It was a great finish to the season for the Hazel Grove High School (HGHS) Year 7 Football team as they were crowned Stockport Schools Year 7 League champions 2023/24 at Edgeley Park.
It all started in September when the team began their winning streak in league matches. Match after match, the boys were unbeaten in their league, resulting in them qualifying for the Stockport SFA League Semi Final where they took on Stockport Academy.
Strong performance in the Semi Final
In a close game with missed chances galore, the deadlock was finally broken as HGHS took a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half.
A strong second half performance meant team HGHS ended 3-0 winners and progressed to the final at Edgeley Park.
A Final to remember
Just to play at Edgeley Park was a fantastic achievement for the team, but they were determined to leave victorious.
Up against a talented Werneth team, they knew winning would not be no easy feat.
In a real tight match with few opportunities to score, neither side could break the deadlock.
The whole HGHS team performed strongly, in particular B.Taylor and D.Pinchin, who were stand out players in the match.
With the game finishing 0-0, it was time for a tense round of penalties.
After 5 penalties from each side, the scores still couldn’t be split and the penalties went to sudden death.
In a nail-biting finish, a talented save from goalkeeper J.Dunn meant HGHS were crowned the Stockport SFA Year 7 League Champions!
This brought an end to what has been a fantastic debut season for our Year 7 Boys Football team in their first year playing at secondary school level.
They left as double winners, having won the Stockport Schools Cup before Easter when they beat St James 6-1.
The team also narrowly missed on a hat-trick of finals when they were beaten by Wright Robinson College in the Greater Manchester Cup Semi Final earlier in the year.
Mr Black, PE Teacher and coach, said:
“I’m extremely proud of the way the team have come together this year and have adapted to secondary school football. They are all such fantastic players in their own right and collectively they have been really strong, producing some great performances like this one. All the players deserve nothing but praise for such a successful season.”
The team are looking forward to next year and the progression to 11-a-side.
Thank you to all the staff, parents and carers for who have supported the boys this year.
We wish the boys the best of luck for their next season, and look forward to hearing of their future successes!
Feature photo credit to Mark Stringer MKS, more photos are available here.