English Schools' Football Association

England boys visit Benidorm

England under 18’s left from Manchester and Stansted Airports very early on Monday morning 13th of February for Alicante in Southern Spain to prepare for their forthcoming International season.

The two halves of the party met up at Alicante airport before being transported to the Albir Gardens Hotel where they would be based for the duration of their stay. The hotel was situated 10kms from Benidorm. A light lunch was followed by an intensive training session under the guidance of the management team of Andy Williams and Andy Buckingham. The weather was sunny but cold and despite the hard ground the first session went well. The evening meal was followed by team meetings and briefings. It was also the time of the first problem with striker Joe Bunney going down with tonsillitis. Dr. Arthur Tabor was on hand to ensure prompt and effective treatment.

Tuesday morning was used to set out patterns of play and after lunch a walkthrough of set pieces was followed by the team selection announcement for the game against Benidorm that evening.

The English support of 10 far outweighed that of the opposition. The England boys dominated the early exchanges and a searing drive from Michael Sweet was added to by James Golby almost immediately. Sweet added a second and a penalty by Glen-Ravenhill put England 4-0 up but the only black mark of the night was when England conceded just before half time.

The second half was rather an anti-climax as England coasted to victory despite some intimadatory tackling from their Spanish opponents. The final score was 4-1.

Wednesday was a full day of training intersperse with tactical and motivational input from the coaches. Physio Dave Burns was becoming very busy as minor knocks and sore feet from the hard ground took its toll. A swim and early night were the order of the day as the squad faced a stern test on the morrow from Valencia’s Under 17 side.

Thursday followed the pattern of Tuesday with match preparation and after lunch the party boarded the coach for the 2 hour journey to Valencia. Skipper Jack Pounce and Tom Axford were both carrying knocks and were not risked for the game but Joe Bunney was available again.

The game started with Valencia having the lion’s share of the possession but without causing any real threat to the England goal. As the half progressed England found it more and more difficult to retain possession and the inevitable goal for Valencia arrived courtesy of some very intricate passing and footwork. This seemed to spur the England boys and they began to see more of the ball. A half cleared corner a minute from half time gave England a shooting opportunity and a block by a Spanish arm was deemed to be deliberate by the Spanish official. Joe Bunney dispatched the penalty to establish parity at half time.

The management team changed the game plan at half time and this saw a much more positive second half with England seeing much more of the ball and creating real problems for Valencia. Michael Sweet scored his third goal of the week to put England ahead and only an outstanding save denied Jones a third for England.

A very tired but happy group returned to Albir for a late supper. Friday morning and Alicante airport was where the team split for their journeys home after what proved to be a very successful training camp

As Chairman I was privileged to be part of this group of young men. They were wonderful ambassadors for the ESFA and many guests, residents, airport staff and travellers complimented the group on the way that they conducted themselves. Fellow Council Members Dave Woollaston, Paul Rickard and Stuart Inger were at the games as they had travelled independently with their wives to watch the games. I thank them on behalf of the squad for their support. Inspiresport who organised and sponsored the trip and John Read who made the arrangements in the UK also deserve a great vote of thanks

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