Footballers Crowned Champions
On Saturday 10th July, 2010 Victoria Dock Primary School Football Team won the Urban Park Rangers’ Festival of Football. Having qualified for the Grand Finals after winning the East Hull heat, the team came up against the best sixteen school teams to compete for the right to known as the overall winners.
It was a hot day already when the team met at 09.30 at Oak Road playing fields and the group stages placed Victoria Dock against Bethune, Biggin Hill and Newington St John. The team won the group comfortably, winning all three games. Goal-Keeper George Smart scored the first goal of the day from his own area – very much to his surprise and many others! The group games saw Victoria Dock beat both Bethune and Biggin Hill 2-1, whilst a much more relaxed team (knowing they had qualified already) go easy on Newington, beating them 2-0.
The Quarter Finals beckoned and with the heat a lot of water was consumed. Victoria Dock went 3-0 up against a decent Tilbury side before complacency set in allowing Tilbury to get one back. Victoria Dock held on though and marched onto the Semi-Final against St. Thomas Moore. The game was quite tight for long periods with some great football on show. Two superb team goals however saw Victoria Dock as eventual winners with St. Thomas Moore unable to reply.
By now the heat was immense and the support growing. The big finale saw a very capable St. Vincent’s team pit their wits against the Victoria Dock boys, having easy brushing aside their opponents 4-1 in their semi-final. The team were told to go out and enjoy the final, for many their last game for Victoria Dock Primary School before leaving for secondary school. St. Vincent’s had a dream start when their striker seemed to dance around the Dock’s defenders and keeper to tap the ball into an empty net. For the first time in the tournament, Victoria Dock went behind!
Soon after St. Vincent’s keeper made a string of outstanding saves to deny Year 5’s Josh Barrett. What was even more unbelievable was how the referee failed to see St. Vincent’s defender after congratulating the keeper, pick up the ball and hand it to his keeper – a definite penalty but the referee just… obviously was not watching.
Greatly riled by the injustice and being a goal down, Victoria Dock players rolled up their sleeves and got to work. A brace of goals soon flew in from team captain Cameron Leigh-Smith. 2-1 up after going behind and having a stone-wall penalty waved away, the team continued to charge. The final kick of the game was struck towards goal and the referee blew his whistle (as the ball hit the back of the net). It would have been 3-1 had the whistle been blown two seconds later but nobody cared as Victoria Dock Primary School had won the cup - deservedly.
Seven players turned up in both senses. Seven players stood together and played together. And seven players should be proud of what they achieved! True winners!
10/07/2010