WOOD HOST NATIONAL LEAGUE TRUST TOURNAMENT

Boreham Wood hosted the National League Trust Under 11s South East Finals on Wednesday where both Leyton Orient teams ran out winners on the day.

A boys and girls team represented Leyton Orient and Dagenham & Redbridge in the finals which proved to showcase a host of talent.

Ahead of the tournament, National League sides select a local primary school representative to play for them. This then decides which schools go on to play in the finals, which are held at Wembley Stadium, before the Promotion Final in 2019.

This year, the competition grew larger once again, with a record 50 teams entering to compete.

Wednesday’s under 11s girls final ended with a 2-0 win for Leyton Orient over Dagenham & Redbridge. Both teams had done well in the competition up to final, with Leyton Orient having beaten Hemel Hempstead Town 3-0 and Dagenham & Redbridge beating Boston United 2-0, in the semi-finals. 

The under 11s boys final was 1-1 after 90 minutes but Leyton Orient were able to eventually win the game on penalties. In the semi-finals, Dagenham & Redbridge were able to overcome Braintree Town in a 1-0 win, while Leyton Orient had beaten St Albans City 2-0.

However, it’s not over for any of the teams yet as they now progress onto the next stage of the competition, which will decide who goes to Wembley.

In attendance yesterday was England C manager, Paul Fairclough, who is also a National League Trust Trustee. Fairclough was at the tournament to represent the National League Trust and to hand out the medals to the winners of the finals.

We spoke to Fairclough about the competition, he said: “I am one of the directors of the National League Trust. One of my jobs is to ensure that the money we receive from the Premier League goes to the right and worthy causes, and this is one of them.

“There are lots of worthy causes all around the country and it’s great to be here representing them.

“It is a remarkable competition because its nationwide and young children have the chance to go and play at Wembley. It’s wonderful.”