Wilmslow High School's Year Seven footballers were narrowly beaten in the National English Schools' FA Cup Semi Final last week.
They faced Cardinal Heenan School from Liverpool, in a tense match, with the visitors eventually winning 3-1. It was a massive disappointment for the boys to miss out on the final, which will be played at Craven Cottage, the home of Premier League Fulham FC, in May.
Both teams, understandably, started the game nervously, with Cardinal Heenan taking the lead after fifteen minutes with a bundled in goal following a rebound from the cross bar. The visitors doubled their lead with a stunning free kick and went into half time with a 2-0 lead.
The second half belonged to Wilmslow. They started to play some of the attractive football that had helped them to reach this stage and began to put the opposition under more and more pressure.
Alex Jackson scored an excellent goal for Wilmslow; however Cardinal Heenan also scored on the break as the home side changed their formation in search of glory.
To reach the last four of a National cup from an original entrant of some 658 Schools, is a significant achievement for the boys and the school, as this is the furthest a junior side has progressed in the ESFA Cup.
The team's coach Simon Mawer said "This has been a fantastic season for the U12's and they have shown huge commitment and dedication. They have worked so hard and deserve their success."
Wilmslow have navigated their way through nine tough rounds, during their impressive cup run and have beaten schools from Yorkshire, Merseyside, Shropshire and Greater Manchester. The team now faces Tytherington School in the Macclesfield and District Cup Final on Wednesday 6th April.
The team (pictured) Back Row; Hugh Gozem, Melle Meulensteen, Alex Jackson, Nathan Forrest, Jake Turner, Nick Brown, Ian Finney, Frazer Wain. Front Row; Kyle Lord, Will Middleton, Miles Fenton, Callum McKew, Ed Lawton, Matt Boyle, Will Dodds, Euan Ferguson.
