself and how to deal with one-on-one situations.

“The things I learned gave me a lot of confidence when it came to playing my matches.”

Lauren is eligible to play alongside boys until she reaches U14, after which time she hopes to make it into Derry City women's underage set-up.

Said Nisha: “Hopefully, if she is still doing well with her goalkeeping, that could be the route for her.

“I think playing with the boys has made her stronger. In one of her matches a fella shot straight at her and completely winded her, but she stood her ground.

PROUD: Lauren with mammy Nisha.

“I noticed in one of the penalty shoot-outs that there was a girl in nets for the other team, too - it's great to see more girls playing in that role.”

Sadly, Lauren will not be featuring in next year's Foyle Cup as the dates clash with a Mediterranean cruise she will be going on with her grandparents, Martin and Elizabeth Gallagher.

But there will be plenty of matches for her proud parents to cheer her on at over the coming year and beyond.

“Me and her daddy (Ryan) are her biggest fans,” said Nisha. “She gives everything when she is playing and works very hard at it; we are very proud of her.”