THE Football League Community Cup southern area finals took place at Leyton Orient last week, with Brighton & Hove Albion taking the honours.
The Seagulls beat the Shrimpers of Southend in the final thanks to an extra time winner which ensures that Brighton will now play at Wembley in the national final held over the play-off weekend in late May.
Nearly 100 youngsters were present at the Score Centre, Leyton for the tournament which was run by coaches from the Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP).
The tournament kicked off in the morning with group stages featuring teams from across England and Wales including; Swansea, Leyton Orient, Brighton, Millwall, Cheltenham, Luton, Bournemouth, Northampton Town, Southend and Swindon.
With every game lasting eight minutes the pace was frenetic and saw Millwall, Brighton, Southend and Swindon progress to the afternoon semi-finals with Brighton beating Millwall and Southend triumphing over Swindon.
The Seagulls went into the final as slight favourites, having beaten Southend 2-0 in the group stages and the match was a tight affair with neither team able to score in normal time.
However Brighton were crowned Southern Champions thanks to a Connor Chapman strike in the first 30 seconds of the extra period,
"We managed to get the ball down the line to Connor and he slotted it home," said a jubilant Brighton captain Matthew Smith, 11.
"Southend were a good team to play against and I'm ecstatic that we are going to Wembley. Teamwork, communication and our coaches were the secret to our success - what can I say? Perfect!"
For their proud PE teacher, the win was a great moment for him and the boys.
"The extra time was the most nervous four minutes of my life," explained Grant Christie, team manager and Head of PE, Orchards Middle School, Worthing.
"We came across Southend in the group stages and beat them 2-0 so that extra confidence gave us a bit of an edge going into the final.
"It was a complete unknown coming here today and I know it is a cliché but we really didn't expect to win.
"However, the boys were really relaxed and absolutely fantastic throughout the tournament today. They played some excellent football, kept the ball on the deck with their skill and commitment really shining through in the end.
"We are looking forward to the special day at Wembley and our Headteacher has promised us special suits with the Orchards logo on so we are off to Giorgio Armani now!
"It will be absolutely fantastic - I am very proud of them."
For Robert Tromans, who organised the tournament, the day ran smoothly and was an extremely enjoyable experience.
"I was delighted with how it went today," explained the LOCSP Football Development Officer.
"The kids behaved fantastically well as well as the parents and coaches with them. The children played in a good spirit and there were some excellent players and goals in evidence.
"We would be happy to host it again in the future and hopefully try and host the girls' one too."
For more information about LOCSP please contact the office on 020 8556 5973 or email enquiries@locsp.org
