ALTRINCHAM have again been represented by some talented and enthusiastic youngsters at the Foyle Cup in City of Derry in Northern Ireland.

With just five weeks of preparation behind them, training three times per week, Alty's two age groups, under-12 and under-14, departed from Manchester Airport and flew to City of Derry Airport, where they were transported by Reddins to their base for the week at City Hotel.

It proved a busy week for the players, each day starting at 8am and keeping them all active until around 9.30pm, when they returned to their rooms.

With the under-12s kicking off between 11.30am and 12.30pm and the under-14s between 2.30pm and 3.30pm, time was precious, and a lot of planning went into each day.

Reflecting on how the under-12s finished 22nd out of 72 teams, Alty's Sara Newton said: “It was always going to be a big ask for the under-12s to compete against teams who have been playing 11v11 for a whole season.

"But the players performed brilliantly and gave a good account of themselves. It was extremely rewarding to see them grow into understanding the game and take on the AFC philosophy of possession-based football, playing through whenever the opportunity allowed.”

Under-12s Steele, Stankard, Hood, Cosh, NG, Gray, Summerfield, Mackenzie, Harrison-Jukes, Hutchinson, Forrest, Hazelhurst, Francis, Hayselden, Sheehy, Lucas.

The under-14s finished 37th out of 56 teams, and Alty Academy's Paul Fay said: “A number of these players have experienced this trip previously, playing in the under-12 section. Though it was a mixed bag of results in terms of points, I was extremely impressed with the resilience and character the players showed as they faced very physical sides. That can only enrich their individual journeys and provide exposure they will benefit from."

Under-14s Jewell, Randall-Smith, Jones, Ainscough, Hanley-Williams, Blundell, Taylor, Shumba, Malik, Bagley, Ridley, Bobin, Neville, Lytollis, Ihimoyan, Skelton.

Due to the age, we travelled with three other coaches, Ruaridh Iacovou, Lloyd Gardener and Angus Bailey, and the medical team was overseen by Alex Wharton and included Anthony Lawlor and Rebecca Wilson.

Altrincham FC would like to thank Michael Hutton (competition organiser), Don Reddin (transport) and Linda Lynch (City Hotel) for their fantastic support.