TWO months ago Macclesfield Saints FC Under-7s only had one player but after the Express appealed for recruits they now have a full squad and as a bonus a star striker who is... a girl.

And six-year-old Maddy Odell is certainly not there to make up the numbers as the baby-faced assassin hit the back of the net in her first game, showing her team-mates that she's got flair.

The Manchester City-mad striker, of Barnfield Road, Bollington, who pundits are already tipping for great things, said: "I was really nervous when I first went out because I was the only girl on the pitch - but when I scored it was fun and exciting."

The Henbury-based U-7s side were in purgatory this summer as they only had Everton fanatic George Wilson, six, on their books and no hope of making the August 31 deadline.

That's when George's mum, Louise, came to the Express to appeal for players - after which junior fixtures bosses gave the beleagured club an extension until the end of September.

And the kids of Treacle Town picked up the spherical gauntlet coming forward to bolster the ranks from one measly player into a fully fledged foirmidable side of 14 mini-Rooneys.

Bollington Cross pupil, Maddy, nicknamed "Mad Dog" because of her fearlessness in the tackle, was one of the first to sign on the dotted line as one of the team's new recruits, but the coaches thought that she would only train and not play.

Louise Wilson said: "When Maddy got in touch we didn't think that she would be able to play but she turned put to be brilliant and now she's a first choice."

Not only does the silky skilled maestro have the backing of the backroom staff but she also has the whole of her family cheering her on.

Her mum, Pam, a housewife originally from South Africa, said: "We all go down and scream our heads off to support Maddy and I think it's paying off."

Even with all that potential Maddy isn't interested in the money of the Premier League and would prefer to spend her future cooking up fancy dishes.

"I really want to be a chef as I'm pretty good at cooking," she said.

And "Mad Dog" might have picked the right career path away from the pitch according to non-player and fierce Manchester United fan brother Sean, 11, who said perhaps with a little envy in his tone: "She just stands still on the pitch and doesn't do much."

But whether it's playing for Manchester City or in Hell's Kitchen, one things for certain this little star will never be far from the Mad-ding crowd.