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It's a high five for team heading Wembley Way



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The road to Wembley can often be a long an arduous one – but for Leeds five-a-side team Samsan Sports, dreams have now become a reality.
The side has qualified for the Football Association's Umbro Fives Finals to be played at the home of English football after winning the regional round of the competition at Goals Soccer Centre in Bradford.

Umbro Fives is a nationwide tournament aimed at finding the best five-a-side football team in the country.

The tournament kicked-off in April when 847 sides dreamt of running out onto the hallowed Wembley turf.

Samsan Sports won a series of qualifying heats before beating local rivals Carnation 3-1 in the Yorkshire regional final.

And the team are no strangers to Wembley, having lost under the arch in a penalty shootout in the regional finals of last year's competition.

Captain Herbie Cheema, from Oakwood, said: "We were obviously gutted last year but it was a fantastic experience.

"We changed in the England changing room and sang the national anthem – not all professional players get to do that. For amateur footballers to get that opportunity is great.

"Let's just hope the result will be different this time around."

Samsan Sports have been playing together for more than 15 years and their skipper thinks team spirit will help them come out on top.

He said: "We've got a squad of seven, plus there's one place up for grabs, and we're really close-knit.

"There's going to be lots of family and friends coming down to London as well, so we'll have lots of support.

"And a lot of the lads are Leeds fans so, hopefully, we can get rid of the demons from the play-off final.

"It's going to be an awesome day whatever happens, but if we win we're going to celebrate like we've never celebrated before."

Cheema is joined in the team by 40 something goalkeeper Jeff Wommersley, from Bramley.

Jeff's son Lee is an outfield player along with Matt James, from Burmantofts.

The other players, all from Crossgates, are Richard Dickinson, Steve Jowett and Graham Bingley.

The finals will be played in November.

Dermot Collins, head of small-sided football at the FA, said: "The Umbro Fives competition is a tournament which is again capturing the imagination of five-a-side teams throughout the country.

"Playing small-sided football is a great way of having fun, while at the same time improving the basic skill level of players.

"And the chance to play at Wembley is the ultimate dream for any football fan."

The full article contains 438 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 21 June 2008 7:09 AM
  • Source: EP Leeds First & County
  • Location: Leeds
 
 

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