The Trust’s pan-disability football teams took part in their latest fixtures in the South Yorkshire Ability Counts League on Sunday, November 5, with U12 and U16 sides competing in matches against Sheffield FC, Mansfield Town and Rotherham United.
The U12s won their game against Sheffield FC before being defeated by Mansfield, with Latoya Johnson, Isaac Hodgson, Harry Tingay and Ollie Furniss getting on the scoresheet.
The U16s also came away with one win and one loss, with victory over Mansfield and a defeat against Rotherham.
Riley Lawton and Aaron Dance hit the back of the net, with the latter also providing a penalty save.
Pan-disability football coach Adam Guirdham said: “The teams have a fixture every month which involves playing against two teams.”
“They gave up their time to play as they would’ve been here at the SMH Group Stadium, watching the FA Cup match against Portsmouth if not.”
On the skills learnt by the children in the team, Adam added: “They learn how to work together and be part of a team.
“The social element is really big. They support each other when they’re not playing at the same time.
“The children that attend our provisions are able to represent the football club and they can have the same sort of experiences as other children.
“We have had children who have been with us and now play in mainstream football. That’s great but we want to be able to provide something for those who are struggling in mainstream football.
Craig Dawson, who was also coaching, added: “We had four hard fixtures. The teams did the Trust proud; they gave it their all.
“We want them to understand the importance of each position they play, the value of being a defender an attacker and a midfielder for example.
“Overall, it was a very successful round of fixtures and both teams sit third in their respective leagues.”
