Hucknall Sports Red U13 Boys Progress to National Football Final
Hucknall Sports Red football team were victorious at the Tesco Cup Central Regional Final in Birmingham this weekend. The team, who put in a great performance, will now represent Central England at the National Final, to be held at Pride Park stadium, Derby on May 9.
Hucknall Sports Red finished top in their round robin group by winning all five of their games, putting them in the final against Phoenix Rangers. In a tight first half against a very good side Hucknall took the lead through a superb volley from Joe Harrison. Phoenix came out the stronger in the second half with goal keeper Kieran Sheppard producing some fine saves in the Hucknall goal. With two minutes left the game was sealed as Hucknall were awarded a penalty which Lewis Oldershaw coolly slotted into the side netting, making it 2-0 and crowning them as the Tesco Central Regional Final Champions.
Former England and Aston Villa legend Tony Daley attended the event in Birmingham and chose the following players for individual awards;
Best Goalkeeper: Michael Plimmer, Phoenix Rangers
Best Defender: Ben Clarice, Hucknall Sports Red
Best Midfielder: Charlie Bond, Crawley Green Youth
Best Forward: Brad Coggins, Phoenix Rangers
Player of the Tournament: Joe Worral, Hucknall Sports Red
Tesco Cup Ambassador Tony Daley commented, “I've had a fantastic day at the Tesco Cup, which is a fantastic initiative to encourage kids to play football. I've seen some very good football being played and a lot of talented youngsters taking part.”.
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 May16, 2010, where they will fight it out to become UK Champions.
In 2008/09 England dominated the UK final with Stokesley FC U13 boys, Manchester City U14 girls and Manchester U16 girls winning the tournament.
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