It promises to be another fantastic weekend for Torquay United’s youth sides, with the club’s U12, U15 and U16 sides all making it through to their respective cup finals on Saturday.
The U12s (above) are in the final of the JPL Shield after a 1-0 victory over West Ham United Performance Squad. The lads overcame a four and a half hour trip to beat a strong and organised West Ham United side. Coming up against such a talented team, the U12s had to change from their usual attacking game to a more measured approach. A quick counter attack in the 65th minute saw Adam Reda Khalaf bury the ball into the bottom corner to give United the lead and the team saw out the rest of the game to clinch victory.
The team play Pro Football Academy at St George’s Park. Congratulations to the team and to their coach, Paul Vallance, who took over just before Christmas.
Torquay United Blues U15s are through to the National Shield final and will play Chorley Town FC. They secured top spot in the regional Junior Premier League south section. They overcame Wiltshire FC with goals from Ben Langley, Tyler Bell, and Tom Burt. Alfie Collins and Alex Cherry performed admirably in defence.
A special mention for the U16s who overcame injuries and departures to finish their season strongly, going unbeaten in their final four games. Aaron Spragg and Oakley Hunt scored over twenty goals each to push the team on. Despite a number of absences, they will take on Sutton Coldfield in the final at 2.30pm.
The coaches and players from all age groups can be rightly proud of the hard work they have put into their seasons. The success that the first team has enjoyed has been mimicked by the lower age groups driving the Club onto bigger and better things in the future. The future is looking bright!
