On Thursday 30^th March Reds in the Community were chosen to host the regional finals of the EFL Utilita kid’s cup. After postponement due to adverse weather conditions earlier in the month the competition kicked off on Oakwell’s 4G Astro Pitch last Thursday afternoon. 

Primary schools from around the north of England travelled to take part in the last stop before the winners’ progress to play at Wembley. Carlton Primary Academy represented Barnsley FC after their impressive performance in the last round with other schools visiting from Derby, Bolton, Morecambe, Sheffield Wednesday, Burton, Port Vale, Accrington Stanley, Lincoln City, Shrewsbury, and Fleetwood. 

The games were close, and it was hard to separate the teams. The decision on who progressed through to the semi-finals was decided on goal difference. Sheffield Wednesday played Shrewsbury and Bolton played Derby. 

The final match came down to Shrewsbury Vs Derby. Derby had some excellent chances, but the Shrewsbury defence proved hard to crack. It came down to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out with Shrewsbury emerging winners after a sudden death tie-break and two fantastic keeper saves. 

Excellent sportsmanship and talent were showcased from each team. Everyone who took part should be extremely proud of themselves. Congratulations again to Shrewsbury we wish you the best of luck at Wembley. 

A final thankyou to everyone who attended and helped the event run as smoothly as it did, we hope to see you all again soon.