Everton Ladies are congratulating three of their youngsters after a fantastic World Cup in New Zealand. Isobel Christiansen, Jessica Holbrook and Stephanie Marsh were chosen by England U17s coach Lois Fidler in a squad that reached the semi-finals before being knocked out at the hands of North Korea. A great tournament for the girls saw them finish in fourth with Holbrook and Christiansen both grabbing vital goals along the way. The lionesses started the tournament with two wins in their first two group games, the second coming from a late Holbrook winner against Nigeria. They then lost to South Korea but already had enough points in the bag to progress. Japan, the only team left in the tournament with a 100% record, were the opposition in the quarter-finals. A tight affair saw Christiansen grab a speculative late equaliser in an entertaining 2-2 draw; forcing the game to extra time and then penalties in which England were triumphant. Despite going down 2-1 to North Korea in the semi-final and then 3-0 to the Germans in the third place playoff; Everton manager Mo Marley will be delighted with how her young blues performed on the international stage. Further details can be found in the women’s section of the Football Association website at www.thefa.com.