Laverstock & Ford U13 boys Progress to National Football Final
Laverstock & Ford U13 boys Football team were victorious at the Tesco Cup South West Regional Final in Bristol this weekend. The team, who put in a great performance, will now represent South West England at the National Final, to be held at Pride Park stadium, Derby on May 9.
Laverstock emerged from their round robin group unbeaten, winning two out of their three games. The final then saw them take on the Herefordshire representatives Leominster Juniors. In a closely contested game Laverstock scored a late winner and were crowned South West England Tesco Cup Champions, after winning the game 1-0.
Bristol Rovers Captain Stuart Campbell attended the event in Bristol and chose Gio Downie from Laverstock & Ford as Player of the Tournament after watching the Laverstock captain put in a number of impressive performances from centre midfield. More glory was awarded to Laverstock, as Daniel Beckles was awarded Defender of the Tournament, after he scored the goal of the day, curling in a free kick from 25 yards during the round robin stage. Talented Robert Dyba was then awarded Midfielder of the Tournament.
Team Manager Carlo Downie said, “It's a dream come true for the boys, I am absolutely delighted for them. They have worked so hard all season long, I am so proud of them to get this far and we are really looking forward to the nationals”
Stuart Campbell commented, “It's been a great day, I've been impressed with the standard of football today, which has been incredibly high. I've seen some really good players on show today, across all three age groups. I want to wish all the South West England winners good luck next week in Derby and I hope they all enjoy the occasion.”
On the day Stuart also handed out the following awards:
Best Goalkeeper - Matthew Downes - Dorset
Best Defender - Daniel Beckles - Wiltshire
Best Midfielder - Robert Dyba - Wiltshire
Best Forward - Ben Miller - Herefordshire
Player of the Tournament -Gio Downie - Wiltshire
Across the three age groups - U13 boys, U14 girls and U16 girls - 20 teams from 8 County FAs participated in a round robin format in Bristol, with teams battling for a place in the England National Final. In the U14 girls Brislington from Somerset were victorious and Truro City from Cornwall wonthe U16 girls tournament.
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 provide young footballers with the opportunity to play in a structured competition, on a national and international stage.
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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