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Spanish reward for Boys

31/ 7/2002

FOOTBALL: MIDDLETON Boys under 16s returned from Spain with the runners-up prize from a tournament arranged in Barcelona.

In the semi-finals they met a team called P B Trinitat who were a feeder club for Barcelona.

the final was played in a fabulous stadium, but the surface was sand/clay, and the boys took time to settle.

Their opponents, Gravanet FC, who finished mid-table in La Liga, Spain, were used to the surface and kept possession for long periods. Gravenet opened the scoring after silly defensive mistakes, but Boys went up the other end, and in a 10 to 15 minutes period they hit the woodwork three times.

Gravenet increased their lead, again due to poor defending, and Boys went out 4-0 losers.

The trip was a way of saying 'thank you' to the squad who have been the most successful team in Manchester over the last six years.

Head coach Steve Epstein is sad that all good things must come to an end. The boys will be going for trials with semi professional clubs, while Steve concentrates on building the club up from under 7s.