Spalding United under-16 Blue finally achieved the holy grail of winning the Peterborough Youth League Division One in their final season together.
During their eight seasons together under bosses Richard Smith and Neil Maxwell, the Blue boys have enjoyed plenty of success over the years – including a trophy-laden campaign at under-13 level.
But the league title evaded them throughout their time together, including when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and prematurely ended their unbeaten season at under-14 level when they were one point away from being crowned champions.
The under-15 season (2020/21) was also cancelled part of the way through due to further lockdowns, so all involved with the club are incredibly pleased that their young players have finally achieved what they have worked so hard for.
The timing couldn’t have been better, with the management team of Smith and Maxwell making the incredibly difficult decision to make the under-16s season the last.
Smith said: “Neil and I took this great team on as parents whose sons played in the team and didn’t want to see it fold when the previous management could no longer continue with them.
“We have been involved since under-9s and during the eight seasons the team has won the Peterborough Junior Alliance medal competition, six summer tournaments, the under-13 League Cup, under-13 Charity Cup and finally being crowned the Peterborough Youth League under-16 Division One champions.
“The team has also travelled to Denmark and played in the Dana Cup, which welcomes teams from all over the world including Brazil, Peru and Argentina where they played a year up and finished in third place overall.
“We are incredibly proud of all of the boys we have managed over the last eight seasons and wish every one of them all the very best in their future personal and footballing careers.”
Spalding’s 2021/22 league season began back in September when they picked up a 6-1 win at Stanground.
Their final game of the season was at home against Stamford, with a win sealing the title for Spalding.
Across the season, Spalding played 16 games, won 12, drew two and lost just two – scoring 52 goals and conceding 14 goals in the process, with a goal difference of +38 goals and the best defensive record in the league.
The team held their presentation evening on the June 18, where the players received their league winning medals and were presented with the league trophy.
Individual awards were won by Billy Andrews (Most Improved and Parents’ Player of the year) and Ben Greenacre (Players’ Player), while Manager’s Player was awarded to the whole team for their collective performances over their championship-winning season.
