2005 Blue Blazers top disability team at disability festival
To visit the Cheshire academy web site go to www.disabilitysport.com
Blue Blazers Team with coach Neil Phillips (far left)
The Blue Blazers disability football team showed their class when they became the top disability team at the recent Cheshire County FA Ability counts football festival held in Crewe.

The Blue Blazers which is a part of the Cheshire Academy is an integral part of the Cumberland Arena Community Football and this particular team which played was a pan-disability team.

The football festival involved 4 different teams in total including Stockport FC, Witten Albion and Crewe Alex FC. Unfortunately Crewe Alex FC were unable to muster enough disabled players to make up a team but were allowed to make up a joint team with Witton Albion FC.

In their first match against Witton Albion, Blue Blazer strikers Mark Hughes and Callan Hatton both aged 14 showed their worth when they each scored 2 goals, the last one being a 17 yard shot from Callan straight into the back of the net. There could have been more goals from the Blue Blazers due to the tremendous efforts of 14 year old James Ellwood who struck the cross bar and posts three times. The final score of 4:1 to he Blue Blazers was a great opening result.

Blue Blazers (in yellow) with Stockport FC (white) and Witten Albion FC / Crewe Alex FC in red strips
In their second match against Stockport county FC the Blazers won 8:0 although this scoreline could have been different had it not been a cracking save from a corner kick, by the 14 year old keeper Thomas Platt during the first few minutes. Mark Hughes scored his first ever hat trick, the first goal originating from a lovely ball fed forward by 12 year old Kirsty Robertson. Ben Welch hugging the opposition goal mouth managed to put two past the Stockport keeper.

In the final match against a Crewe Alex FC / Witton Albion FC joint team, matters were a lot tighter. Although the Blue Blazers hardly strayed out of the opposition half, some inspired goal keeping kept the ball out of the opposition nets. However within a couple of minutes of the second half matters changed dramatically when James Ellwood shot a real cannon ball of a shot from 15 yards to squeeze past the keepers fingers. James repeated the task three minutes later finishing a ball nudged on by Ian Poole. Callan Hatton wrapped matters up a few moments later by putting the ball into the back of the net to make the final score 3:0 to the Blazers

The Blue Blazers football coach Neil Phillips was pleased with his teams performance.

"It is good to see that the skills and the team work developed at the Cumberland Arena has paid off. The players practice every single Tuesday and Saturday come hail or shine and they never miss a class. I was most impressed with the way that the players played as a team, helping each other and feeding the ball around and I look forward to many more successes in the future"

Officials from the Blue Blazers however had a suggestion as how these festivals could encourage more players with disabilities.

"The Cheshire FA forbade any players under 12 years of age from playing which we feel is a great shame. Children within mainstream football are able to access under 12 football and I feel that if we want to be serious about developing disability football then the opportunity to play should be made available to younger players, after all the children are the future of any sport"

If any children or young people with a disability would be interested in playing football the Blue Blazers team can be contacted on (01270) 255355 or by E mail at football@disabilitysport.com. Our web page can be accessed at www.disabilitysport.com