WEMBLEY! WEMBLEY!

What a fantastic day Wellingborough Town Under 10's had in London on August 6th at the McDonald's Festival of Football.

A pleasant trip to the capital really started to emerge as a reality when we joined the throng of coaches from all over the country homing in on a fantastic park only a stones throw from Wembley Stadium itself. To all intents and purposes it looked as though we were actually in the country with the expanse of trees and fields where the lads were to perform in the first part of the day.

Our first game was against Newcastle Juniors who looked much more physically stronger than we were. Although we held them for a time they eventually got the ascendancy and ran out 4-0 winners. If we had had an opportunity of playing against a lesser team in our first match having only just travelled for two hours against our opponents who stayed in London overnight, we might have performed better.

The crowds, the colourful sideshows of football skills and the atmosphere soon settled our squad and they went on to win their second match 6-2. The third match was a close affair but we eventually ran out victorious 2-0. A wholly satisfying series.

A short trip of 10 minutes saw us arrive at Wembley. The excited chatter of hundreds of youngsters from all over the country, made up of members of 60 teams selected by McDonalds to take part in this Festival, grew in intensity as we entered the stadium.

The pitch looked like a beautiful suede green carpet. The moving perimeter boards and the endless rows of seats seeming to spread for hundreds of feet. To see our boys eagerly awaiting their turn to tread the hallowed turf, with hundreds of others in their gaily coloured team kits was exciting, even for several of us who had been privileged enough to have seen it all before. But on those occasions our boys, in Doughboys colours, were not involved. A rare site which really must have excited the proud parents and grandparents who were there to witness it.

Pre-match photo-shoots with Geoff Hurst, the 1966 World Cup hat-trick star, for all the teams seemed to take an eternity and when our boys eventually got onto the field the game seemed to flash by. I think the occasion got the better of them as they were definitely second best to their opponents. However, a closely fought match was decided with the opponents scoring the winner with the last kick of the match. The result was incidental, it was the taking part that was important.

To see the squad wearily climbing the hundred steps to the Royal Box, with the myriad cameras flashing and the mobile phones working overtime, is something which I, and I've no doubt, the other 50 or so Doughboys supporters will never forget.

The club, the boys themselves and the parents owe a big 'thank-you' to Perry Akhtar our McDonalds sponsor for giving us the opportunity of a lifetime. The club officials who accompanied the squad are also proud at the way the coaches and squad performed in their play and their overall conduct throughout.

Thanks to all concerned from an old sentimental Doughboy loyalist who as experienced a day that I shall cherish because we, The Doughboys, were involved in an event at the home of football.

Laurie Owen - Wellingborough Town Executive Committee

More Photo's here

Do you have any photo's from the Wembley Trip? Would you like to submit your account of the day?

Please email Martin Patmore - martin@wtys.co.uk so that I can add them to the site.