English Schools' Football Association

Opening Ceremony, Tuesday April 2nd

The opening ceremony for the 26^th successive Under 14 Festival on the Isle of Wight (and the 30^th in all) took place in a packed hall at the PGL Centre at Wootton on the Island on Tuesday evening. The PGL Centre is absolutely full for the first time with 17 Under 14 sides in residence and the local Isle of Wight side also taking part.

They have been joined this season by six Under 13 squads who participating in a mini-Festival of their own, an initiative which the English Schools’ FA is anxious to expand although it would not be possible at the current venue.

Over 100 teams representing their Associations have taken part in the Festival over the years and many past and current professional players have travelled to the Island with their Associations over the years. Notable among these have been internationals such as Rio Ferdinand (Blackheath), Gary and Phil Neville (Bury) and Wes Brown (Manchester) and several current or past Premier League players such as Matthew Taylor (Vale of White Horse), Dean Whitehead (Vale of White Horse) and Kevin Davies (Sheffield). When one adds to these, hundreds of Football League and Conference players, the standards of the Festival are certainly high but equally important to the ESFA are those boys whose only representative football could well have been at the Festival.

There is only one trophy on offer, the Bert Worrall Fair Play Award, named after a former Plymouth Head teacher who was one of the founders of the Festival when it began in Oakham in the early 1980s. This is now supported by PGL where the Festival has been based for the last seven seasons. All the matches are ‘friendlies’ although no less competitive for that and the emphasis throughout is on sportsmanship on the pitch and good behaviour off it.

One of the other main functions of the event is to allow teams to meet opponents they cannot usually play because of distance and the fixtures this week (with a few exceptions) reflect this. There are also opportunities for the players to receive specialist coaching, be involved in social events and to use the adventure facilities of PGL.

Although the Festival was not officially opened until the evening, two matches took place on Tuesday afternoon as the sides involved could reach the island easily.

Gosport and Fareham from just across the Solent and North Somerset met at Medina High School and despite some fine defensive work from the Hampshire side’s defence, two goals in four minutes from Elliot Nicholson and Soloman Smith brought North Somerset a 2-0 win.

The score was the same in the other match where the Isle of Wight side played Vale of White Horse who have one of the best records of any Association at the Festival in recent seasons. The Isle of Wight, however, who have had regular training sessions during the winter proved difficult to beat. The Vale had the better possession in the first half but failed to utilise their territorial advantage and the Isle of Wight made them pay with two second half goals. Both were netted by Finley Phillips, the first following a defence splitting pass from Jordan Stacey and the second when he latched on to a loose ball and shot over the keeper from 20 yards.

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL : Day 1 Wednesday, April 3rd

Under 14 Results

After yesterday’s two introductory matches, eight further games took place on the official opening day of the Festival. The biggest victory of the day came from Lancashire side, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley who thrashed Coventry 6-0 while North Somerset also netted six times against a Hartlepool squad weakened by the absence of five of their regular squad who were on a school ski-ing trip. Nevertheless they defended well in the early part of the game shutting out Hartlepool’s strikers, Solomon Smith and Taryn Joseph.

In the 19^th minute, however, Taryn Joseph opened the scoring when he used his speed to break away from the defence when put through by Lucas Elingham. The second goal was a candidate for ‘goal of the day’ when Hartlepool had a corner which was cleared into space. Sam Iles made a break from his own penalty box, his run was spotted by Elliot Nicholson whose ball was over the defence. Iles ran on to it, his first shot was saved by Hartlepool keeper Josh Noble but Iles was able to tap in the rebound to give his side a 2-0 interval lead.

James Snowdon impressed for Hartlepool in his lone striker role and he hit Brandon Moran’s cross in from six yards to give his side a chance. Hartlepool worked hard against the wind and had some half-chances but when their defence had cleared after a hectic goal mouth scramble , the resulting corner was headed in by the unchallenged Alex Walder.

North Somerset dominated from then onwards with Joe Rout firing home the fourth North Somerset goal from a Jordan Palmer cross and Palmer himself netted the fifth before Alex Cam scored the impressive sixth goal.

Hartlepool never gave up, epitomised by a last minute strike just past the post from Snowdon. It was their keeper Kieron Hedges who was named their ’man of the match’ while Iles gained the honour for the winners.

There were a couple of hard luck stories, first when West Cornwall conceded a first minute goal against East Riding, fought back to equalise through Tyler Tonkin and deserved a draw but then saw a deflected shot from John Hacasine which wrong- footed their keeper to win the game in the last minute of ‘stoppage time’ . The second was in the 0-0 draw between Gosport and Fareham and the Isle of Wight in which the former hit the woodwork twice, once when Connor Summers hit the post in the first half and then when Brad Thomas had his shot spectacularly tipped on to the bar by the Island keeper, Myles Holloway.

In the second half, the ball was almost constantly in the Island half but three minutes from time, Gosport and Fareham thought they had won the game when Dale Mason hit a powerful goal-bound shot which was superbly blocked on the line by a sprawling Ewan Cranwell. The whole Gosport and Fareham contingent were left with their hands on their heads but could only applaud such a brilliant stop which denied them the win.

In the draw between Bridgwater Whites and Cambridge, both sides scored twice with the wind and the slope to their advantage; Cambridge ‘s Callum Fullwood netted a 25 yard strike which went in just under the bar and they went further ahead through Toby Bicknell in the 25^th minute after he had already struck the bar and the post. In the second half, it was the Somerset side’s turn to pressurise the Cambridge defence. Danny Maloney and Rhys Hayward missed good chances but Tyler Reed then pulled a goal back before Harry Hamblin equalised with 5 minutes remaining. The game ended on a low note when a Cambridge player suffered a serious injury which required an ambulance.

The other Bridgwater side, the Reds, scored in the first minute but a Ewan Jones free-kick enabled Vale of White Horse to draw level and although they had the better of the play, two goals from Rhys Hayward won the game for Bridgwater in a game spoilt by the strong wind. Tameside completely dominated their game against Yeovil and District, the only surprising fact being that it took them nearly 35 minutes to break the deadlock with a goal from Harry Fairhurst. Tameside added further goals after half-time through Francesco Frangillo and Tom Greenhalgh.

Bishop Auckland comfortably defeated Plymouth 4-1 with two goals in the first five minutes from Miles Swift setting them on their way. Plymouth made it 2-1 early in the second half when a corner from Alex Battle was headed in by Sam Ryan. Battle himself was thwarted by a fine save before Bishop Auckland scored twice late on through Charlie Wigley and Dale Milburn.

Under 13 Results

Two draws and a close match provided an almost perfect start to the Under 13 mini-Festival. All 3 games were dictated by the wind. East Riding with the elements in their favour scored after 20 minutes with a fine strike from Adam Palmer and added a second from Josh Walker but goalkeeper Harry Sharpe was also vital in giving his side a 2-0 lead. Jacob Trudgeon put his side back in the game after five minutes of the second period but Sam Burton made it 3-1 to East Riding before Joel Allen and Trudgeon brough the Cornish side a deserved draw.

Vale of White Horse hit the crossbar early in the game when Nico Cheesman was unfortunate and then went ahead after a superb dribble by James Darling after ten minutes but a goal from Billy Goose made it 1-1 at half-time. Barnsley took control after the break and Finn Welsh netted from 25 yards before a late penalty was converted by Morgan Jasiok.

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL : Day 2 Thursday, April 4th

Snow and sleet added to the strong winds and hard pitches to make conditions at the Festival even worse than on Day 1 but the morning produced five close matches while two draws and a single goal win in the afternoon were just what the Festival needed.

Two teams who suffered heavy defeats on the first day, Coventry and Hartlepool both gained consolation in a 2-2 draw with both teams pleased by improved performances. All the goals came in the first half with Hartlepool going into a two goal lead through James Snowdon and an own goal from Coventry’s Joe Barnacle before Barnacle redeemed himself by scoring the equaliser from close range after Danny Bowes had scored a stunning individual effort to get his side back into the game.

Another side pleased to draw were Vale of White Horse; after their two early defeats, they were encouraged by two early goals by Charlie Rowland and Jack Marshall. East Riding recovered thanks to two goals from George Barmby, a well known name in that part of Yorkshire, but were left to rue an early penalty miss.

North Somerset had stated the Festival well but met a Cambridge side in top form and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat thanks to a goal from Toby Bicknell. Another Somerset side to do well were Bridgwater Whites who once again recovered from a two goal deficit to draw 2-2 with the Isle of Wight. A sumptuous flick by Dylan Lehmann which just went over the line put the Isle of Wight ahead and Lehmann was again involved in a superbly worked second goal which saw Dan Hodges start the move which he continued with a cross to Tom Ockenden who scored from close range.

Billy Vickery started Bridgwater’s which was completed by Rhys Hayward with five minutes left.

On the other hand, Bridgwater Reds left their recovery too late after letting Gosport and Fareham go three ahead through two goals from Jordan Goulding and another from Connor Summers and a goal from Tyler Reed and a penalty from Harry Horton did not come until the last five minutes.

Barnsley had a double victory over West Cornwall with their Under 14s having an own goal and Russell Green strike to thank for their 2-0 success while their Under 13s against the West Cornwall Gold won 3-0. Early goals from Joe Moran, an excellent header, and Billy Goose put them in control before they added a third late in the first half through a 20 yard effort by Finn Welsh.

The only one sided game of the day at Under 14 level came at Shanklin F.C. where the powerful Tameside squad were much too strong for East Cornwall winning 7-0 while in the Under13 mini-event, Vale of White Horse scored five second half goals with Jack Spruyt netting a hat-trick. Also at Under 13, there was a high quality game between two Yorkshire sides, East Riding and Leeds. The former went two ahead early in the game through Josh Walker and their second was a candidate for ‘goal of the day’ which involved four players before Walker headed in. Leeds scrambled a goal back but Sam Burton made it 3-1 at the break. An early second half goal for Frazer Branton’s Leeds side made it a tense last 20 minutes before Jarrad Wardrobe settled the outcome with a clever finish from 10 yards to make the final score 4-2.

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL : DAY 3 Friday, April 5th

Under 14

Plymouth after a poor start to the Festival had a convincing victory over the Isle of Wight whose fourth game this was and this became clear as the local side were beaten for the first time. Plymouth missed early chances but finally went ahead through Brandon Ackerman. Against the run of play, the Island equalised when Ben Herridge scored with almost the last kick of the first half. The outstanding Elliott Bawden was behind most of what Plymouth did well being involved in all four goals including a stunning third when he weaved past four players before slipping the ball past Luke Wedeerkop who had a fine game in goal for the Island. Alex Battle and Travis Skerton were the Devon side’s other scorers.

West Cornwall had their biggest ever win at a Festival when they defeated a Hartlepool side badly depleted by injuries before and during the game. Some poor defending gave West Cornwall a flying start with Josh Richards, Dan Alford and Aaron Hicks taking advantage before the break although Hartlepool pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time thanks to a lob from Callum Shackleton.. As Hartlepool tired, Alford scored a second and two more goals from Finn Cross and Billy Stone made it 6-1.

Both the Bridgwater games ended in draw, the Reds being involved in an unusual Festival result of 0-0 and the Whites drawing 1-1 with Barrnsley after taking the lead thanks to Keelan Gunningham’s goal. Barnsley eventually found a chink in the Somerset side’s defence and Lewis Kirk levelled the score with a good strike. Another drawn match saw two goals shared by North Somerset and Bishop Auckland. The former, having played on Tuesday afternoon completed their programme with two victories, today’s draw and a narrow 1-0 loss to Cambridge.

Tameside had their hardest game so far in beating Cambridge 2-0 while Vale of White Horse and Yeovil and District produced an entertaining game at Seaclose. Yeovil were on top for most of the first half but met some determined defending from the Oxfordshire side. Yeovil took an early lead after the break but Vale responded with three quick goals from Ewan Jones (2) and Charlie Rowland. Yeovil got back to 3-2 and were unfortunate that Vale’s last goal came when a Rowland shot was deflected off a defender inside the far post.

Coventry were on the end of a 5-0 defeat by Gosport and Fareham whose form gradually improved during the week while East Riding were too strong for East Cornwall whose disappointing week continued when they lost by the same score.

Under 13

West Cornwall Gold put up a good performance against the visiting Portsmouth Under 14 side, taking an early lead and retaining it until the superior strength of the older visitors saw them win 3-1. Best game of the day was a thriller between Leeds and Vale of White Horse which the Yorkshire side edged 3-2 while Barnsley beat East Riding 2-0 in the all-Yorkshire game.

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL : DAY 4 Saturday, April 6th

Under 14

It was the usual story of fatigue and rush on the last morning of the Festival as four games in four days brought tired legs, the late nights began to take their toll and packing of bags and the mini-buses and coaches took attention away from match planning.

Nevertheless the morning produced a classic example of the Festival spirit when the stricken Hartlepool squad down to six fit players were grateful to Bridgwater (who had only a game for the Reds that morning) and Yeovil for five “deadline day loan signings” to help them fulfil their final game against Tameside. They supplemented the team which ‘sod’s law’ decreed they had to play the only side which eventually had a 100% record at the Festival, Tameside. Despite losing 5-1, Hartlepool (United !) fought bravely and had the consolation of becoming the first side to score against their opponents during the week; fittingly they let one of the ‘loanees’, Jack Fridge from Bridgwater take a penalty and he made no mistake from the spot.

The best game of the morning came at Seaclose when Yeovil and Barnsley shared six goals. Yeovil started well and took the lead through their youngest player, Jamie Thompson and increased it shortly after half-time when Jack Smeeton struck a stunning shot past the keeper. Barnsley came back into the game with a vengeance, scoring three quick goals when a determined run from his own half led to the first, a 20 yard free-kick brought the second and the third saw a Yeovil defender push the ball into his own net. A crunching tackle seem to inspire Yeovil to raise their game but all seemed in vain when a goal bound shot was cleared off the line but in the dying seconds a fine near post header by Harry Barnes made the score 3-3.

Cambridge completed a good Festival in which they lost only to Tameside with a 3-1 win over Bishop Auckland which made their record at the event two victories, a draw and a defeat against Tameside. Toby Bicknell was their stand out player and he was on the score-sheet in three of the games, including the last morning’s match Other goals in that game came from Anthony Scully and Cameron Fullwood.. East Cornwall, long time visitors to the Festival, had a difficult time with a squad that was small in stature and strength and lost all four of their matches. On the last morning,, however, they took the lead against Coventry through Kieron Bishop and were the better side in first half before Coventry scored four times after the break.

In the remaining games, Bridgwater Reds lost 2-1 to East Riding while West Cornwall and Hyndburn and Ribble Valley drew 1-1 leaving the latter the only side apart from Tameside to remain undefeated at the Festival with two victories and two draws.

Barnsley under 13s were undefeated in their three games against other Under 13 sides but the game between themselves and Plymouth’s Under 14 side on the final morning was a complete mismatch. Plymouth went ahead in the first minute through Archie Thomas after good work from Travis Skerton and seven minutes later, Sam Ryan made the score 2-0. Defender Jordan Bentley headed home from an Alex Battle corner, Elliott Bawden added a penalty after he had been brought down and further goals from Brandon Ackerman and Travis Skelton made the final score 6-0.

Under 13

Barnsley’s first defeat is dealt with in the Under 14 section but there were two other good game. West Cornwall drew 3-3 with Leeds while the final match between Vale of White Horse and East Riding was one of the most remarkable of the Festival. Goals from Nathan Baker, Kevin Kirby and James Sprutye gave Vale a 3-0 half time lead and apparently determined the result. After the break Adam Palmer headed home from a Myles Lawman free-kick and added another with his weaker left foot. Spruyte soon made it 4-2 but Josh Snaith chipped over the Vale keeper from 25 yards to bring East Riding back into the game. A well taken effort from Tom Morris, voted Vale’s ‘player of the Festival’ made the score 5-3, but in a final twist, Adam Palmer headed in from six yards to complete his hat-trick. This came just too late for East Riding to force a dramatic equaliser and the game ended 5-4 in Vale’s favour. What a match !

FESTIVAL RESULTS

Under 14

Tuesday

Gosport and Fareham 0 North Somerset 2

Vale of White Horse 0 Isle of Wight 2

Wednesday

Barnsley 2 East Cornwall 0

Yeovil and District 0 Tameside 3

Bishop Auckland 4 Plymouth 1

Bridgwater Whites 2 Cambridge 2

Hartlepool 1 North Somerset 6

Gosport and Fareham 0 Isle of Wight 0

Bridgwater reds 3 Vale of White Horse 1

Coventry 0 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 6

West Cornwall 1 East Riding 2

Thursday

Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 2 Plymouth 0

Bridgwater Reds 2 Gosport and Fareham 3

Bishop Auckland 1 Yeovil 1

Barnsley 2 West Cornwall 0

East Riding 2 Vale of White Horse 2

Cambridge 1 North Somerset 0

Hartlepool 2 Coventry 2

Bridgwater Whites 2 Isle of Wight 2

East Cornwall 0 Tameside 7

Friday

Bridgwater Reds 0 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 0

North Somerset 1 Bishop Auckland 1

Coventry 0 Gosport and Fareham 5

Plymouth 4 Isle of Wight 1

West Cornwall 6 Hartlepool 1

East Cornwall 0 East Riding 3

Yeovil 2 Vale of White Horse 4

Bridgwater Whites 1 Barnsley 1

Tameside 2 Cambridge 0

Saturday

Bridgwater Reds 1 East Riding 2

West Cornwall 1 Hyndburn/Ribble Valley 1

Yeovil 3 Barnsley 3

Tameside 5 Hartlepool 1

Cambridge 3 Bishop Auckland 1

East Cornwall 1 Coventry 4

UNDER 13 MINI-FESTIVAL

Wednesday

Portsmouth 2 Leeds 2

Barnsley 3 Vale of White Horse 1

West Cornwall Gold 3 East Riding 3

Thursday

Barnsley 3 West Cornwall Gold 0

West Cornwall Blacks 0 Vale of White Horse 8

East Riding 4 Leeds 2

Friday

West Cornwall Gold 1 Portsmouth Under 14 2

Leeds 3 Vale of White Horse 2

East Riding 0 Barnsley 2

Saturday

Barnsley 0 Plymouth Under 14 6

West Cornwall Gold 3 Leeds 3

Vale of White Horse 5 East Riding 4

All images used in this story are credited to RWT photography.

For further photos and DVDs please visit the RWT Photography website.