Schools football: Croydon trio score in Surrey success

2:59pm Wednesday 16th January 2002

No fewer than eight Croydon Schools players were in the Surrey schools' under-16 squad which won 4-3 against Bucks at Croydon Athletic FC last Thursday and three of them found the net in an encouraging performance.

John Gladwin (Stanley Technical) put Surrey ahead with a good left foot shot in the 15th minute and when Surrey were pegged back to 2-2, Robert Wingfield (Ashburton) and Freedom Pigott (Stanley Technical) grabbed two goals for Surrey inside a minute just before the interval.

Croydon schools' under-12s lost 2-0 to North Kent in the English Schools' Area 11 Patrick Haugh Trophy semi-final at Sidcup on Saturday.

The Croydon team can count themselves unlucky to lose because although they were playing catch-up from the moment North Kent scored in the sixth minute, they had nothing to show for their efforts.

North Kent made it 2-0 four minutes before half-time. Croydon bossed the midfield in the second half and created several good chances.

Neil Attenborough (Selsdon High), Croydon's team manager, said after the tie: "We just could't put the ball in the net."

There are three District matches this Saturday. The under-14s entertain North Kent in an Eagles Trophy tie at Croygas, Mollison Drive (kick-off at 10am). The under-15s take on Hackney & Tower Hamlets at Powerleague, Turle Road, Norbury, in a London Schools' Corinthian Shield match (kick-off at 10.30am) and the under-11s travel to Cuckfield to play Mid-Sussex in a friendly.