On Thursday 9th January, Sir John Talbot U13s Girls represented Shrewsbury Town in the Utilita Girls Cup at Burton Albion in the area finals.

Sir John Talbot Girls reached the area finals after winning our local qualifiers at the Mercedes-Benz Football Hub against other local schools, overcoming Idsall in a competitive final back in November. This meant that the team would be on the road to compete in the area final against clubs from the rest of the Midlands with one winner going on to the regional final with the dream opportunity of playing at Wembley Stadium on offer.

On the day Shrewsbury were drawn in a group against Birmingham, Walsall, Macclesfield, and Coventry with the top two going through to the knock-out stages.

Town performed fantastically in this group, going unbeaten and gaining victories against Birmingham, Walsall, and Coventry and drawing with Macclesfield. The team just missed out on top spot on goal difference meaning that they met West Brom in from the opposing group in a play-off game.

Unfortunately the girls run came to an end here as they were beaten by West Brom and exited the competition.

The team showed great spirit and skill throughout all their games and their effort levels throughout meant that Shrewsbury was very well represented in the area finals.

Our Inclusive Sports Officer, Nigel Welling accompanied the team to the tournament and was full of praise for their efforts. “All the players handled themselves really well and were fantastic representatives for Shrewsbury Town. They were really unlucky to miss out on top-spot by just one goal but it will have been a great experience for them to compete against teams all across the country and they should be really proud of their efforts.”

Salop still have the chance to have a representative at Wembley this year, as the Utilita Boys cup takes place in March. With our final qualifier taking place tomorrow afternoon before the Shrewsbury vs Lincoln fixture at the Mercedes-Benz Football Hub.

The Utilita Boys & Girls Cup are national competitions organised by the EFL and is open to all local schools that we work with within Shropshire. To find out how to get involved contact [email protected] 

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