AFC Wimbledon U13 boys Win Tesco Cup Southern Regional Final
AFC Wimbledon boys from Surrey were victorious at the Tesco Cup Southern Regional Final in Putney this weekend. The team, who put in a great performance, will now represent Southern England at the England National Final, to be held at Pride Park stadium, Derby on May 9.
AFC Wimbledon managed to win three of their five round robin games and finished joint top of their group, along with the Kent representatives Sittingbourne FC, however a better head to head record saw them progress to the final, and go on to beat Wealdstone Youth, from Middlesex 1 - 0.
Former England and Arsenal legend Ray Parlour attended the event in Putney and chose talented player Jake Gill, from AFC Wimbledon as Player of the Tournament, for his impressive performances throughout the day and his well taken cup final goal. AFC were awarded more glory as Patrick Roberts was selected Midfielder of the Tournament, after some impressive play on the AFC wing. Parlour selected the following players to win individual awards:
Player of the Tournament: Jake Gill, AFC Wimbledon (Surrey)
Forward of the Tournament: George Beattie, Chase Side Youth (AFA)
Midfielder of the Tournament: Patrick Roberts, AFC Wimbledon (Surrey)
Defender of the Tournament: Frank Glock, Buckhurst Hill (Essex)
Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Arnie Wilfort, Hastings (Sussex)
Team Manager Tony Wilson said, ‘It's Fantastic, a really big honour to win the competition, we have an exceptional bunch of boys who now haven't lost in two and a half years and we are immensely proud of them. The organisation of the tournament fantastic, officials performed well and it been a great day”
Ray Parlour commented: ‘The Tesco Cup is a fantastic initiative to encourage kids to play football and the standard of play in Putney has been really good. Over 60,000 youngsters across the country have taken part in the competition so far which shows what a success it is and how well the teams who have reached the National Finals have done.'
Across the three age groups - U13 boys, U14 girls and U16 girls - 30 teams from 10 County FAs participated in a round robin format in Putney, followed by the final, with teams battling for a place in the England National Final.
The Tesco Cup is part of a wider commitment from Tesco to encourage children to get involved in sport. Now in its fifth year, Tesco works in conjunction with the FA and local communities to help improve the football skills of young players.
Tesco Cup teams compete at County and then Regional level (area level in Wales) in a bid to become National Champions and ultimately, to represent their country at the UK Final. The National Winners, in each age category, from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will play in the UK Final to be held at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton - the home of Bolton Wanderers – on Sunday May 16, 2010, where they will fight it out to become UK Champions.
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