'Incredibly proud' staff and students celebrate as Meon Junior School football team wins Utilita Kids Cup final at Wembley
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STAFF and students at Meon Junior School are ‘incredibly proud’ of the football team that won a tournament final at Wembley.
Representing Portsmouth at the home of football, the squad beat Windmill Hill Primary School, Sheffield, 2-0 in the Utilita Kids Cup final.
The match was played at half-time during the League One playoff final on Saturday.
Goals from Lewis Hamza and Lorenzo Jay secured the silverware.
Sara Paine, headteacher at Meon Junior School, said she could not be happier about the team’s achievement.
She told The News: ‘The whole school is incredibly proud of what they have done.
‘It was a wonderful experience for them, and I’m sure the team will inspire others to work hard and achieve whatever they want to.
‘They represented the school, and Portsmouth, so well.’
Ms Paine said Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley has planned to present the trophy at an assembly this week.
She added: ‘The team showed really good teamwork, which I think is why they won the match in the end.’
The Fratton Park boss ran a training session for the side on May 6 in preparation for the final.
Lewis Hamza, 10, said the final was like nothing he had experienced before.
He said: ‘I was really shocked by the win, but I feel really proud of myself and my teammates.
‘Scoring a goal at Wembley felt so different to normal, but it was brilliant.
‘Danny Cowley really inspired us to never give up.’
The Meon Junior School team includes Leo Higgins and Lewis Hamza, aged 10, as well as Lorenzo Jay, Teddy Nightingale, Freddie Seabrook, Rafael Taylor-Stoakes, Anbiya Habibi, and Leon Young, 11.