District side win prestigious title – emulating success of Newcastle United’s former Portsmouth and Bournemouth player Matt Ritchie & Co

Gosport & Fareham has a new squad of heroes to celebrate after the district team emulated a successful group from 18 years ago when they won the league.
Gosport & Fareham under 13s won the district leagueGosport & Fareham under 13s won the district league
Gosport & Fareham under 13s won the district league

The under-13s team have had a remarkable season and won the title by a point.

That means they are now up alongside a fantastic under-11 winning team from 18 years ago when Matt Ritchie, who now plays for Premier League Newcastle United and came through the ranks at Pompey, was in action for the Gosport & Fareham District.

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Manager Chris Clarke praised his team for becoming the next Gosport & Fareham side to achieve the feat.

He said: ‘Gosport & Fareham District is one of the smaller districts in Hampshire, with nine secondary schools to source players from.

‘However, considering the size of the district, the team that has played all season, have done remarkably well.

‘They are the first Gosport & Fareham District team to win the district League in 18 years, at any age group. It’s an extraordinary achievement and also a credit to their strong team spirit, level of commitment and positive outlook that they take in to every game.’

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Players are nominated by their schools from within the Gosport & Fareham area to attend trials.

District School Trials started last June (2018) and proved to be very successful. A squad was then formed by Clarke, who managed the team, assisted by coaches Alan Sadler and Peter McNulty.

Throughout this season, Gosport & Fareham under-13s have played some sensational football, with home and away wins against Aldershot & Farnborough, Eastleigh & Winchester and Basingstoke schools. They secured the league title by one point. They also had the best defensive record in the league, only conceding 10 goals.

In another good run they made it into the Oxford Cup final, to play against Aldershot Schools, which was a great experience for all involved and a chance for many of the boys to play in a stadium, supported by friends and relatives in the stand.

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However, on this occasion Aldershot came out on top to win the Oxford Cup.

Clarke added: ‘Overall, this has been a very exciting and successful season for Gosport & Fareham.’

The team will be looking to add new players for next season with trials to be held next month as schools again nominate boys to attend.

Gosport & Fareham: Alex Magee (GK), Max Stanley, Liam Clarke, Joel McNulty, Leo Bowman, Taylor Thompson, Sam Britton, Morgan Wyatt, Troy Wingfield, Dylan Sadler, Lennon Ayling, Dominic Cupid, Recce Bramley, James Egeland, Oliver O'Mahony, Remy Dottin, Ewan Wakefield

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