Thame boys under 13’s played against Burnham Junior Puma’s Red in the Wycombe and South Bucks League Cup final on Sunday.
Thame got off to a strong start with a goal from Bertie Heyes in the first 10 minutes of the game however Burnham equalised not long after off the back of a strong passing play through the Thame defence. Thame came back 20 minutes into the first half with an unstoppable volley from outside the box, again from attacking midfielder Bertie Heyes.
A penalty against Thame in the second half gave Burnham a chance to equalise but they were denied by a calm dive from the Thame keeper, Lewis Moore-Hodgkinson. The instant rebound shot was also deftly pushed aside from the ground. Even Burnham’s head coach felt compelled to applaud.
The second half saw lots of chances on goal for Thame, but the game ended with the same score line as the second half had begun – a 2-1 win for Thame.
Thame boys U13’s are having an extraordinary season, currently placed second in the division 1 Wycombe and South bucks league table, with an impressive record of 13 wins from 14 games. League leaders Explore FC are equal with 13 wins but from 17 games. With those stats the boys have a real chance of winning the league.
Thame boys U13’s squad has remained largely unchanged since they started in 2010 as Thame Boys Under 5’s. The captain, Reece Way, has been with the squad since the start and his impressive speed and stamina will always make the difference on the pitch. Their coach Jimmy Key has been with them from the beginning and has seen them develop as a team in both skill and friendship.
The boy’s success has been hard earned, they train weekly for 40 weeks of the year. If the Thame Football Club isn’t available to play at, they go to the recreation ground on Southern Road. They train in wind, rain, snow and sleet. On match days it is very rare that the whole team aren’t available, the boys will give up their weekends to play, working other commitments around the matches.
Their coach Jimmy Key and assistant coach Andrew Rawlings show the same commitment, they are at every training session and every match, with a couple of tournaments thrown in for good measure.
Jimmy explains "The progress this group of boys have made over the last 9 years has been remarkable. To go from a solid, mid table team, into possibly the best team in the county has been an absolute pleasure to watch and to coach. I'm very lucky to look after these lads and I hope we can keep up this form and bring home the silverware that they all deserve"
Despite being on target to win the double, if you ask any of the boys what they want to win most of all it’s the Thame Tournament, they want to win at home on their turf, and I think given their performance so far they might just do it!
