Students at a primary school in Darlington might have the chance to win their way to playing at the world famous Wembley Stadium.
The young schoolboy footballers at Whinfield Primary School have qualified for the National League North section final.
If they win the tournament in York tomorrow (Wednesday, April 2) their coaches Ben Cook and Euan Legg will take them to Wembley to play in the national final during the half-time interval of the professional promotion play-offs.
The Whinfield Primary School football team with their coaches Ben Cook and Euan Legg (Image: PR) The six-a-side competition involves the school’s best eight players from Years 5 and 6. Whinfield’s squad includes Archie, Lee, Sam, Austin, Archie, James, Jenson and Marston.
The successes began when they entered into the Darlington town competition of the National League, which they won through a dramatic penalty shootout.
Mr Legg said: “They were presented with Darlington kits as they were now representing the town in the contest, which was a great moment."
In the next round, involving teams from the North East and Yorkshire, they came second in the group - with the two top teams going through to the National League North finals, due to be played in York, tomorrow.
Whinfield Primary School (Image: GOOGLE) They will play teams from Manchester, Boston, Scunthorpe, Birmingham and Chester with the winner playing the best team from the South at Wembley.
Mr Legg continued: “The boys are so excited. We have a five-a-side competition the night before York so we’ll be rotating players so no one gets injured for the big day.
“We don’t have one stand out player but they are such a good team. They are intelligent, they work hard and they understand each other’s strengths and play to them.
"They know each other from the playground, the classroom and the pitch and some have played together since they were five-years-old; it’s almost as if they are telepathic. They turn up regardless of the weather and are always consistent.”
Mr Legg, who played for Middlesbrough Academy when he was 11, said the boys were great ball carriers, good at dribbling and particularly strong at tackling.
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He added: “They get stuck in right from the whistle. They are committed and assertive and don’t ever shy away, even in penalty shoot-outs.
"From kick-off they are like Red Arrows. They push and press the opposition.
“Ben and I have known the boys since reception and have had them earmarked for a long time because we know what they are capable of. There’s a real bond there.
“They are talking about Wembley and they are a competitive bunch. But even if we don’t get to Wembley, it’s the furthest the school has ever been in the competition and it has been a massive achievement.”
