Shifnal stars gunning for glory in Grand Finale
Shifnal Harriers Under-13s are aiming to cement themselves as the best of the best at England’s training base this week.
They were recently crowned champions of the ESF Festival of Football Butlins Bognor Regis tournament – for an unprecedented fourth time in a row – and are now readying themselves for a Grand Finale at St Georges Park on Saturday.
The side, managed by Mark Smith, will be up against the winners of tournaments in Ayr, Minehead, Paris and Skegness at the event in Burton-upon-Trent.
He said: “I think this is a phenomenal achievement, especially this year as we were competing against all London-based teams. It has never been won four times in a row.
“We beat Worcester Park 4-0 in our first match, then Braintree Town 4-0 in the second game.
“We then beat Bognor Town 3-1, who have been unbeaten for two years. On the second day we beat Brixworth Juniors 2-0 and Deptford Green 3-0 to complete the group stage unbeaten, with five wins from five matches.
“In the semi-final we played S&T Academy London winning 2-0, setting up a final against Bognor Regis which we went on to win on penalties.”
Over the weekend, Shifnal scored 18 goals and conceded just once. Jack Tolley won the ESF Golden Ball, as the tournament’s top scorer, and Jordan Thomas saved all three of Bognor Regis’s penalties in the final.
Their trophy was presented by former England international Wayne Bridge, who played Chelsea and Manchester City.
Winning trophies is something Shifnal have become accustom to as they also clinched a cup double last season.
They beat Cookley to lift the Stourbridge & District Charity Cup and saw off Hinksford to win the Stourbridge & District League Cup.
Zak Ball scored 59 goals for them during the season,while Jake Smith found the back of the net 40 times.
Ahead of the Grand Finale, Smith added: “I am unbelievably proud of the lads, they are a unique bunch and teams like this only come around once in a while.
“What they have won over the last six years is unbelievable and because of our level of success, we are able to attract great players. However, I still have a core of six players who started with me from day one.
“We are already planning for next season, and I am looking to add a couple more lads to this amazing squad.
“To sustain the level of success over this time is a testament to the lads and I am amazingly proud of them all. It has been a great time.”
