B&DYFL match of the week: Layton Junior Clarets v BJFF Spartans
It was a Hogan Cup weekend in the Blackpool and District Youth Football League, though two teams no longer involved in the race for Bloomfield Road provided us with a match of the week every bit as exciting as the knockout ties.
Under-nines sides Layton Junior Clarets and BJFF Spartans arranged Saturday’s fixture after both exited the cups – and they served up a treat for our cameras.
The Clarets know all about cup glory, having won the inaugural Hogan Trophy last year in their first B&DYFL season.
Manager David Doyle said: “We featured in The Gazette when we won the Trophy and we’ve done all right this season too.
“We’ve gone up another division, which has made it tougher, but we’re coming into our own now.
“We may not have a cup final this year but we can concentrate on what we’re doing and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” added David, who does have silverware to celebrate this season after his Layton under-12 girls’ team clinched their league title last weekend.
Spartans manager Thomas McMurdo enjoyed his first match of the week experience and said. “It was real grassroots football through and through on a muddy pitch.
“We’ve had a fantastic season and could not have asked for any better. The players are really developing well after starting a little late.
“We only joined the league in phase three of under-sevens and are coming to the end of our second full season.
“We still have a strong core of players who were with us in development football.
“We have players who could hardly kick a ball and are now scoring 30 goals a season!”
Clarets boss David is also delighted by his players’ development over three seasons and added: “We’ve only lost one player since we started and taken on one new player as a replacement – and it was the new player, Elliott, who was the man of the match on Saturday.
“Elliott was just non-stop. He’s only been with us for a few games and he’s really hungry.”