Shropshire Star

Triple crown for Thomas Telford

Former football ace-turned-school coach Des Lyttle has hailed Thomas Telford School’s triple national crown as adding to an already proud history.

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The Technology College, established in 1991 and renowned for exceptionally talented students in the academic and sporting field, claimed three trophies in a week of footballing finals at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium.

Incredibly, the school’s year 12, year 12 ‘open’ and year 13 ‘open’ sides had progressed through as many as 10 rounds of competition to make the showpiece in Derbyshire – leaving the ex-Nottingham Forest and West Brom defender hailing the ESFA PlayStation(R) Schools’ Cup as the schools’ version of the FA Cup.

“It’s an intense national competition for the students,” said Lyttle, 45. “It’s like the early non-League teams in the FA Cup playing eight or 10 rounds.

“PlayStation (the sponsors) do a great job in the stuff they put on, the organisation during games and perks for kids.

“At the end of it everyone wants to win and be national champs.

“It’s been brilliant for us. Thomas Telford has a great history and across the last three or four years we’ve began to reach more than one national final.

“To get to one, for any age group, is doing really well.

“We won nine last year. This year the girls under-16s lost in a final at Manchester City while a girls five-a-side team have been to Wembley.

“It’s great for the kids.”

Little and fellow coach, head of PE David Howells, guided the sides to success at Derby, where rivals from Northampton and two sides from Croydon were downed across finals lasting 60 and 70 minutes – including two nail-biting penalty shoot-out success for Thomas Telford.

With four coach-loads of supporters from the schools watching on, alongside live coverage and full commentary on YouTube, under-12 sensation Nath Fraser stole the show for Telford.

He netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Northampton School for Boys.

The goals were enough to land him the man of the match gong as well as a special prize from the competition’s sponsor PlayStation.

“Northampton actually started the better side,” added Lyttle. “But we settled and started to play a lot better.”

The school’s under-12 and under-13 ‘open’ sides – meaning that any number of players attached to football academies are permitted to play – then turned on the drama with two thrilling shoot-out wins.

Goals from Nathan Kabeya and Ethan McLeod helped stage a “magnificent” comeback against Riddlesdown.

Thomas Telford then edged a nervy 3-2 penalty win.

The under-13 charges tackled the reputable Whitgift side, with Lyttle adding: “They’re up there with us in terms of producing players. They were littered with academy players from Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace and even had a Spanish keeper who was at Real Madrid!”

Kai Lissimore gave Telford the lead but they were pegged back and finally prevailed in the heaving rain with a 5-4 spot-kick success in front of delirious class-mates.